Militant Buddhism The Rise of Religious Violence in Sri Lanka, Myanm
Against the backdrop of the ongoing Rohingya crisis, this book takes a close and detailed look at the rise of militant Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand, and especially at the issues of ‘why’ and ‘how’ around it. We are well aware of Christian fun
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peter lehr
Militant Buddhism
Peter Lehr
Militant Buddhism The Rise of Religious Violence in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand
Peter Lehr School of International Relations University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife, UK
ISBN 978-3-030-03516-7 ISBN 978-3-030-03517-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03517-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018964562 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: Loop Images / Getty Images This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Contents
1 Introduction: Between Dhamma-Ghosa and Bheri-Ghosa 1 2 The Sound of War Drums: Political Theology and the Return of Religion 13 3 The Age of Suffering: Buddhist Discourses on Non-violence in Theory and Practice 45 4 Monks in the Age of Suffering: World Renouncers and World Conquerors 81 5 Sri Lanka: “This Is the Country of Us Sinhala People”115 6 Burma: “You Cannot Sleep Next to a Mad Dog”157 7 Thailand: “It Is Time to Arm Thai Buddhists”193 8 Comparative Analysis: “Buddhism Is Not a Suicidal Utopianism”231
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vi
CONTENTS
9 Outlook: How to Deal with War Monks?261 Bibliography
271
Index297
CHAPTER 1
Introduction: Between Dhamma-Ghosa and Bheri-Ghosa
In one of his famous edicts, Maurya Emperor Ashoka (c. 268–c. 232 BCE) declared that under his enlightened Buddhist rule, the sound of war drums (bheri-ghosa) had been replaced by the rule of Buddhist law (dhamma- ghosa). Since then, a profound pacifism or rejection of violence (ahimsa; lit.: ‘do not injure’) has been the hallmark of Buddhism and its various traditions—at least from a somewhat naïve
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