Questions tagged [non-violence]
The non-violence tag has no usage guidance.
20
questions
4
votes
9
answers
290
views
Is Buddhism a teaching of ethical neutrality
In situations involving lies and/or violence, does Buddhism teach siding with truth and peace against lies and violence, or does it teach ethical neutrality i.e. not taking stance on such subjects?
...
- 56.7k
2
votes
4
answers
160
views
Why are Buddhist monks not as extreme as Jain monks when it comes to non-violence?
Why are Buddhist monks not as extreme as Jain monks when it comes to non-violence? For example Jain monks sweep the floor in front of them to avoid stepping on insects/microbes. As far as I'm aware, ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
98
views
What are the sutta references for the Buddha unsuccessfully attempting to stop wars/battles?
I remember hearing that on one, two, or maybe more occasions the Buddha attempted pretty much unsuccessfully to intervene in war or battle. Maybe one had to do with fighting over water rights. I also ...
- 550
3
votes
2
answers
72
views
Call of duty during a Dharmic war : a Buddhist perspective [duplicate]
For a good Buddhist , is to always avoid any cause that will create bad effect, as we can see clearly in the 4 noble truths for example.
What is the Buddhist perspective during an hypotetic moment of ...
- 519
1
vote
7
answers
164
views
Is violence or destruction ever correct?
In the introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen Keys, Philip Kapleau suggests there are times when one can or must rebel.
... In this type
of creativity ow intuitive wisdom and joy are naturally
...
- 197
2
votes
2
answers
188
views
Can a warrior reach enlightenment?
Can someone who fights, even maybe kills or dies, for a cause he considers right, attain enlightenment?
I wonder that after reading that some Buddhists did not share the Zen samurai's vision at all.
- 808
1
vote
6
answers
162
views
Do Buddhists have a country or a religion to defend?
How is it that militant monks can justify waging war or violence? Is nonviolence not necessarily an absolute value for the Buddha? What scriptures are militant monks interpreting to justify war or ...
- 6,879
0
votes
5
answers
96
views
Is Buddhist lifestyle harmless to living beings?
Is the Buddhist lifestyle harmless to living beings? Lot's of creatures are being killed in various human activities (walking, farming, building, etc.) Did Buddhists found a way to live while not ...
- 209
1
vote
3
answers
116
views
Does Buddhism endorse pacifism in times of injustice?
How would a monk or a Buddhist answer look like in dealing with injustices like murder, rape, torture?
If we refer to Dhammapada 3, the victims get instructions how to deal with those misfortunes, ...
- 2,560
0
votes
1
answer
35
views
Spiritual Potential and Consequences of Actions
Upon reading this question, I wondered: would a person with great spiritual potential, without compassion, be more likely to cause great harm than an average person? Not intentionally, but say due to ...
user7302
1
vote
4
answers
113
views
Justifiable violence in Buddhism?
Does Buddhism preach absolute non-violence? Or is there any instance where Buddha had thought that violence can become a necessity under certain situations?
- 129
3
votes
3
answers
135
views
How would Buddhists respond to someone harming the temple?
If a Buddhist noticed someone trying to severely harm their temple, for example trying to start a fire, how would one expect them to respond?
I could imagine a range of responses from completely ...
- 131
-1
votes
2
answers
254
views
If a buddhist had the opportunity to stop the holocaust by killing hitler, should he or she do it? [duplicate]
This is basically a philosophical question, in the light of buddhist ethics.
Suppose a buddhist person were in a situation in which he could stop the jewish holocaust, but the ONLY way he or she ...
6
votes
7
answers
2k
views
If someone insults you what should you do?
There is a famous story of such an encounter between the Buddha and a ‘difficult person’ named Akkosina. Akkosina’s name means “Not Getting Angry” but he was the exact opposite of his name. Akkosina ...
- 9,577
1
vote
5
answers
870
views
Was the Buddha against violence in all situations?
Is a strictly pacifist Buddhism exactly correct or are there certain situations were violence or war might be appropriate according to the Buddha's teaching?
What did the Buddha say about the ...
- 6,879
5
votes
4
answers
247
views
(Radical) pacifism and governmental force (army, police, etc.)
Reading some comments on this subsite I ended up a couple of days ago reading this secular article on the topic of self defence in Buddhism and this question on the site here. Now, based on this I ...
- 208
5
votes
7
answers
9k
views
What does Buddha and Buddhism say about fighting against enemy of dharma?
What does Buddha and Buddhism say about fighting against an enemy who is hell bent on wiping out all buddhists in the name of religion? Should a buddhist actively participate in war against evil? I ...
- 875
3
votes
3
answers
212
views
Did Buddhism ever go through a period of relatively high violence?
Catholicism/Christianity had the dark ages and the inquisition in which 'heretics' were prosecuted with violence. One could claim that Islam is currently in a period of high violence. Did Buddhism ...
- 817
22
votes
14
answers
18k
views
Can or should a Buddhist defend themselves physically?
If someone is attacking you to kill you should you defend yourself? Would it be ethical to kill an intruder coming into your home? If not, how did the bushido samauri warriors justify it? We're they ...
- 261
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Buddhism, mothers and earthworms
My first exposure to Buddhism was watching Seven Years in Tibet in my German childhood. Most memorable were the following two scenes of Buddhist monks in orange robes.
In the one scene, some monks ...
- 273