More Buddhist violence

[Alex]

Some expressed surprise when I posted to a link about Buddhist violence against Muslims a couple weeks ago.

Here's (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-08-17T181046Z_01_COL276316_RTRUKOC_0_US-SRILANKA-MONKS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22) a story about monks fighting each other.

The story is obviously censored to minimize it. I've seen enough movies in which Buddhist monks fight each other to know that there would have been flying, and walking on the tops of bamboo trees and stuff. None of this "no one was badly hurt" garbage.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

It is surprising and a real downer to someone who has always had the utmost respect for the peaceful nature of Buddhism. It goes against everything I have ever learned about the religion. I guess even Buddhism isn't immune to violence and that is quite saddening.

[tracilicious]

The story is obviously censored to minimize it. I've seen enough movies in which Buddhist monks fight each other to know that there would have been flying, and walking on the tops of bamboo trees and stuff. None of this "no one was badly hurt" garbage.


Bwahahahahaha!!!

[RStar]

Welcome to the human race.

Muslim, Buddhist, Jew, or Christian, as long as there are people involved there will be some that are violent. It's a shame, but a fact of our humanity.

This may shock some people, but it's no surprise to me. Relgious people are just as prone to evil (or sin) as anyone else. It's in our nature. Seems like it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

[DisneyFan25863]

So..who would win in a battle...a Buddhist monk, a pirate, or a ninja?

My bet is on the ninja.


But, yeah...every religion always has its disputes. Human nature can't be overruled, even if they try as hard as possible to follow their teachings.

[Kevy Baby]

Reminds me of an old ponderable: Are people inherently good and learn bad traits, or inherently bad and struggle to be good?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Reminds me of an old ponderable: Are people inherently good and learn bad traits, or inherently bad and struggle to be good?Neither. Good and bad are constructs that exist only within the context of one's social arrangement.

[SacTown Chronic]

So..who would win in a battle...a Buddhist monk, a pirate, or a ninja?

My bet is on the ninja. Crazy.

Nothing will beat that Buddhist monk. He is one with everything...including his enemy's dome.

[CoasterMatt]

Neither. Good and bad are constructs that exist only within the context of one's social arrangement.

Go Dodgers! :D

[RStar]

Neither. Good and bad are constructs that exist only within the context of one's social arrangement.

So if it would be socially acceptable to beat the snot out of you (for whatever social reason in the law books of this make believe township), you would be okay with it? I fear that evil is evil, regardless of what society says. Look at the way women have been treated in the Middle East and most Asian countries in the past. Do you think they enjoyed that? No, the accepted it, and that still makes it bad.

A young child with no sense of right or wrong will still do a selfish act, and take something that is not his.

A society that started out decent will deteriorate, and fall. This has been proven time and again in history.

I heard once that a measure of a man is what he would do if he knew he would never get caught.

If you walked by a pile of money, you were broke and didn't know where you would get the food for your family that day, and no one was around in a deserted place, would you keep it?

I think we are inherently bad and struggle to be good. But that's ok. It's hard to know what good is unless you experience bad. And we are here to help each other. That's what life is all about.

P.S. -Go Angels!

[€uroMeinke]

So if it would be socially acceptable to beat the snot out of you (for whatever social reason in the law books of this make believe township), you would be okay with it? I fear that evil is evil, regardless of what society says. Look at the way women have been treated in the Middle East and most Asian countries in the past. Do you think they enjoyed that? No, the accepted it, and that still makes it bad.

A young child with no sense of right or wrong will still do a selfish act, and take something that is not his.

Herein lies the challenge, creating a society for the greater collective selfishness. If we agree as a society it's acceptable to put the child murderer to death, no doubt the condemed child murderer might not find that acceptable - but the community as a collective might find this act of violence acceptable, and possibly even "good."

[SzczerbiakManiac]

I'm reminded of an Emo Philips jokeWhen I was a kid, every night I used to pray that God would bring me a bicycle. But then I realized He doesn't work that way—so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me!