Why are Buddhist monks attacking Muslims?

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22356306

Why are Buddhist monks attacking Muslims?

Of all the moral precepts instilled in Buddhist monks the promise not to kill comes first, and the principle of non-violence is arguably more central to Buddhism than any other major religion. So why have monks been using hate speech against Muslims and joining mobs that have left dozens dead?

This is happening in two countries separated by well over 1,000 miles of Indian Ocean - Burma and Sri Lanka. It is puzzling because neither country is facing an Islamist militant threat. Muslims in both places are a generally peaceable and small minority.

In Sri Lanka, the issue of halal slaughter has been a flashpoint. Led by monks, members of the Bodu Bala Sena - the Buddhist Brigade - hold rallies, call for direct action and the boycotting of Muslim businesses, and rail against the size of Muslim families.

While no Muslims have been killed in Sri Lanka, the Burmese situation is far more serious. Here the antagonism is spearheaded by the 969 group, led by a monk, Ashin Wirathu, who was jailed in 2003 for inciting religious hatred. Released in 2012, he has referred to himself bizarrely as "the Burmese Bin Laden".

(continued, all the rest makes perfect sense....not.)

[JimC]

Because they are other...

That's all hominids need...

[Thinking Aloud]

Tribes, and probably a deep seated urge to reproduce.

[FBM]

The Rohingya are stateless people and I think the already-poor Burmese resent them draining their resources.

It gets :

http://www.vice.com/read/is-burmas-anti ... -neo-nazis

[Svartalf]

Those rohingya are linguistically and culturally Bengali muslim, why don't they take refuge in Bangladesh?

[JimC]

The Rohingya are stateless people and I think the already-poor Burmese resent them draining their resources.

It gets :

http://www.vice.com/read/is-burmas-anti ... -neo-nazis

These Buddhist monks obviously have a tribal attachment somewhat at odds with the precepts of their philosophy...

[JimC]

Those rohingya are linguistically and culturally Bengali muslim, why don't they take refuge in Bangladesh?

Because it is bursting at the seams?

[FBM]

Bangladesh doesn't recognize them, either. The Rohingya are stuck between a rock and a hard place, seems.

[Svartalf]

What can I say, they are effed up.

[FBM]

They would do themselves several giant favors if they'd just stop being Muslim.

[En_Route]

The institutionalisation of religion in general spawns organisations which are concerned primarily with their own self- perpetuation and aggressive empire building, which as the BBC article points out in turn generally implies a (literally) unholy alliance with ruling elites. While the bible is a mishmash of conflicting theologies, it is arguably possible to spell out from it a doctrine of compassion and empathy not wholly dissimilar in many respects to Buddhism, but which has been commandeered to sharply contrasting ends.

[cronus]

Religion is fools gold and the highest wisdom of the wise turns to shite in the hands of a fool. There are many more fools than wisemen on this earth.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Sōhei

[FBM]

Seosan Daesa.

Anyway, Mahayana is corrupted Buddhism from it's very doctrines.

[Bruce Burleson]

The institutionalisation of religion in general spawns organisations which are concerned primarily with their own self- perpetuation and aggressive empire building, which as the BBC article points out in turn generally implies a (literally) unholy alliance with ruling elites. While the bible is a mishmash of conflicting theologies, it is arguably possible to spell out from it a doctrine of compassion and empathy not wholly dissimilar in many respects to Buddhism, but which has been commandeered to sharply contrasting ends.

Good point. While I am a Christian, the evils of institutionalized religion are obvious. If you just had a believer here and there meeting in houses to engage in their corporate practice of faith, there would be no problem. But when you get a whole bunch of us together we become a tribe, and pick a leader, and a doctrine, and pretty soon we start making war on other tribes. It's representative of the history of mankind - groups of us fight against other groups of us, whether religions, corporations, nations or football teams.