Perspicuo
Veteran Member
Radical Buddhism ascendant in Myanmar
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/06/20/world/asia/20130620_BUDDHIST.html
(Suggestion: You need to click on the arrows to see all 17 paragraphs with images.)
It undermines a bit Sam Harris' ideas on "religions of peace". The problem is, it doesn't matter what religion or philosophy you're talking about -even Jainism with its extreme ahimsa-, you're dealing with humans, and humans can be vile and petty primates. Let's face it, Hitler was a vegetarian and Stalin was an atheist. The recipe for peace must be a very delicate balance of ingredients, starting with good parenting.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/06/20/world/asia/20130620_BUDDHIST.html
After a ritual prayer atoning for past sins, Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monk with a rock-star following in Myanmar, sat before an overflowing crowd of thousands of followers and launched into a rant against what he called the “enemy” — the country’s Muslim minority. Ashin Wirathu denies any role in riots in which Buddhist mobs have killed more than 200 Muslims and forced more than 150,000 people, mostly Muslims, from their homes. But his critics say that at the very least his anti-Muslim preaching is helping to inspire the violence.
(Suggestion: You need to click on the arrows to see all 17 paragraphs with images.)
It undermines a bit Sam Harris' ideas on "religions of peace". The problem is, it doesn't matter what religion or philosophy you're talking about -even Jainism with its extreme ahimsa-, you're dealing with humans, and humans can be vile and petty primates. Let's face it, Hitler was a vegetarian and Stalin was an atheist. The recipe for peace must be a very delicate balance of ingredients, starting with good parenting.