LORD BUDDHA’S VIEW ON WAR
War has been applauded by few, condemned by many. It is the ugly mother of vast material destruction . There is also the regrettable
demise of numerous moral and spiritual values. The immediate
and long-term evil effects of war on its
victims are too many to count.
A strange truth is that wars do not end wars. They produce more
wars, each one more monstrous than its predecessor.
How are wars viewed by
Enlightened ones like Lord Buddha? Here
is a short answer:
A questioner said to Lord Buddha “I am a soldier, and am
appointed by the king to enforce his laws and to wage his wars. Does the
Tathagata (The Perfect One) who teaches kindness and compassion permit the
punishment of the criminal? Does the Tathagata declare that it is wrong to go
to war for the protection of our homes, our wives, our children, and our
property? Does the Tathagata teach the doctrine of a complete self-surrender?
Does the Tathagata maintain that warfare waged for a righteous cause should be
forbidden.”
It was a tough question but Lord Buddha was not unable to
answer it without diluting or sacrificing any one of his doctrines . He replied:
“He who goes to battle, even though it be in a righteous
cause, must be prepared to be slain by his enemies, for that is the destiny of
warriors, and should his fate overtake him he has no reason for complaint. But
he who is victorious should remember the instability of earthly things. His success may be great, but be it ever so
great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust. “
So, what is the moral of the dialogue between the soldier and
Lord Buddha? Only
this: Don’t forget the wheel of fortune .
According to Lord Buddha the greatest conquest is the conquest of one’s self, not by
destroying the souls of others but by preserving them.
(Source: The
Sayings of Buddha).
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1st
March 2022 G.R.KANWAL
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