<underfire> on compassion

[Paul Mercken]

Dear John,

For a short while I'd lost your reply. Reports of buddhist violence  
are indeed extremely rare, but buddhists, even buddhist monks can  
occasionally show themselves to be too human too. I am referring to  
the unfortunate instance of the Chogye temple battle in South Korea  
in the week before Christmas 1998 between riot police and dissident  
monks, who had taken over the temple from a rival faction the month  
before.
See http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/55a/353.html
The BBC report mentions the root of the evil: the temple controls an  
annual budget of $10m, millions of dollars in property and appoints  
1,700 monks.  The ancient Chogye order  has eight million followers  
in the country. So there you are: power and money.
Please greet anyone who might remember me as an associate professor  
of philosophy at FSU from 1967 to 1974.

Paul Mercken



Op 14-nov-2006, om 22:21 heeft jaw0871 at garnet.acns.fsu.edu het  
volgende geschreven:

> Desire for clarification:
>
> To my knowledge the Sinhalese Buddhists of Sri Lanka do not engage in
> war or violence *in the name of* Buddha or Buddhism. In other words
> this violent potential is not inherent in any interpretation (again...
> that I know of) of Buddhist religious philosophy. So, if you would not
> mind clarifying the comment, and setting me straight if need be, I
> would appreciate it.
>
> John A. Woodward
> Florida State
>
> Quoting ANNA MOIRA LANZONA <restudga at verizon.net>:
>
>> You might want to include Sri Lankan Sinhalese Buddhists in your  
>> litany.
>>
>> AML
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Ana Valdes" <agora158 at gmail.com>
>> To: <underfire at underfire.eyebeam.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2006 2:37 PM
>> Subject: Re: <underfire> on compassion
>>
>>
>> But every religion seems to be very careful with the concept of to
>> whom you should be compassionate. In the name of God 40.000 Arabs,
>> Jews and Oriental Christians were slaughtered in the First  
>> Crusade, in
>> the conquest of Jerusalem.
>> In the name of the Reform Luther and Calvin killed anabaptists and
>> dissidents.
>> In the name of Yahvee Cananites and others were exterminated. In the
>> name of Alah the Merciful dies suicide bombers and it's victims.
>> The only God I never heard any killing related to is Buddah.
>> Ana
>>
>> On 11/9/06, Allan Siegel <allan at kekbicikli.hu> wrote:
>>>
>>> Every religion seems to have its own definition of compassion;  
>>> what is
>>> compassion anyway? Is it a sentiment or an action or both; is it an
>>> intervention? A state of mind maybe?
>>>
>>> If we see innocents being maimed or murdered is it enough 'to feel
>>> compassion' for their suffering? Is this sufficient? Or is there  
>>> another
>>> course of action more worthy of the idea of compassion? Was
>>> self-immolation
>>> by the Buddhist monk during the Vietnam War an act of compassion?
>>>
>>> It is such a noble concept. Compassion. Bush talked of a  
>>> 'compassionate
>>> conservatism.' It seems that in the real world, political leaders  
>>> and
>>> spiritual leaders – who talk endlessly about compassion - whose  
>>> task it is
>>> to give substance to this concept have gotten side-tracked. Why  
>>> is that?
>>>
>>> In a moral universe in which compassion is so central a theme  
>>> there seems
>>> to
>>> be so many violations even dismissals of its relevence. Thus,  
>>> within this
>>> amoral environment, contrary to popular rhetoric, peace can be  
>>> merely just
>>> another pit-stop on an extension of the globalization  
>>> superhighway. A a
>>> momentary layover on the autostrada that connects one conflict to  
>>> another.
>>>  Compassion devoid of action is gratuitous. Where do compassion and
>>> responsibility intersect?
>>>
>>> a.s.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Under Fire  http://underfire.eyebeam.org
>>> 16 October - 10 December 2006
>>> International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville
>>> all writings copyright individual authors
>>> no commercial use without permission
>>> to post a message, send an email to:
>>> underfire at underfire.eyebeam.org
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth
>> with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you
>> will always long to return.
>> — Leonardo da Vinci
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Under Fire  http://underfire.eyebeam.org
>> 16 October - 10 December 2006
>> International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville
>> all writings copyright individual authors
>> no commercial use without permission
>> to post a message, send an email to:
>> underfire at underfire.eyebeam.org
>> to unsubscribe, send an email to:
>> underfire-leave at underfire.eyebeam.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Under Fire  http://underfire.eyebeam.org
>> 16 October - 10 December 2006
>> International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville
>> all writings copyright individual authors
>> no commercial use without permission
>> to post a message, send an email to:
>> underfire at underfire.eyebeam.org
>> to unsubscribe, send an email to:
>> underfire-leave at underfire.eyebeam.org
>>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Under Fire  http://underfire.eyebeam.org
> 16 October - 10 December 2006
> International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville
> all writings copyright individual authors
> no commercial use without permission
> to post a message, send an email to:
> underfire at underfire.eyebeam.org
> to unsubscribe, send an email to:
> underfire-leave at underfire.eyebeam.org

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