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The Dharma and the Military:
Seeking an Appropriate Response
A Resource Guide compiled by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
June 2005
"Not to kill, but to cherish all life."
~The First Precept
Did you know:
- There are now over 50 U.S. citizens who refuse to fight in the war in Iraq who are seeking asylum from the U.S. Military in Canada. (Source: Center on Conscience & War, March 24, 2005 e-mail action alert.)
- Public high schools in the U.S. are required to submit names and addresses of their students to the U.S. government, under the “No Child Left Behind” legislation. However, parents can sign a waiver saying they do not wish their children’s information to be released. Schools not in compliance with “No Child Left Behind” may be refused federal funding.
Introduction
What does it mean to be a student of Buddhism and to serve in the military? What about those of us who are Buddhist parents with sons who will soon be 18, the age when registration with the U.S. Selective Service is required by law?
In this section of our website, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) offers some resources for those who are questioning what the appropriate response is in relation to dharma practice and serving one’s country, both for those already in the U.S. armed forces and for those who will soon be or are of Selective Service registration age.
BPF acknowledges the excellent work that has already been done in this area by our colleagues at the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and numerous other peace groups. Our intention here is to guide you to many of these already-existing resources, and to offer some perspectives unique to Buddhist communities and let you know how BPF can be of help in certain situations.
Traditional Dharma teachings and practice lead us to seek a path of non-harming. “Not to kill, but to cherish all life” is the first precept, or guideline on how to live ethically and spiritually, for many Buddhists. Yet we live in a world of complexity, where there are no easy answers. There have been many Buddhists the world over who have served in military forces in their countries, and there have been Buddhist institutions that have not protested and have supported the use of military force by their nation.
We live in a society where many young people choose to serve their country through enlisting in the military, because of poverty and lack of access to higher education and job training, their desire to respond to a higher calling, or a mixture of these and other reasons. There are about 2,500 identified Buddhists presently in the military. In April 2005, the first of these, a young Tibetan-American man, died in combat in Iraq.
Historically, there have been reasons why Buddhists or young men from Buddhist families might have enlisted in the military, as in the case of some Japanese Americans during World War II. Against the backdrop of the Japanese American internment, they enlisted to prove their loyalty as U.S. citizens.
BPF encourages all of us to look deeply and thoughtfully into our and our families’ relationship to service in the military in terms of our real life experiences, both past and present, in order to better understand the many dimensions of going into or resisting military training and service. We advocate deep and compassionate dialogue, and urge Buddhist individuals and groups to consider how you might prepare for possible reinstatement of a draft in the U.S.
Click below for resources…
Thanks to Mushim Ikeda-Nash for assistance in preparing this section of our website.
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