Mass Shooting Gunman is a Buddhist...

[DS Star]

On Monday 16th September 2013, Aaron Alexis, 34, who is a former Navy reservist killed at least 12 people in a mass shooting at Washington Navy Yard; a secure military facility.

Aaron Alexis worked as a military subcontractor and is reported to be having "mental health issues". In one of the BBC news report, he was 'highlighted' to be a Buddhist convert. Here is the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24111481

"...According to media reports, Alexis was a Buddhist convert who had had previous gun-related brushes with the law... "

Why is this particular report mentioning he was a Buddhist convert and highlighted in the same sentence that he had "had previous gun-related brushes with the law"?

Seems there is an ulterior motive or a hidden agenda to put Buddhist in a bad light?

Whatever it is... as Buddhist, we know very well that we cannot kill; the 1st of our Lay Person vows (the 5 Precepts/ Panca Sila) as well as our Refuge Vows is "to abstain from taking lives"...

Buddhist or not, this poor gunman suffers from mental illness, thus the mass shooting... When our society becoming more advance, we are abandoning our mental health more...

We need to reverse this trend. No matter how busy we are, we still need to take a break and unwind... go to a retreat center and meditate or do some other relaxation activities.

We need it...

[icy]

Whether Aaron Alexis is a Buddhist, Christain or Muslim so long he is medically certified having mental health issues, the law will deal with him differently for killing people.  He ought to be in the least be imprisoned for life for committing the act and be kept out of trouble.

Buddhists are known for their non-killing principle and people are surprised Aaron Alexis behaved the opposite.  But they must know Aaron is not in the right state of mind when he committed the act of killing.

[kris]

@DS Star, I don't see it as a big issue of having the word Buddhism in the one sentence. However, if many Buddhists start to hurt others, this would be an issue.

Buddhism has always been a religion who embrace tolerance, love, etc. A person who is mentally ill who happens to be Buddhism will not hurt the religion. There are people who are "off" in all religion anyway...

Also, there are many good people out there whether they believe in religion or not...

[fruven]

Saying I am Buddhist doesn't make one a Buddhist. The person is mentally unstable. The news report has a bias view of linking Buddhist with violent behaviour. The same applies for singling out people's believe in certain religion with terrorist like behaviour. It will create resentment and hatred. As a Buddhist we should not be provoked by this kind of statements.

[pgdharma]

Aaron Alexis may be a Buddhist but that doesn't mean he is a true dharma practitioner. From his violent acts; killing and harming innocent people showed that he is mentally unstable. Not only Buddhism but all religion preached non-violence and promote tolerance, peace and love. I hope the authorities will take action against him for his wrong doing.

[Matibhadra]

He ought to be in the least be imprisoned for life for committing the act and be kept out of trouble.

Funny, Kissinger the real mass murderer, not of 12 but of millions of Cambodians, Laosians, Vietnamese etc., who ordered the murder of anything moving or flying, who proposes killing as many Arabs as possible and the full extermination of 1,5 billion Chinese people is still free to go to the streets and even to his favorite synagogue...

[Jessie Fong]

Whether Aaron Alexis is a Buddhist, Christain or Muslim so long he is medically certified having mental health issues, the law will deal with him differently for killing people.  He ought to be in the least be imprisoned for life for committing the act and be kept out of trouble.

Buddhists are known for their non-killing principle and people are surprised Aaron Alexis behaved the opposite.  But they must know Aaron is not in the right state of mind when he committed the act of killing.

I totally agree with you, Icy.

The emphasis should be on his unsound mind, not of his religious inclination.  He could have been from other faiths and still commit his crime.

Yes Fruven said it right -- by saying he is Buddhist convert does not make him a Buddhist nor a true Buddhist practitioner.

[Rihanna]

Before I go any further, I want to offer my sympathies and prayers to all those who knew the 13 victims, including Alexis. Losing your loved ones in such a violent, sudden manner is awfully difficult to swallow, no matter what your beliefs about life and death are.

The awareness of how fragile our lives are should prompt more compassion, and more willingness to actively pursue the kinds of changes that might bring about a much more peaceful society. So often, though, these incidents quickly devolve into heated, ugly debates about motives or gun control and in this case, religion.

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, etc is not the issue here. The  challenges are the same faced by everyone, for as long as we are in samsara. Only varying degrees. We should be addressing fundamental social causes of mental illness and murder.  What we should be most concerned with is not so much about trivial discrepancies in which religion but how we might best go about achieving the individual freedom and social equity we want to see by actually having a go at implementing dharma  in our day to day lives. Peace be to all.

[Matibhadra]

We should be addressing fundamental social causes of mental illness and murder.

Even more interesting would be to find out the fundamental social causes that make many Americans concerned with murdering only when Americans are the victims, but never when they are the murderers, or the mass murderers (as is the case most often).

Maybe these are the same fundamental social causes which brought to the presidency of the country a psychotic who boasted to be "really good at killing people" (http://presstv.com/detail/2013/11/03/332833/obama-i-am-really-good-at-killing-people/).

[Q]

Just because he's Buddhist does not mean he practices Buddhism.

I have a whole load of friends that claim to be Buddhist but they are more samsaric than my atheist friends. So? the label is not important. And if there are people that would think Buddhism is bad just because of one mentally ill gun man is Buddhist... their lost.

[Matibhadra]

And if there are people that would think Buddhism is bad just because of one mentally ill gun man is Buddhist... their lost.

This logic would nevertheless apply when someone is a representative and approved member of some community. For instance, Kissinger, Obama, and other psychopath mass murderers, are representative, approved members of their own communities.

[bambi]

My sympathy and condolences to those who were hurt by the incident.

I dont think that the word Buddhist in the post is a problem. Many people who say what religion they are in, dont really practice. The sad part was that Aaron was mentally unwell and he did not get help for it. Most of us are so into our own personal life, we forget to take time to hear and see people around us until its too late. Lets also care for people around us and help them in whatever ways we can. Lets all make the effort...

[brian]

Dear DS Star,

I supposed you are probably just too sensitive of that statement. The main issue here is the mental health, whom everyone would be forgiving this murderer as his mind has gone haywire. It is true that as the world advances, more and more people find it hard to cope with pressures accumulating thanks to the modern world. I think it is best to feel sad for this guy who have to suffer this kind of sickness and accumulating heavy bad karma of killing. My condolences to the victims killed.

[diablo1974]

Nowadays, Not all claimed buddhists are good and not all non buddhists are bad too. A person who claimed to be a buddhist who doesnt practice what the Dharma preached cannot be called a buddhist at least pertaining to the 5 precepts, which is a set of moral vows to improve the lives and bring good relationship to the people around us (at the very least).

Its understandable that this gunmen has metal illnesses when he committed the crime. Even if he is not a buddhist, he would do the same due to his unstable mental state of mind.