Sad to read news like this

[kris]

Time Magazine recently featured this Buddhist monk who spread hatred caused a lot of issues with the Muslim community.

Buddhism has all been a religion who is tolerant and accept all, but I don't know where he got this teaching about encouraging the people to shun Muslim business and communities.

What do you think?

Excerpts from Time Magazine:

His face as still and serene as a statue's, the Buddhist monk who has taken the title "the Burmese bin Laden" begins his sermon. Hundreds of worshippers sit before him, palms pressed together, sweat trickling silently down their sticky backs. On cue, the crowd chants with the man in burgundy robes, the mantras drifting through the sultry air of a temple in Mandalay, Burma's second biggest city after Rangoon. It seems a peaceful scene, but Wirathu's message crackles with hate. "Now is not the time for calm," the 46-year-old monk intones, as he spends 90 minutes describing the many...

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2146000,00.html#ixzz2XjXGug5f

[yontenjamyang]

To me his is not a Buddhist. To spread hate and be divisive in his speech, his has broken his vows. I shudder to think what would be the results of his actions. More death and hatred? He is just using his religious status as a monk to incite others. Very similar to Bin Laden.
The leaders of the Burmese Buddhist Sangha should put a stop to this.

[bonfire]

I also think we know too little, well I do, I was not there, i did not listen to the full speech, and I would like to hear it in its totality rather than reading short extracts that may be taken out of context.
I also know too little about the situation in Myanmar and whether this "move" is beneficial eventually...

It is very hard to form an opinion simply based on an article in a magazine...
After all, they also need to find stories that sell, and one about "Buddhism of terror" sure was a good sell for the magazine...

[samayakeeper]

Hmm..I would not jump the gun without understanding the full story from all sides. But I do not condone racial or spiritual negative talks that may lead to physical violence. Religions teach its followers to practice tolerance, compassion, love, forgiveness, etc. Any religion that teaches hatred and violence should be labeled terrorism.

[pgdharma]

In any religion there will be extremists and Buddhism isn’t an exception. I feel it is a disgrace when anyone especially a Buddhist monk advocates religious hatred and violence. This is not what the Buddha taught and it is against the Buddhist principles.

I hope the Myanmar Government or the Myanmar Buddhist leaders take actions that are necessary to clamp down and put a stop to this

[diablo1974]

Buddhism has been upholding its peace and compassion towards other faith for a very long history. But looking at many of such news that has happened in the past years has proven that the human realm  will continue to worsen and degenerate. Sad but true.

[Ensapa]

Looks like Myanmar is not the only country offended by the cover photo and article:

Sri Lanka bans issue of Time magazine over cover story on Buddhist-Muslim violence in Myanmar

Bharatha Mallawarachi, The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, July 3, 2013 7:48AM EDT
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka has banned the current issue of Time magazine over a cover story on violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar because it could affect religious sentiments on this Buddhist-majority island, a customs official said Wednesday.
Customs department spokesman Leslie Gamini said it has seized 4,000 copies of Time's July 1 edition, which bears a photo of Wirathu, a radical Myanmar monk, with the headline "The Face of Buddhist Terror."
"We have decided not to release this edition" because it could hurt religious feelings in Sri Lanka, he said. Buddhism is Sri Lanka's state religion.
Myanmar's government has also banned the issue of the magazine "to prevent the recurrence of racial and religious riots."
Wirathu is a leader of a movement of monks that preaches that Myanmar's small Muslim minority threatens racial purity and national security. He has called for restrictions on marriages between Buddhists and Muslims, and for boycotts of Muslim-owned businesses. Nearly 250 people have died and tens of thousands, mostly Muslims, have fled their homes in religious violence in Myanmar in the past year.
Religious tension has also been on the rise in Sri Lanka. Hate speech, vilification and attacks on Muslim-owned businesses and places of worship by Sinhalese-Buddhist groups have occurred in recent months. Inaction by police and other officials has spurred allegations that the government supports the campaign, which it denies.
Groups led by Buddhist monks have spread allegations that Muslims are dominating businesses and trying to take over the country demographically by increasing their birthrate and secretly sterilizing Sinhalese-Buddhists. Muslims make up 9 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people, while Sinhalese-Buddhists account for almost 75 per cent.
International concerns have also been expressed over Sri Lankan religious tension.
A U.S.-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in March expressed concern over religious discrimination.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison expressed alarm in April over rising hate speech and attacks against Muslims.


Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/sri-lanka-bans-issue-of-time-magazine-over-cover-story-on-buddhist-muslim-violence-in-myanmar-1.1351296#ixzz2Y9j6F400

[dondrup]

U Wirathu is clearly diverted from the true path of compassion taught by Lord Buddha.  How could Buddhist monks incite bigotry and violence against Muslims? If Time Magizine’s report is correct, then U Wirathu has broken his monk vows and not fit to be an ambassador of Buddhism. 

I wonder why the Buddhist communities and the authorities in Myanmar have not taken actions against U Wiranthu and his organization – the 969 Buddhist Nationalist movement when the Sri Lankan government had shown signs of great concern by banning the Time Magazine July 1st Edition?

[Ensapa]

U Wirathu is clearly diverted from the true path of compassion taught by Lord Buddha.  How could Buddhist monks incite bigotry and violence against Muslims? If Time Magizine’s report is correct, then U Wirathu has broken his monk vows and not fit to be an ambassador of Buddhism. 

I wonder why the Buddhist communities and the authorities in Myanmar have not taken actions against U Wiranthu and his organization – the 969 Buddhist Nationalist movement when the Sri Lankan government had shown signs of great concern by banning the Time Magazine July 1st Edition?

It's simple: because it is a race issue and not exactly a religion issue. There has been reports a while back that in order to dilute the power of Buddhism in Myanmar, the government of Myanmar implanted hooligans and thugs in monasteries to pose as monks. there has also been reports of monasteries forcibly ordaining christians into being monks and nuns against their will with hopes of turning them buddhist. All of these comes from associating Buddhism as part of their racial identity and needless to say, the resultant defamation and chaos is a result of these actions. Sri Lanka can relate to them for obvious reasons.

[vajrastorm]

Whether  it is a religious or racial issue, the spread of hatred through speeches that incite people to action against another group of people is just not in the nature or character of Buddhism at all. Lord Buddha taught harmony. For the sake of harmony, he even allowed the issue of vegetarianism to take second place - he didn't buy into Devadatta's ploy of using Vegetarianism to divide the Sangha.

The argument of wanting to keep the 'spiritual purity' of Buddhism intact just doesn't hold water. Purity in name and being used as a means to a 'confounding' end will not work. The trouble is that this line of talk will garner the support of the belligerent and  the not so clear-minded , who are spoiling for a fight.

The results of violence between the Buddhists and the Muslims in Myanmar speak for themselves - already some 250 Muslims have been killed. Homes and business premises of the Muslims have been razed to the ground.The Myanmar Government has even banned the issue of the Time  magazine, containing  this  story as the cover story, so as to prevent  a recurrence of earlier violence and unrests .

It is possible that the Muslim community has made inroads into the economy and robbed the Buddhists of their livelihood in some instances. However, in this case,it is for the local authorities to take fair and firm action to curb this trend. Such an issue will not be resolved with violence.


 

[RedLantern]

It is definitely very sad to read news like this as monks are the only person who really have the trust of majority in Myanmar,when they speak,people listen.Monks should dispense moral guidance to others.
A monks attitude of friendship has to be boundless and all encompassing.It should not limited by common bounds of attachment familiar in narrowly defined human relationships such as family,race and religion,it should be for everyone and equal according to Buddha's teachings.
People admire monks because they think monks are doing the right things and trust them.U Wirathu's actions are eradicating the essence of Buddhism taught by Buddha.

[kris]

I agree with @vajrastorm that regardless if this is a racial issue or not, as a Buddhist monk, he should not spread hatred. Whichever way to "justify", nothing will hold water as it contradicts with the Buddhist teaching.

I hope the some world Buddhism organization or authority or government can step in and take certain actions to stop this and restore the actual Buddha's teachings.

May all sentient beings be in harmony and at peace with each other...

[Big Uncle]

This is clearly a sign of our degenerated times. The Buddha's doctrine is perverted towards the self-serving ways of the the minority who dons the holy saffron robes. No monk should ever incite any violence for whatever reason and I believe that the man who does this is no longer a monk. How can Sangha be associated with violence and discrimination.

How does this serve the Buddhadharma? It puts the 3 Jewels down and it makes people rather look towards other spiritual traditions for peace and solace. I was rather proud to say that Buddhism is the only religion that has never started a war throughout its long history. But it looks like someone has already done that. It has not completely tarnish Buddhism's image but it has done considerable damage to it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

[Midakpa]

Monks who behave like the one mentioned in the article are not true Buddhists. They are not practising Buddhism and what the Buddha taught, which is non-violence and to be compassionate towards others. It is a reflection of the times when monks become militant. They have forgotten their role in society, which is to care for the welfare of the people and give them spiritual guidance. The monk in this case is wrong to incite people to violence. Why did he become a monk? Monks should not be involved in politics. Wearing the robes means he has taken vows. Like the lotus, he must not be defiled by mundane concerns. Otherwise, he is giving people the wrong impression about what the robe represents. The Buddha has taught the importance of good governance in the Mangala Sutra (Discourse on Blessings) and in the Chakravatti Singhanada Sutra (Lion's Roar of the Universal Monarch Sutra). The monks can teach people about good governance but they cannot be involved in politics. If they wish to take part in politics, they should disrobe. There is nothing to stop them from disrobing.

[DS Star]

"Sabba papassa akaranam
Kusalassa upasampadha
Sachitta pariyodapanam
Etam buddhanu sasanam"

To keep away from all evil,
cultivate good, and,
purify one’s mind
This is the advice of all Buddhas.

The advice from Buddha is unmistakably clear... Buddha's basic teachings taught us to avoid doing all the bad things and to cultivate good; so how can someone who is supposedly holding 227 Pratimoksha vows as ordained Sangha would promote hatred?

Even as a lay Buddhist, one is to practice to eliminate hatred, and to cultivate compassion. There are 2 views on this issue:

1. The so-called 'Burmese Bin Laden' image was 'created' by Time magazine to create sensational news for their sales by spicing up the situation in Myanmar and painting the monk Ven. Wirathu in negative lights;

2. The monk really promotes hatred towards Muslims (for whatever reasons), then his actions and speech may have contradicting the very core teaching of the Buddha.

Either way is bad for the Buddhists in Myanmar in term of learning and practicing Dharma to be on the path of Enlightenment.