DHARMA TEACHING

A Message About Buddhism and War
by Alan Wallace
March 18, 2003

Dear friends,

As we now appear to be standing on the brink of war, we are experiencing a deepening polarization within the American populace, between America and its allies, and between America and the rest of the world. Tempers run high, and many people advocating profoundly different views and policies are claiming the moral high ground and expressing righteous indignation and even hatred against their opponents. The word "Jihad" means "defense," and it has the connotation of a divinely sanctioned war. A growing number of Muslim extremists are declaring a Jihad against the U.S., and our Administration has in effect declared a Jihad against the regime of Saddam Hussein and anyone else who threatens our national security.

In Buddhism there is no term for a divinely sanctioned war. If a nation is attacked, it is legitimate for it to defend itself. It does not have the moral right to attack another country simply because it is ruled by an evil dictator who commits atrocities against his own people. Nor does our country have the moral right to attack another country simply because it might one day attack us.

As humans we are vulnerable to suffering and pain due to the forces of Nature, but much of the misery and fear we experience is due to evil perpetrated by humans. All evil stems from such mental afflictions as greed, hatred, arrogance, and envy, and all those distortions of the human spirit are expressions of ignorance and delusion. The fundamental delusion that lies at the root of all mental afflictions, all evil, and all suffering stemming from evil is grasping at the independent nature of ourselves, others, and everything else. Out of delusion, we grasp onto ourselves as being self-sufficient, separate from others and our environment, and we then cling to "me" and "mine." Seeing others as absolutely separate from ourselves, when they appear to obstruct our desires, our delusional response is hatred; whereas if they support our desires, we cling to them with self-centered attachment. There is indeed an axis of evil in the world, but it consists not of nations who hate us, but of the toxic elements of delusion, craving, and hatred in the mind of each sentient being.

As we witness expressions of self-righteousness, hatred, vengeance, and the will to dominate in the international arena today, we may easily respond with fear, anger, hatred, depression, despair, and cynicism. In so doing, we are reacting to the expressions of others' mental afflictions with expressions of our own mental afflictions, and in this way the cycle of suffering continues without end. It is relatively easy to practice Dharma when times are favorable, but it is most crucial to practice in times of adversity. We may even transform our struggles into spiritual maturation, deepening our wisdom and compassion and arousing our imagination and creativity as we seek to be agents of peace in a deeply troubled world.

In times of conflict and divisiveness, let us unite in a spirit of peace, beginning in our own hearts. Love and compassion are the only antidotes to anger and hatred. My heartfelt request to you is to guard your hearts and minds against being invaded by the evil forces of attachment to "your side," hatred toward the "other side," and the delusion that fuels all such polarization. There are many ways in which we can be peace activists: in our daily meditations in solitude, in our daily lives with others. Let us draw on all our inner resources to be embodiments of inner and outer peace. Let us each set an example for our beloved world and pray that those in political power are guided by wisdom and compassion.

I wish you all well.

Affectionately,

Alan Wallace