Behind the fiery curtain

goulniky

good post。我居住成都却还没听说这件事，我马上要查询本地媒体看有没有报告。

Religious wars/protests are often proxies for other causes.  This protest was no different.  I also remain unconvinced that Buddhism is any less violent or political than most other religions.  It has a long history of bloody wars and political involvement throughout East and Southeast Asia. 

Hi miantiao

我向毛主席保证，永远没有！

我概不懂为什么自焚，但我记得在越南战一位僧人自焚。

我不否定这种人有很大的胆量，可是我跟那个视频剪辑的姑娘同意：这种的抗议不算佛教的，而且很浪费生灵。可能美国人的观念不同。

佛教有一个概念叫做“舍身”。佛教徒为了众生而不惜牺牲一切，包括自己的生命。 我不知释迦牟尼是否赞同“自焚”这种做法，但是最起码比伊斯兰自杀式爆炸袭击强多了！

和尚参政算是中国特色了。。。不管是内地的少林寺还是西藏的闹事僧人。。。他们是真正的和尚吗？佛祖啊请教育教育你的弟子们吧。。。

和尚参政肯定不限于中国呀！

西方的传教士，例如利玛窦　ｍａｔｔｅｏ　ｒｉｃｃｉ，缅甸的反政府积极分子，甚至梵蒂冈以前都在政治方面留了非常深刻的印象。我相信很多国家都有这种事情。

而且自杀（不包括changye 叔叔所说的爆炸袭击）一向是一种非常有效的宣传方式。不得不承认，为了自己的信念和理论把生命牺牲，而不伤害别人，很吸住人们的注意力。

基督教的人本来就是入世的态度。。。而佛教是出世的。。。基督教徒参与政治很正常，但佛教徒参与政治就很搞笑

什么搞笑啊？这很正常，绝不只是中国佛教特色。上面的一位poddy已经提供了很明显的例子，美越战中的僧人在路上的大众和媒体面前自焚了。印度，泰国，印尼， 其实所有信仰佛教国家在历史上都有例子 （可能除非日本以外。长夜？），佛教徒参政行动算是比较平凡的现象。不怎么搞笑，反而是很勇敢，信仰强、意志强的人才能够做到。

Hi miantiao

日本历史上也有同样的例子。不管好坏，过去有过一个时期佛教对政治有很强大的影响力，甚至有过佛教军队。但是，我很愿意承认好像僧人一般不太善于当“好干部”，哈哈。

这里还没有媒体报告

所以不管是达赖还是少林寺主持他们都不是真正的佛教徒。。。不过政治小丑罢了。。。

长夜

佛教军队啊！可见所类宗教都曾有过军队。 至于和平组织为争夺优势而采取极端手段！

lovveu 说的也许很对。好像宗教和政治本来互不相容。顺便说一句，共产主义对我来讲就是一种“宗教”。大家觉得怎么样？

小心！路滑

Hi Changye,

One big claim I often hear is that unlike the rest of the world, East Asia has never had a religious war. The argument goes that Daoism, Buddhism and so on are tolerant and non-aggressive.

That's largely true. But it completely ignores the biggest religious conflict of at least the twentieth century-- the Cultural Revolution. In a communist, atheist society? Impossible, you say ;-)

Religions are defined by faith, as opposed to reason and inquiry. They demand no proof of their claims. In fact, a demand for proof is often taken as blasphemy or insincerity. Many religions (not all) center on a messiah figure who will cure all the world's wrongs, making the world safe for his followers, and bringing us to an earthly paradise.

The Cultural Revolution had all these traits, and even a holy text for followers to quote. It absolutely crippled China, and destroyed the lives of millions of people.

For all their crying about how the French stole two animal heads from the Summer Palace, Chinese really need to look at their own destruction of artifacts, and more important, people, during those crazy years of civil war.

Religions and religious people deserve respect. And I believe they should have a role in policy making. But when religion becomes state religion, hold onto your hat. Things will get messy.

Hi changye

I agree with you that communism is like a religion. But it's a political religion. No matter bad or good, they are doing their business.

But buddhism is absolutely a non political religion according to its sutra.

Hi lovveu

Yeah, you are right. Modern buddhism is not nearly as good as its original one (or the ideal world stated in sutras), just like modern communism is a far cry from what Marx and Engels envisioned more than one hundred years ago. In this sense, both current buddhists and communists might be equally impious.

Hi changye

I agree with you absolutely. In my opinnion almost all of the communists in china is not real communists.

loveeu, 在中国历史上很多革命是宗教的.  例如黄巾之乱 (道教), 红巾起义(佛教), 白莲教(佛教), 回变(回教), 杜文秀起义 (回教),也可能算义和团是佛教的.  而且, 全世界的最大宗教的革命是基督教的: 太平天国.

当然西方人现在信仰宗教的自由, 我也是这样的.  不过看历史上的话,我也懂为什么政府怕这种的抗议.