Can a Buddhist Join the Army?
You can be a soldier of Truth, but not the aggressor.
One day, Sinha, the general of the army, went to the Buddha and said, 'I am
a soldier, O Blessed One. I am appointed by the King to enforce his laws and
to wage his wars. The Buddha teaches infinite love, kindness and compassion
for all sufferers: Does the Buddha permit the punishment of the criminal? And
also, does the Buddha declare that it is wrong to go to war for the protection
of our homes, our wives, our children and our property? Does the Buddha teach
the doctrine of complete self-surrender? Should I suffer the evil-doer to do
with what he pleases and yield submissively to him who threatens to take by
violence what is my own? Does the Buddha maintain that all strife including
warfare waged for a righteous cause should be forbidden?'
The Buddha replied, 'He who deserves punishment must be punished. And he who
is worthy of favour must be favoured. Do not do injury to any living being but
be just, filled with love and kindness'. These injunctions are not contradictory
because the person who is punished for his crimes will suffer his injury not
through the ill-will of the judge but through the evil act itself. His own acts
have brought upon him the injury that the executors of the law inflict. When
a magistrate punishes, he must not harbour hatred in his heart. When a murderer
is put to death, he should realise that his punishment is the result of his
own act. With his understanding, he will no longer lament his fate but can console
his mind. And the Blessed One continued, 'The Buddha teaches that all warfare
in which man tries to slay his brothers is lamentable. But he does not teach
that those who are involved in war to maintain peace and order, after having
exhausted all means to avoid conflict, are blameworthy'.
'Struggle must exist, for all life is a struggle of some kind. But make certain
that you do not struggle in the interest of self against truth and justice.
He who struggles out of self-interest to make himself great or powerful or rich
or famous, will have no reward. But he who struggles for peace and truth will
have great reward; even his defeat will be deemed a victory.
'If a person goes to battle even for a righteous cause, then Sinha, he must
be prepared to be slain by his enemies because death is the destiny of warriors.
And should his fate overtake him, he has no reason to complain. But if he is
victorious his success may be deemed great, but no matter how great it is, the
wheel of fortune may turn again and bring his life down into the dust. However,
if he moderates himself and extinguishes all hatred in his heart, if he lifts
his down-trodden adversary up and says to him, 'Come now and make peace and
let us be brothers', then he will gain a victory that is not a transient success;
for the fruits of that victory will remain forever.
'Great is a successful general, but he who conquers self is the greater victor.
This teaching of conquest of self, Sinha, is not taught to destroy the lives
of others, but to protect them. The person who has conquered himself is more
fit to live, to be successful and to gain victories than is the person who is
the slave of self. The person whose mind is free from the illusion of self,
will stand and not fall in the battle of life. He whose intentions are righteousness
and justice, will meet with no failure. He will be successful in his enterprise
and his success will endure. He who harbours love of truth in his heart will
live and not suffer, for he has drunk the water of immortality. So struggle
courageously and wisely. Then you can be a soldier of Truth'.
There is no justice in war or violence. When we declare war, we justify it,
when others declare war, we say, it is unjust. Then who can justify war? Man
should not follow the law of the jungle to overcome human problems.