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From: esot@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Sotnak)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Samurai Buddhism
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.010355.3380@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 12 Jun 91 01:03:55 GMT
References: <1991Jun10.162813.19825@nas.nasa.gov>
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In article <1991Jun10.162813.19825@nas.nasa.gov> norrish@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Michael Norrish) writes:
>In many sources that I have access to, (not many really :-), it is
>stated that the samurai of Japan practised a form of Buddhism, that
>had certain elements in common with Zen. Thus it bred a certain
>indifference to death, and a willingness to do one's duty to a daimyoo
>as this servitude was all part of honour etc. This code was/is known
>as Bushidoo.

First off, bushido is not a form of buddhism.  It is, rather, the 
ethical/philosophical code of the samurai (bushi = "martial knight", i.e.,
samurai).  Bushido was derived as much, indeed more, from confucianism
as/than from buddhism.  Central to the code of bushido was total dedication
to serving one's daimyo (lord), extending even to giving up one's life.
The connection to zen, according to popular myth, is that the warrior
aristocracy in Japan took to it because zen teaches equanimity in the
face of death.  

>A little further thought on this subject quickly led me to the
>conclusion that this must have been a funny sort of Buddhism; one that
>saw little harm in killing and murder, (however that might be
>justified). 

Just as atrocities have been committed in the name of christianity, islam,
etc., the same may be said for buddhism.  Or, more precisely, although
many samurai professed interest in or devotion to zen, they often fell
far short of what is demanded by the precepts of zen (which are the
same as those for all other schools of buddhism).

Both zen and bushido censure needless killing (though zen prohibits
killing generally as well).  This didn't always prevent the samurai
from duelling over egos, however.  Just as being a christian doesn't
automatically endow one with the ideal qualities of Christ, being a
buddhist (of any sort) doesn't automatically endow one with the ideal
qualities of a fully enlightened buddha.

>Disclaimer: I am not a martial artist of any shape, size or
>description. Can one be such and a pacifist as well? I don't think so.

A pacifist is one who rejects war as a legitimate way of solving
political problems.  Martial artists can be pacifists.

A more common use of the word "pacifism" suggests someone who does
not believe that violence is ever appropriate in solving problems.
There are moderate pacifists who believe violence may be legitimate
in self-defense or other extreme circumstances.  Some martial arts
have as an ideal the resolution of conflict without resorting to
violence (e.g., aikido).

Does this help?


--
********************************************************************
Eric Sotnak                   |  "No absurdity is too fantastic
esot@uhura.cc.rochester.edu   |  to gain support"
                              |             - Antoine Arnauld