Unit 5: Diversity & The Other in Buddhism

Buddhism and Inter-Religious Conflict

Class 1: Buddhism & Hinduism: Caste, Class, and the Revival of Buddhism in India

Class Issue: Buddhist causality, based in the complete interdependence of all phenomena, should translate into a social ethic of radical equality, but are Buddhists any less prone to racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination? This first section will look at the origins of the Buddha’s rejection of the graded inequality of the Vedic Caste System as well as the Buddhist revival in India today, principally amongst Dalits (a.k.a. Untouchables) the most oppressed peoples of the Caste System.
Presentation 1: Introduction The Pyramid vs. The Web: How Cosmology Reflects Power in Society (URL) Click here for the audio lecture that goes with the URL
Video: Caste based gender violence in India
Presentation 2: The Mythology of Caste and the Buddha’s Reconstruction of Human Equality Part I (PDF) Click here for the audio lecture that goes with the PDF
Video: Dr. Ambedkar & India’s Buddhist Revival (20 mins)
Conclusion: Video: Ven Sugato: experiences of a young Dalit who became a Buddhist
Reading: “Everyone’s Tears Are Salty” (Ch. 43) from Old Path, White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh

Class 2: Buddhism & Islam: Inter-Religious Conflict in Myanmar

Class Issue: While many Westerners believe Buddhism lacks the idea of holy war and violence towards other peoples and religions, Asians know that Buddhists can be as intolerant of other religious communities as any in the world. We will use the recent genocide of Rohingya Muslims by the predominantly Buddhist based Myanmar government as a lens for studying these issues.
Presentation on Non-Violence and Inter-Religious Dialogue in Buddhism
- The Dhammapada: I. The Pairs(vv. 1-20) & X. Violence(129-145)
Video: Aung San Suu Kyi Q&A : On Buddhism (June 26, 2011)
Video: Myanmar’s Anti-Muslim Monks – Al Jazeera Nov. 12, 2014 (10 mins)
Video: Myanmar’s Rohingya Refugee Crisis, Explained – Al Jazeera 2015 (3 mins)
Video: The Battle for Myanmar’s Buddhist Spirit – The Guardian Sept. 8, 2017 (17 mins)
Reading: From a Divided Myanmar to a Divided World by Sai Sam Kham (Keynote Address at the International Network of Engaged Buddhists General Conference October 27, 2022)
Map: Religious Diversity in South & South East Asia
Reading: The Mirror Image of the Rohingya: The Unknown Persecution of Buddhists in Muslim Bangladesh
No Homework this week 🙂