Why are Buddhists in Myanmar Resorting to Violence?

Buddhists are human, with all of the common failings. Most actions like this come from fear. Fear of people who are different, or of those who might harm, for example.

Anyone who takes Buddhism seriously and takes refuge practices the precepts as a means to improve their practice:

THE FIVE PRECEPTS
I undertake to observe the rule:
1. to abstain from taking life
2. to abstain from taking what is not given
3. to abstain from sensuous misconduct
4. to abstain from false speech
5. to abstain from intoxicants as tending to cloud the mind
As you can see, there are a number of things here that would be proscribed that are reportedly being done by monks in Myanmar at present. These vows are taken VERY seriously in countries like Myanmar, so you can see how there would have to be very great fear in order to drive these monks to break them. If these things are happening, as we suspect, it is a horrible and repellent thing to witness on all counts.

Would the Buddha himself do these things? No. I know a number of the enlightened who walk amongst us - they also would not do these things due to the perspective they now carry.

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