"Buddhism, religious authority and nationalism" – Professor Torkel Brekke (UiO):
torkel.brekke@ikos.uio.no
Ethno-nationalism, Militarism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka - Professor Mahinda Degalle
(Bath Spa University): dmahinda@yahoo.com
This project will explore Ethno-nationalism, Militarism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka from
colonial times till the present. It will analyse how traditional Buddhist concepts, like the rule
of Buddhist law/religion (dharmarajya) has been used in politics after independence and the
roles played by the Sangha in giving legitimacy to Sinhalese nationalism. I propose to
participate in conferences and write three scholarly papers on the topic of ethno-nationalism,
militarism and Buddhism with a focus on Sri Lanka. This project will examine in-detail (i)
Buddhism’s relationships with ethno-nationalism in modern Sri Lanka, (ii) the use of
Buddhist symbols and ideas in militarism, and (iii) the Buddhist attitudes to ethnic minorities
and non-Buddhist religions in Sri Lanka.
Chinese Buddhist participation in the Korean War (1951-1953) – Professor Xue Yu (The
Chinese University of Hong Kong): xueyu@cuhk.edu.hk
Non-violence or Ahimsa is one of the most important principles in Buddhism, and Buddhists
in general are proud of its long history of non-violence. Recent research, however, reveals that
Buddhists in Sri Lanka and Japan, for instance, may have advocated Buddhist just-war theory
and justified their governments’ war efforts in modern history. How could their justification
be justified in Buddhism? In what circumstances did Buddhists support for violence? The
present research, through textual studies and historical survey, examines first the doctrines
both for and against violence in Mahayana texts, and then investigates in detail the activism of
Chinese Buddhists in supporting the war efforts of the Chinese government during the Korean
War (1951-1953). Special attention is paid to explore: (1) how Chinese Buddhists, both clergy
and laity, made use of Buddhist doctrines to justify the government’s policy, and (2) how they
took part directly or indirectly in the nationwide campaign of “Resisting America and
Assisting Korea, Protecting the Family and Safeguarding the
Nation.”（抗美援朝、保家衛國）. Case study of individual Buddhists will be provided for
further discussion on Buddhist participation in the war and the relationship between
institutional Buddhism and the state at the time.
Key Words: Buddhism, the Korean War, China
The pacifistic movement of Buddhist in post-war Japan; focusing on the reflection about
WWII and colonialism – Professor Kawase Takaya (Kyoto Prefectural University): tkawase@kpu.ac.jp , bzy15564@nifty.com
Japanese Buddhist sects were forced to cooperate with Japanese imperialism and militarism in
pre-war Japan. But it was the fact that Buddhist sects (of course individuals, too) failed to
refuse the cooperation on the Buddhism belief that has a precept of "ahims " (no killing).
So the starting point of post-war situation of Japan demanded the Buddhists to reflect about
cooperation with militarism.
The aim of my presentation is to investigate the activities and discourses of pacifistic (or
antiwar) movement of Japanese Buddhists by taking a post-colonial approach.
Nationalism and the Self-image of Korean Buddhism – Professor Cho Sungtaek (Korea
University): stcho@korea.ac.kr
This paper will examine how Korean Buddhism has shaped its identity as a nationalist
identity since the colonial period. I will discuss how this acts deleteriously upon Korean
society, and the socio-religious implications thereof.
Violent Buddhism – Korean Buddhists and the Pacific War, 1937-1945 – Professor
Vladimir Tikhonov (UiO): vladimir.tikhonov@ikos.uio.no
In this paper, I am going to challenge the time-honoured stereotype of "pacifist Buddhism"
and show that, in the specific case of late colonial Korea, the support for the Japanese warfare
provided by the Buddhist religious establishment, rather outstripped, in many aspects, the war
efforts by other denominations. The Korean Buddhist support for the Japanese side in the
WWII was underpinned by coherent and well-structured ideology (Japanese Emperor being
viewed as the "Protector of Dharma"), was further animated by the anti-Christian rivalry and
even some (rather abstract) anti-semitic notions, and relied upon an array of precedents for the
Buddhist support for "the wars in defense of Dharma". I will try to show how the modern,
Pan-Asianist notions fused with rather old Buddhist ideology of "just war" in the case of
WWII in Korea.
The Japanese Buddhist Chaplaincy and the Making of Sacred Space in Continental
Asia, 1894-1910. – Professor Micah Auerback (Michigan University):
auerback@umich.edu
Mainstream Japanese Buddhist sects rushed to cooperate with national wars of aggression
against China and Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With these wars
came the initiation of military chaplaincy by most of the large Buddhist sects in Japan. Along
with work dedicated to the living soldiers, these chaplains also devoted considerable efforts to
the placation of the dead and the sacralization of battlefield spaces. This research considers
how Buddhist clerics started to act as military chaplains and evaluates their role in Japan's
continental conquest.
The Question of Violence in Thai Buddhism – Professor Suwanna Satha-Anand
(Chulalongkorn University): Suwanna.Sat@chula.ac.th
This paper outlines three major moments related to the question of violence in Buddhist
philosophy and historical manifestations. The first moment is illustrated in Prince Siddhatta’s
decision to leave behind temporal power in quest for enlightenment. The second moment is
indicated in the conversion to Buddhism by King Asoka after his engagement in bloody wars
and later created a Buddhist empire of peace and religious tolerance. The third moment is
reflected in the long history of the patron-client relationship between Buddhism and the Thai
state. This last moment will be the major focus of the paper, explicating the roles of
Buddhism as a “national” ideology of the Thai state. It will be argued that Thai Buddhism as a
state ideology has played a major role in defending peace and national identity while at the
same time, justifying war, violence and limited religious tolerance. A major sermon on
“national defense” by the most powerful Supreme Patriarch in Thai history will serve as a key
focus of analysis, together with contemporary publications by a leading monk scholar in Thai
Buddhism.
Military temples and saffron-robed soldiers - Securing Buddhism in Southern Thailand
– Marte Nilsen (PhD student, Lund University): Marte.Nilsen@teol.lu.se
This article will look into how the concept of Dhammaraja-Buddhism and modern Thai
Buddhist principles and ideas on power and violence have legitimized state and military
interventions in the predominantly Malay Muslim southern border provinces of Thailand.
Securing Buddhism in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, has been a
long running task of state sponsored Buddhism and militarization. Ever since the area
formally was annexed by the Siamese king in 1909, policies of establishing Buddhist temples
and monuments, as well as ensuring a steady Buddhist population, has been stimulated and
initiated by both national authorities and royal institutions. In times of Malay Muslim
separatist insurgence the military has also been contributing to this mission. Since the
resurgence of violent separatist movements in the first years of this millennium, which
increasingly is attacking Buddhists institutions and propagating anti-Buddhist sentiments, the
military presence has escalated accordingly. With temple grounds functioning as de facto
military bases and soldiers ordaining as monks, while continuing to serve the military, so
called military monks, policies have changed from securing to securitizing the Buddhist
religion in the south.
'The Sangha and the Civil War in Sri Lanka' – Iselin Frydenlund (PhD student, UiO):
s.i.frydenlund@ikos.uio.no
Buddhism has often been constructed as a philosophy (and not a religion) that emphasizes
worldly renunciation and non-violence. In this respect it is often placed in sharp contrast to
the social activism and just-war orientation of Western religions like Christianity and Islam.
However, how do Buddhist monks relate to times of conflict, like the pro-longed civil war in
Sri Lanka? Do they participate in political debate? Or do they withdraw? How are their lives
affected? How do the monks understand their roles in these very difficult circumstances?
These are some of the questions raised in this paper about Buddhism and conflict in Sri
Lanka.