How Is Buddha Reflected In Total Pacifism

Peace has many varying definitions, and the Buddha’s unique approach to them sets him apart from many. To Buddha, peace is complete inner peace with oneself, this is reflected in how he refuses to respond to the person that was attacking him, “’. . . you have railed at me, but I decline to accept your abuse, and request you to keep it yourself. Will it not be a source of misery to you?” (Buddha 4). Through refusing the advances of the man, Buddha practices an example of pacifism in his actions. Throughout the essay Buddha draws on the idea that peace is reflected in total pacifism. Although ideals similar to pacifism are common in many peace building works studied today, such as Scott Nearing. The fact remains that complete and total pacifism
Simone Weil describes conflict as an external and violent object that has the entire world essentially caught in its cogs, “history is more and more forcing every political actor to choose between aggravating the oppression exercised by the various state apparatuses and carrying on a merciless struggle against the apparatuses in order to shatter them” (Weil 55). In describing the external forces that result in conflict she is looking at the results of what Buddha would describe as the impact of selfishness and anger (Buddha 3), this choosing between the apparatus and freeing the people is not a true choice, and it is all due to selfishness and anger embedded in the authority and persons controlling the situation. Buddha and Weil’s views on the cause of conflict differ due to what they believe is the cause of conflict. To Weil the cause of conflict is other’s oppression, specifically in her essay “Reflections from War” the cause of conflict is due to governments oppressing their own people. While Buddha would understand this viewpoint, it is not as personal or deep of an understanding of conflict that Buddha presents in his essay. To Buddha, conflict is caused by internal problems that are solved by finding peace within yourself first. This is seen in the actual external conflict he encounters with the man, “A foolish man learning that Buddha observed the principle of
Nonviolent action is defined by the Albert Einstein Foundation as, “. . . a technique of action for applying power in a conflict by using symbolic protests, noncooperation, and defiance, but not physical violence” (aeinstein.org). Nonviolent action can be seen through nonviolent protests such as Gandhi’s salt marches. Gandhi’s salt marches paved the way for India’s independence from England. The salt marches are a prime example of nonviolent protest in that the people involved did not have any intent to harm or cause violence. The marchers were victim to many violent acts, yet they never retaliated. This proved to be an effective means of change as the English did release India and allow it to be its own free-standing state in 1947, sometime after the initial marches. Additionally, after studying Gandhi’s salt marches and other nonviolent actors, Martin Luther King Jr. also adopted nonviolence as the method to achieve civil rights. Through sit ins and boycotts the civil rights movement was able to gain attention to a serious problem and eventually it was successful. In light of the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the war and in listing his reason, peace and nonviolent were the benchmarks of his speech, “To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who