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Buddhist Anti-Semitism

(Jewish Political Studies Review) Christopher L. Schilling - It is unlikely that Buddhism's founder or his disciples even heard of the Jewish people. Nor does Buddhist scripture talk about Jews or Judaism. Yet anti-Semitism has occurred within the Buddhist religious context. Buddhism's reputation in the West as a religion of peace is an orientalist Western fantasy. Contemporary Buddhist monks in Burma and Sri Lanka frequently engage in nationalistic violence, especially against non-Buddhist minorities, and the history of Asia is filled with Buddhist rulers committing massacres. The World Values Survey found that 33% of Buddhist respondents rejected having a Jewish neighbor, compared to 20% of Protestants and 18% of Roman Catholics. Buddhists who give greater importance to their religion were found to be more anti-Semitic than secular Buddhists. Anti-Semitism became part of Buddhist Modernism in Japan. Zen master Hakuun Yasutani (1885-1973) was a virulent anti-Semite. He wrote in 1943: "It is, therefore, necessary to thoroughly defeat the propaganda and strategy of the Jews. That is to say, we must clearly point out the fallacy of their evil ideas advocating freedom and equality." Buddhist scholar Tanaka Chigaku (1861-1939) "argued that Jews were fomenting social unrest in order to rule the world." The given examples are not representative of Buddhism as a whole, just as the Crusaders do not represent all of Christianity. Yet this specific form of anti-Semitism should not remain unnoticed. The writer has held academic positions at universities in Japan, the UK, Germany, Mexico, the U.S., South Korea and Taiwan.
2021-02-25 00:00:00
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