The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: Attaining nirvana can wait'

"In the summer of 2023, I arrived in Dharamshala, an Indian town celebrated as the home of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader. The place hadn't changed much since my last visit almost two decades ago. The roads were still a patchwork of uneven asphalt and dirt, and Tibetan monks in maroon robes filled the streets. Despite the relentless hum of traffic, Dharamshala had a rare stillness."

"While still widely followed as a peaceful, nonviolent philosophy, it has been weaponised, in some quarters, in the service of nationalism, and in support of governments embracing a global trend toward majoritarianism and autocracy. In countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where the conservative Theravada strain predominates, monks have emerged as central figures in movements that promote sectarian hatred, abandoning the teachings of the Buddha in favour of a more common and earthly goal: political power."

"One principle, above all, has come to define Buddhism in the eyes of the world: the foundational precept of ahimsa, or non-harming. The Sri Lankan monk Walpola Rahula, who taught at Northwestern University, defined the Buddha's ahimsa as an injunction not only to avoid harming another person but to prevent violence committed by others. Mahatma Gandhi embodied nonviolence in modern times. He responded to British colonial exploitation and violence with nonviolent non-cooperation."

Dharamshala remains visually unchanged with maroon-robed monks, worn roads, and a pervasive stillness despite traffic noise. Across parts of Asia, Buddhism has shifted from a philosophy associated with non-harming to a force sometimes mobilised for nationalist and majoritarian agendas. In Sri Lanka and Myanmar, conservative Theravada monks have become prominent in movements that foster sectarian hatred and seek political power, departing from traditional Buddhist teachings. The concept of ahimsa is central: it requires avoiding harm and preventing violence by others. Historical examples of nonviolent resistance, such as Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation methods, exemplify ahimsa in practice.

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