In recent years, a global resurgence of traditional religion has led the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to examine the alignment of international humanitarian law (IHL) with world religions. In Buddhism, it finds a particularly promising partner. Both are concerned with the maintenance of human dignity and the minimisation of suffering in a world marked by violent conflict. Whilst Buddhism has both humanistic and transcendental dimensions, its humanistic dimension aligns closely with the strategic mission of the ICRC, and Buddhist ethics fit well with the standards of IHL. What then, of the Buddhist Soldier?
The ideal soldier
The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Buddhist tradition have in common a commitment to the definition and pursuit of high ideals. Are these ideals mutually consistent? How does the ideal soldier compare to the ideal Buddhist?
The ideal soldier can be modelled in terms of the Warrior Hero archetype as originally defined by Carl Jung and subsequently developed by Jungians including Joseph Campbell, and Moore and Gillette. In Jung’s analysis, archetypes are deep transpersonal dynamics that may find expression at the personal level, within the thought and action of the individual. From the emergence of the Mahāyāna onwards, the ideal Buddhist is defined as the bodhisattva, the archetypal hero of the Buddhist life, whose way involves the cultivation of the pāramitās of the Bodhisattva Path. Are these ideals compatible?
Indeed they are, for it is clear that, from the earliest origins of the tradition, Buddhism and soldiering are comrades-in-arms. The Buddha came to be seen as an ex-warrior prince, and was given to the use of military metaphor to emphasise key points in his teaching. Perhaps the best-known example of this narrative habit is the celebrated Parable of the Arrow, in which the human predicament is presented as that of a soldier wounded on the field of battle, in mortal danger and in urgent need of skilled assistance. Military symbolism remains prominent and purposeful throughout subsequent Buddhist history. Prominent examples within Tibetan iconography include the flaming diamond sword of Mañjuśrī and the vajra thunderbolt, which Padmasambhava and Vajrapāṇi wield and with which Vajrasattva plays.
Contents:
- The ideal soldier
- The dark side
- Is the Buddhist soldier a problem?
- The soldier as responsible individual
- The soldier in social context
- Conclusions: The Ethical Soldier
- Disclosure statement
- Additional information
- Footnotes
- References
This is an academic article with open access. Read the full article
This article has been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Notes on contributors
Dharmacārin Siṃhanāda
Dharmacārin Siṃhanāda is a Buddhist practitioner and teacher. His principal interests are dialectics, Madhyamaka as anti-philosophy and the Yogacara-Madhyamaka synthesis. A Buddhist since 1979, he was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order as Siṃhanāda in 2006. As a secular professional, he has broad cross-sector experience over 40+ years as a researcher, psychometrician, teacher, trainer of trainers, business school lecturer, group facilitator, activist, change agent and management consultant in the field of organizational development (OD). His efforts to cross-fertilise these fields with traditional Buddhist practice include harnessing Madhyamaka as a problem-solving technology.
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