Buddhism, War, and Nationalism

This thesis examines the doctrinal grounds and different approaches to working out this "new Buddhist tradition," a startling contrast to the teachings of non-violence and compassion which have made Buddhism known as a religion of peace. In scores of articles as war approached in 1936-37, new monks searched and reinterpreted scripture, making controversial arguments for ideas like "compassionate killing" which would justify participating in war.

Xue Yu is Director of the Centre for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Foreword. Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1. Changing Buddhism in Modern China 2. Buddhism and National Defending 3. Propaganda against Japanese Aggressions 4. Buddhist Participation in the War 5. Buddhism in Japanese-Occupied Areas 6. Taixu and Buddhism after the War. Conclusion. Notes. Bibliography. Index.