I first became aware of the situation facing the Kurds when I visited Turkey around 30 years ago. I would frequently notice the letters “PKK” graffitied on the walls from Istanbul to small villages in the East of the Country. On a number of trips, I would meet local Kurds who quietly would explain the situation to us Western travelers. Since this time, I have tried to follow their situation always with an active interest. During the two gulf wars since and more recently during the civil wars in Iraq and Syria, the ongoing Kurdish situation has frequently reappeared and caught my eye.
In the last couple of years, stories of Kurdish ‘freedom fighters’, especially the female guerrilla units have really captured my interest. These female Che Guevara-like characters pictured carrying machine guns in one hand, a baby in the other and fighting for freedom have delivered the dream photo to the Western media. Such images stirred strong emotions in me and the need to be prepared to fight for freedom and democracy.
But I am supposed to be an advocate of non-violence, possibly even pacifism, right? After all, is Buddhism not founded on non-harming and the development of compassion and loving kindness?
Anyone who has had a chance to read the early works of Thich Nhat Hahn understands that the seeds of his own development were watered by the fierce fighting in the Vietnam war. The movement of Interbeing that he founded was born of this conflict and sought to provide a new model for spiritual resistance. A central part of Thay’s early writings are that at the core of Buddhism is the creation of peace and an absolute rejection of direct violence.
During an interview in 2003, Thay was directly asked a question by an interviewer which gets to the heart of this issue:
Interviewer: Are there times when it is right to use violence in order to protect yourself, or your family, or nation?
Thich Nhat Hahn: If you see someone who is trying to shoot, to destroy, you have to do your best in order to prevent him or her to do so. You must. But you must do it out of your compassion, of your willingness to protect, and not out of anger. That is the key.
Not quite what many would expect from someone considered pacifist. But what does it mean to fight out of compassion? What does it mean to fight without anger? How do we use feelings of anger, sadness and suffering and turn them towards love and peace.
“We who have touched war have a duty to bring the truth about war to those who have not had a direct experience of it. We are the light at the tip of the candle. It is really hot, but it has the power of shining and illuminating. If we practice mindfulness, we will know how to look deeply into the nature of war and, with our insight, wake people up so that together we can avoid repeating the same horrors again and again.” Thich Nhat Hahn
During Sangha this Monday evening, I would like us to share our own thoughts on such practice and our own feelings on war, suffering, and freedom.