CPTnet
10 October 2007
FORT FRANCES, ON: Buddist monks and the Amish--courageous liberators

[Note: The following reflection by CPT Director Emeritus Gene Stoltzfus, has
been edited for length and clarity. The original, "Monks and Amish," is
available at http://www.gstoltzfus.blogspot.com/]

Buddhist monks and Amish Christians, two communities from different parts of
the world who refuse to use violence against enemies, are in my imagination
these days because of the news. Both had members killed by someone from
outside their community. Both refused to retaliate. Both consider the
person or persons who killed their members to be worthy of love and
forgiveness. Both have developed teachings, styles of social formation,
rituals, and tough disciplines over centuries.

In both communities nonviolence is not simply a political tactic but a way
of life. For the Amish people and the Buddhist monks, non-retaliation is so
deeply rooted and beyond question that outsiders with utilitarian lenses can
be startled by the consequences of these convictions.

One year ago, on October 2, 2006 five Amish girls were lined up and shot in
a one-room school building in Pennsylvania. The world was shocked and held
its breath as our "civilization" tried to explain to itself the reasons for
one more school shooting. The world was even more shocked that the Amish
reached out to the family of the perpetrator--who took his own life--with
forgiveness and support, sharing with them some of the millions of dollars
contributed to the victims' families.

In Burma, the monks had suspended services to the military in many areas,
dusting off one of the most ancient tactics of nonviolent culture--passive
resistance and non-cooperation. Through the centuries, young Amish have
also practiced non-cooperation with the military. When conscripted, some
refused to put on a uniform. Others refused to march or take on any
assignments. For both of these communities, acts of noncompliance and
passive resistance are a method of love and preparation for
reconciliation--a necessary stage of building a culture of peace.

As I write, people are holding memorials, funerals, and last rites for monks
who died in the act of praying with their feet on the streets of Burma.
Thousands of their supporters today are deciding if it is worth the risk to
attend these rites for the monks and their civilian coworkers. These
ceremonies can evoke more repression; however they are also the moment to
announce renewed vision and hope. As the dead are remembered, thousands of
soldiers and their officers are wrestling with their moral compasses,
searching for ways to live with the murders that they committed.

The theology/cosmology of the Buddhists and Amish are worlds and centuries
apart. However, the outworking of their gentle hands and their peaceful
living reflects courage, confidence, and innovation that are a challenge to
all of us. I spent some days this week thinking about what I continue to
learn from them about the creation of a beloved community and about the
liberation of God's people and the earth from the toxic stuff of our time.