Sinhalese Buddhist violence stems from socio-psychological cravings rather than from Buddhism’s actual doctrines.
Evidence
Tessa Bartholomeusz (2002) claimed a strong just war doctrine exists within Theravada Buddhism. However, as Premasiri points out, Buddhism emphasizes nonviolence, but “considers conflict as an unavoidable evil in society” (Premasiri 2006: 82). Violence thus has little to do with Buddhism and much to do with the socio-psychological cravings of human society. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 86
Categorization
- XREF: Relates to the reader’s interest in whether professed religious conviction predicts actual violence — here doctrine and conduct diverge, echoing the conviction-vs-measured-bias question. — connects to: Monastic violence stems from social psychology, not Buddhist doctrine — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 86; Ethnoreligious violence stems from human social psychology, not Buddhism’s tenets — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 86; Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Monastic violence stems from social psychology, not Buddhist doctrine
#corroborates(0.98) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 86 - Ethnoreligious violence stems from human social psychology, not Buddhism’s tenets
#corroborates(0.97) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 86 - Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities
#contradicts(0.85) - A religion’s violence depends on context, not inherent character
#expands(0.82)