Shelter for You Nirvana for Our Sons Buddhist Belief and Practice in the Sri Lankan Army 623 views

ShelterForYou,NirvanaForOurSons:BuddhistBeliefandPracticeintheSriLankan ArmyexploresthedecisionsandethicalevaluationsmadebySriLankanBuddhists participatinginthecountry'stwenty-five-yearcivilwar.Ratherthansearchingfor Buddhistjustificationsorauthorizationsofwarfare,thisdissertationfocusesonthe experiencesofindividualBuddhistswhoparticipatedirectlyorindirectlyinthewar eort.Thisdissertationisorganizedaroundthreebasicquestions:1)Domonksand soldiersbelievethatnegativekarmaiscreatedwhenindividualsfiretheirweaponsat theenemy?2)Howdomonkspreachtosoldierswhoareheadingotothe battlefield?3)Howdoparentsmourntheirsonswhohavediedincombat?By questioninghowcontemporarySriLankanBuddhistsevaluatethesedicultethical decisions,thisworkdemonstrateshowthedoctrineofkarmaisusedasan interpretivedeviceforunderstandingactionsonthebattlefieldaswellastheir consequencesforbothsoldiersandtheirfamilies. Note: Abstract extracted from PDF text

PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)

English

All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)

2008-12-01