My practicum ESL placement is largely comprised of Bhutanese refugees of Nepali origin. Months before the placement, and entirely by coincidence, my teacher Yuttadhammo Bhikku spoke briefly about this travesty, as evidence of the fact that "even" Buddhists can behave like total asshats (my words, not his), marginalizing and outright persecuting groups which it deems to be a "threat" to the sanctity of the religion. But we should we be shocked by this story- why should Buddhists have the market cornered on tolerance, when most other major religious traditions, be they monotheistic or otherwise, preach just the same message, and yet fail miserably when religion and politics become entwined? Buddhists, for the first time in many centuries, are the majority rule here- plain and simple. Human nature- or more precisely in this case, greed and avarice- can trump even the most stalwart of peaceable doctrines. The failure of this tiny Buddhist theocracy to recognize and guarantee the rights of all its citizens makes a very strong argument for the permanent, universal separation of politics and religion.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 08:35:00 +0000
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