As the Russian Tanks roll into Ukraine, how relevant is the Buddhist teaching of non-violence?

Each week I meet with local members of my Buddhist Order for a chapter meeting, and we talk about what’s happening in our lives in the light of Buddhist teachings. This week, inevitably, we spoke about Ukraine.

One Order member, a deeply devoted meditator, said he decided several years ago not to follow the news at all. ‘It doesn’t help me, and it doesn’t help the world.’ 

Others were more engaged. Our responses started with sadness – deep sadness – leavened only by admiration for the Ukrainians’ courage. We described our feelings of impotence and frustration, and how they draw us into the mental state Buddhist psychology calls ‘horrified anxiety’, compulsively following the news, as if that will make a difference. And we reflected on the value of witnessing suffering that we can’t prevent, even ‘bearing witness’ to it with wholehearted attention.

We asked, if we want to respond with compassion, does our compassion extend to the attackers, and to President Putin himself? If we oppose war in general, does our opposition extend to the Ukrainian resistance? What would we do in their place?

Buddhism has no magical answer to events like the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Buddha taught that the cycle of violence starts in our minds. We suffer and, dwelling on our suffering, we become angry. Believing our anger is justified, it becomes hatred, and violence follows. Our enemies respond, and the cycle turns. 

Reading President Putin’s now notorious speech justifying the invasion by listing perceived historic slights, I couldn’t help thinking of the Buddha’s words: ‘He abused me, he hurt me, he robbed me. Those who dwell on such thoughts will never still their hatred.’

The great question is, how can we break the cycle? Buddhism favours nonviolence, but Buddhists have long debated whether full-blooded pacifism is realistic. The people of Ukraine can’t avoid violence, but what really impresses me is their courage, not their weapons. We are all caught in cycles of violence, from personal conflicts to international tensions, all rooted in our differing perceptions of the past. 

So I keep returning to that question, without finding any easy answers. I ask, what can I do, right now, today, to help break the cycles of violence in myself and the world? In light of my own mortality, what should I do with my time? As the Buddha said: ‘Those who know we are all heading for death will resolve their quarrels.’

Vishvapani, Thought for the Day