The First American Buddhist Terrorist?

Last updated on: September 19, 2013 at 11:53 am by Justin Whitaker

The First American Buddhist Terrorist? 2013-09-19T11:53:54-06:00 Justin Whitaker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thirteen people are dead as of this writing. Our understanding of what happened is still unfolding (including an NPR story stating that this was not deemed an act of terrorism), but one twist in yesterday’s events revolves around shooter Aaron Alexis’s religion, which turns out to be Buddhist.

As Buddhism has spread in the West, it has put forth and maintained an image of being a peaceful religion. This is a myth that still holds fast among many, if not most, Western Buddhists and it is one I bought into, at least provisionally, in my undergrad years studying philosophy (and Buddhism). But it didn’t take long in graduate school, looking closely at Buddhists in history – in my case the history of the Dalai Lamas – to see that a great deal of violence has been present in Buddhist societies.

Buddhism in this sense is not entirely non-violent.

For those, like me, who like to focus on texts – especially the earliest ones – there can be a sense that Buddhist teachings are thoroughly non-violent.

So the idea might arise that “Buddhism” stripped of all its cultural past could be the non-violent cure to our violent world. But stripped how? And down to what? And by who? These are questions that need to be asked in any conscious attempt of appropriation of Buddhism in the modern world – if, in fact, that is what one is looking for.

Meditation is often touted as a likely candidate for “what we can take away from Buddhism” – tradition, hierarchy, history, culture, and superstitions be damned. However, as we found out in the case of Anders Breivik in Norway last year (The Dark Side of Meditation), meditation alone may have no effect whatsoever on one’s morals and hence overall life. And it might also, as many people find out early in the process, actually open up deeper layers of pain, anger, and guilt that have been effectively repressed.

Willoughby Britton and Michael Stone discuss the “Dark Side of Meditation” in many of the same terms: the problems of Western bias, even among academics and scientists, the emotional/physical issues that can arise in meditation, and the need to remain grounded in tradition or at least a rich theoretical framework:

https://vimeo.com/70483499

So what does this tell us about Buddhism’s role in the actions of Aaron Alexis? Not much. As with the two Muslim men who killed the British soldier in London last May (see Buddhism, Islam, and a serious talk about fundamentalism) other factors are clearly more important than religion. The role that Buddhism played is, if anything, a diversion from other issues, specifically Alexis’s mental illness:

Seattle police released details late Monday of another shooting incident in 2004 in which Alexis shot the rear tires of a vehicle owned by a construction worker doing work in his neighborhood. Alexis told police he had an anger-fueled “blackout,” but added that he felt he had been “mocked” and “disrespected” by the workers.

Alexis also told police he was present during “the tragic events of September 11, 2001” and described “how those events had disturbed him.” Detectives later spoke with Alexis’ father in New York, who told police Alexis had anger-management problems associated with PTSD, and that he had been an active participant in rescue attempts on 9/11.

In fact, while his meditation might have opened up some violent feelings, we have to be careful not to suggest that he was part of a violent religious group or one that in any way condoned violence. As I wrote in the case of the killings in London, it helps to get some perspective (historical, textual, etc) on the religion and violence – so re-read/listen to Buddhism and Violence on the BBC.

If knowing that the shooter was a Buddhist allows us to empathize just a tiny bit more with him, all the better. It is too easy to dehumanize him, to other-ize him in ways that conveniently leave us disconnected from his actions. But while I may have some connection with him through his religion, I find a much easier wellspring of empathy when I see him as a traumatized young(ish) man trying to get by in America, a nation that leads the world in mental illness but lags far behind in help for those who are ill.

As taxpayers and citizens we all have a connection, a karmic bond if you’d like, to the growing failure of mental health care in America. In a more recent article, WaPo points out that, “Access to mental health care is worse than other types of medical services” in America and “Mental health care is pricey, with 45 percent of the untreated citing cost as a barrier.” The only good news in the article is that “Recent federal legislation requires more expansive insurance coverage for mental health services.”

So that is one area of action we can and should turn to – national and state political support for the mentally ill. But a second area is within our sanghas. Could members or leadership at the Thai temple he meditated at have spotted Alexis’s problems and found some way to direct him toward treatment? Are there any resources out there for sanghas? If not, these are things that should be developed, along the same lines as the codes of conduct that have popped up, been discussed, and spread in the wake of recent scandals.

Yes, Aaron Alexis was a Buddhist, but first and foremost he was a fellow human being, suffering very deeply in a world that could have helped him, but didn’t.

If you, or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help immediately. Contact the following organizations for information about 24-hour crisis services in your area:

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s 24 hour toll-free crisis hotline, 1.800.273.TALK (1.800.273.8255) can put you into contact with your local crisis center that can tell you where to seek immediate help in your area.

The Child-Help USA 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453) crisis line assists both child and adult survivors of abuse, including sexual abuse. The hotline, staffed by mental health professionals, also provides treatment referrals.

(via Mental Health America; see also the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the PTSD Hotline)

* you can read my “mea culpa” and discussion of reactions to this here.

Previous Post

September 16, 2013

Kenneth Folk vs the Speculative Non-Buddhists

Next Post

September 18, 2013 Mea culpa? On "Buddhist Terrorist?" and Reactions

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Academia Activism American Buddhism Art Book review Buddhism Buddhism Today Buddhist Ethics Burma/Myanmar China Christianity Commodification Environment Gender Happiness Health Humor India Interfaith Islam Japanese Buddhism Kant Media / News Meditation mindfulness Photography Poetry Politics quicktakes Running Teaching Technology Thailand Theism/Atheism Theravada Tibet Tibetan Buddhism Travels Uncategorized Unitarian Universalism video Western Philosophy Zen

Select a Month June 2021 January 2021 November 2020 August 2020 July 2020 March 2020 January 2020 October 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 November 2004 September 2004 August 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz