Buddhism and Religious Freedom: A Sourcebook of Scriptural, Theological, and Legal Texts

Excerpt:

“For many people in the early twenty-first century, there would seem to be a close resonance between Buddhism and religious freedom. This presumption of affinity has emerged for several reasons. The idea that Buddhism is a non-theistic religion that emphasizes personal meditation causes many people to see it as spiritual rather than religious, and thus free from hidebound religious strictures and institutions.”

“This linkage of religious freedom and Buddhism has been undermined to some degree by other recent occurrences, such as the violence organized by some Buddhists, led by the monk Ashin Wirathu and his group 969, against Muslims (particularly the Rohingya) in Burma. Still, activists and occasionally scholars have tended to presume that any apparent Buddhist violence and repression directed against non-Buddhists betrays ‘authentic’ Buddhism and does not involve ‘true’ Buddhists.”

For more information, read Buddhism and Religious Freedom: A Sourcebook of Scriptural, Theological, and Legal Texts.