Self-Defense in Asian Religions
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Liberty University Law Review Volume 2 Issue 1 Article 9 September 2007 Self-Defense in Asian Religions David B. Kopel Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation David B. Kopel (2007) "Self-Defense in Asian Religions," Liberty University Law Review: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review/vol2/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Liberty University School of Law at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Liberty University Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SELF-DEFENSE IN ASIAN RELIGIONS David B. Kopef TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ...................................................................................... 108 II. Confucianism ................................................................................... 111 A . Character Building Through Shooting Sports ........................... 112 B. The Right of Revolution ............................................................ 113 C. M encius ..................................................................................... 117 1. M encius and W ar ................................................................ 121 2. M encius and Hunting .......................................................... 122 3. M encius and Personal Protection ........................................ 122 D . Later Confucians and W ar ......................................................... 123 III. Taoism ............................................................................................. 125 A . Tao Te Ching ............................................................................. 126 B. W en-Tzu .................................................................................... 128 C. The M aster of the Hidden Storehouse ....................................... 132 D. Huainanzi .................................................................................. 133 E. Ethical Hunting and Skill at Arm s ............................................. 136 1. Hunting ............................................................................... 136 2. Arm scraft ............................................................................ 137 IV. Conclusion on China ....................................................................... 138 V . Hinduism ......................................................................................... 139 A . The M ahabhdrata and the Ram ayana ......................................... 139 B. M ohandas K. Gandhi ................................................................. 140 C. Did Gandhi's Success Lead to More Violence in the Long Run? ............................... ......................... 143 VI. Jainism ............................................................................................. 144 VII. Sikhism ............................................................................................ 146 VIII. Buddhist Origins and Scripture ........................................................ 148 A . Siddhqrtha Gautama .................................................................. 148 B. The M ajor form s of Buddhism .................................................. 150 C. The Dhamm apada ..................................................................... 151 D . Buddhist I Ching ....................................................................... 152 t Research Director, Independence Institute, Golden, Colorado; Associate Policy Analyst, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C.; Author of The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: ShouldAmerica Adopt the Gun Controlsof OtherDemocracies?(1992). Co-author of Gun Control and Gun Rights (NYU Press, 2002). Editor-in-Chief of the Journalon Firearms & Public Policy. Websites: http://www.davekopel.org; http://www.marylinks.org. HeinOnline -- 2 Liberty U. L. Rev. 107 2007-2008 108 LIBERTY UNIVERSITYLA WREVIEW [Vol. 2:107 E . Symbols ..................................................................................... 153 F. Additional Buddhist Writings .................................................... 154 IX. Buddhism's Application in Asian Nations ....................................... 157 A . India .......................................................................................... 157 B . B odhidharm a ............................................................................. 158 C . C hina ......................................................................................... 159 D . K orea ......................................................................................... 163 E. Sri Lanka: Lions vs. Tigers ........................................................ 164 F. Burm a and Thailand .................................................................. 168 G . T ibet .......................................................................................... 169 H . Japan .......................................................................................... 175 X . M artial A rts ...................................................................................... 178 A . Form s of Martial Arts ................................................................ 183 B. The Non-Violent Martial Artist ................................................. 186 XI. The Last Buddhist Dogma ............................................................... 188 X II. C onclusion ....................................................................................... 191 I. INTRODUCTION For almost as long as the Western world has been encountering the Far East, many Westerners have misunderstood the East because of reliance on simplistic stereotypes. Although there has been, ever since the 1960s, a great Western interest in Eastern religions, many stereotypes about Eastern religions still persist. This Article aims to dispel two widespread misunderstandings: first the notion that Eastern religions (particularly Chinese ones) create an inclination in favor of passive submission towards unjust government. A second myth is that followers of Eastern religions, especially Buddhists, are all pacifists who would never use force to defend themselves or their community. This Article investigates the attitudes of six Far Eastern religions- Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism-towards the legitimacy of the use of force in individual and collective contexts. Although Western Judeo-Christian religious philosophy has developed, until fairly recently, with little direct influence from Far Eastern religions, the Eastern and Western religious traditions have arrived at some surprisingly similar conclusions regarding the legitimacy of the use of force. In the West, the mainstream of religious and philosophical tradition has regarded personal self-defense and defense of innocent third persons to be a natural right.! Often, the principle of defense against unorganized criminals has 1. See, e.g., David B. Kopel, Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen, The Human Right of Self- HeinOnline -- 2 Liberty U. L. Rev. 108 2007-2008 2007] SELF-DEFENSEIN ASIAN RELIGIONS been extended to include defense against criminal governments. Indeed, modem international law of warfare, including limitations on the conduct of warfare, is founded on the universal right of personal self-defense.2 Some extreme versions of legal positivism deny that there could be any such thing as natural law, or inherent human natural rights.3 Supporters of natural law, including America's founders, contend that certain rights are inherent in the nature of human beings, regardless of culture.4 A concise expression of Western natural law can be found in the Decretum, which was written about 1140 A.D. by Gratian of Bologna, and which was a cornerstone of the development of the legal system in Western Europe (and therefore, in the Western Hemisphere) over the next millennium. Gratian explained: "Natural law is common to all nations because it exists everywhere through natural instinct, not because of any enactment., 5 Examples of natural law include "the union of men and women, the succession and rearing of children,.., the identical liberty of all.... the return of a thing deposited or of money entrusted, and the repelling of violence by force. This, and anything 6 similar, is never regarded as unjust but is held to be natural and equitable.", Close analysis of Far Eastern religion provides some support for the existence of natural law. Self-defense is strongly legitimated in the theory and practice of the major Far Eastern religions. The finding is consistent with natural law theory that some aspects of the human personality, including the self-defense instinct, are inherent in human nature, rather than being entirely determined by culture. Recently, the United Nations has asserted that there is no human right of self-defense.7 Advocates of international gun confiscation have asserted that belief in a right to self-defense is a uniquely American value which is out of Defense, 22 BYU J. PUB. L. (forthcoming, 2008); David B. Kopel, The Catholic Second Amendment, 29 HAMLINE L. REV. 519 (2006); David B. Kopel, The Torah andSelf-Defense, 109 PENN ST. L. REV. 17 (2004). 2. See, e.g., Kopel, The Human Right of Self-Defense, supra note 1. 3. See, e.g., JOSEPH RAZ, THE AUTHORITY OF LAW: ESSAYS ON LAW AND MORALITY (1979). 4.