References first.
https://www.reddit.com/r/zenbuddhism/comments/17whqqx/israeli_zen_teacher_nissim_amon_gives_advice_for/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Czr6oiBtKdi/
https://youtu.be/n60VKiVY5Is?si=un-7DO_2jsQZqx7j
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14639947.2021.2145683#:~:text=Buddhism%20endorses%20the%20concept%20of,to%20protect%20what%20is%20good.
https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma6/militarycanon.html
https://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/CriticalZen/Making_Merit_Through_Warfare_and_Torture.pdf
https://buddhistmilitarysangha.blogspot.com/2010/06/dalai-lamas-message-to-armed-forces.html
https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=29747
https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/article/the-buddha-taught-nonviolence-not-pacifism/
https://blogs.icrc.org/religion-humanitarianprinciples/a-humanitarian-re-reading-of-the-angulimala-sutta/#:~:text=The%20Angulimala%20Sutta%20is%20a,and%20wore%20around%20his%20neck.
https://alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-soldier-military/
https://www.wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/the-buddha-as-warrior
There is a Zen 'teacher' in Isreal named Nissim Amon. He just posted a video on the practical tips for Israeli soldiers to become 'super fighters' and it has ruffled some feathers.
In general, Buddhism abhors violence and taking a life is one of the first precepts we take as a practice when becomming a Buddhist. However, Zen often has its own take and does not closely follow Buddhism as it is in other Mahayana or Theravada traditions. This is why many times Zen is almost considered its own philosophy. Especially in these modern times when people prefer what is now called 'secular Buddhism' that does not have dogmatic, ritualistic or religious undertones.
Zen as it is focuses much more on the present moment, the task at hand etc. This is why Zen has taken so well to practices like flower arranging, tea ceremonies, archery and even martial arts.
Rev. Amon's take and teaching is right in align with the current teachings of Zen as it is. Focus, breathe, let go. He did not discuss who was being shot necessarily, nor did he say anything about killing another person. Ok, ok. This is splitting hairs and reading the opposite of what many have read into his video.
The first part of the advice it to keep your composure and your precision. To take the time t oaim and then shoot, not to panic or to hesitate. He teachesto take a breath and shoot once.
He compares the idea of
Then he teaches the greatemnss ofthe breath , then after the batte.l t orest. to meditate not on guilt, agoinize. to beable to let go and cry later, not duiring the battel.
TO be without compassion and mercyu at the time of the battel. Thsi is a common teaching of the Hagakure as well as other Bushido teachings, and all teachings of warriors and 'how' to battle. in the Baghavadgita (although not a Buddhist text) the whole discussion is about war and violence and gives karmic and practical advice to a warrior or king's army. In the Seyya Jataka, Mahasilava Jataka, Anguttara Nikaya, Kakacupama Sutta, Arya-Bodhisattva-gocara Upayavisayavikurvana nirdesa sutra, Upayakausalya sutra, among others describe war, soldiers and the responses to and for violence. So it is not ignored, nor completely condemned as many would think.
If we look back in time, all the back to The Buddha's time, there have been wars, fighting and atrocities in EVERY region and country, Buddhist or not up and into this very day. We would love to see a world with no violence, no war, no suffering and this is why we practice. We practice to understand that war, violence and such causes more suffering. Just like the Buddha taught. But to be wise means to understand that violence and war exisits and defending and fighting are at times necessary.
When I was staying at 'my' temple I asked the monk. 'What do we do if we get attacked/?' He said 'we lock the doors and keep the gate closed so bad guys don't enter'. If they do? 'We tell them to leave'. "If they don't? 'We get away from them', 'If they chase us?' 'We run', 'they hit us?' 'We block the hit'. 'If they strike us?' 'We try and disarm them', 'if they try and kill us?' 'If all of that does not work, we can defend ourselves appropriately'. 'We would try not to hurt them, try to not kill them, if it happens, well, then we take on that karma don't we?' And that was about it. So basically be as non violent and peaceful as you can. There comes a point where that will not work, so do the least amount of harm. Then he told me of the archer and the merchants on the boat. A great story of weighing karmic action and debt in the face of violence and protecting the innocent.
The truth of the matter is, in the end a soldier has a duty and a sworn oath to protect. He or she is not exempt from karmic acts of violence or killing, but the right mind set can make sure he or she makes no mistake and hurts an innocent person or animal.
I agree with Rev. (or Roshi?) Amon. He has nailed the idea of being present and 'Zen' of an action. Offering solace as well as hope to soldiers in this terrible 'police action' war.
At the end of it all, he did not call for violence as it was already a reality and occuring for those he was speaking to. He did not (in the video I saw) call for the killing of any specific person or persons (civilian, children etc). It is assumed that the soldier is confronting another soldier. It is indeed kill or be killed. And yes, that does break the first precept. And yes, there is a karmic debt. But that too is a present action. One cannot simply decide to not fight during a battle or war. Having counselled many war veterans and active duty military I find that the offering of hope and encouragment to do the duty they signed up for is far more effective than admonishing them for the position they were in at the time of the battle. That would be not very compassionate, nor wise. Remember we are trying to foster calm, contemlpation and wisdom in people.
When we begin on the path of the Dharma we begin to meditate and contemplate the teachings, and over time we can come to the conclusion ourselves that it is unskillful to steal, kill, etc. In that we can become better and bigger than we currently are (or were) just like Angulimala did, and he became an arahant!
The best example here (see references above) is the advice of the Buddha. “Can you do this task as an upholder of safety and justice, focused on love of those you protect rather than on hate for those you must kill? If you are acting with vengeance or delight in destruction, then you are not at all a student of Dhamma. But if your hard job can be done with a base of pure mind, while you are clearly not living the life of an enlightened person, you are still able to begin walking the path towards harmony and compassion.”
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