Monk: Rohingya treatment in Myanmar not representative of Buddhism

05 June 2015
Monk: Rohingya treatment in Myanmar not representative of Buddhism
Buddhist monk stands near stupas at Borobudur Temple during a ritual on Vesak Day in Magelang, Central Java province, Indonesia, 25 May 2013. Photo: Mast Irham/EPA

The conflict between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar should not be seen as representative of the entire Buddhist religion and all of its adherents, a monk from a Buddhist monastery in Jakarta said on Tuesday, stressing that his religion advocates peace.
Nyanagupta of the Ekayana Monastery in West Jakarta made the address during Vesak celebrations, a major religious event commemorating Buddha’s birth and life.
“We must see this clearly. The case of the Rohingya [clashes with Buddhists, mainly in Myanmar’s Rakhine state] happened several years ago. This does not represent all Buddhists entirely, not even all of Myanmar’s Buddhists,” the monk said on Tuesday, as quoted by news portal Kompas.com.
The clashes, in addition to discriminatory policies by the Myanmar government, have resulted in many Rohingya people fleeing their homes, with many finding their ways to other countries in the region after often harrowing journeys.
Nyanagupta said there are many extremist elements in every religion, but that these are not representative of their respective faiths.
Infamous monks such as Ashin Wirathu, a Burmese extremist who has been labeled the ‘Buddhist Bin Laden’ and who was once jailed by the country’s former military regime for anti-Muslim violence, do not speak for all Buddhists, Nyanagupta stressed.
President Joko Widodo was to join tens of thousands of Buddhists celebrating Vesak on Tuesday night at the ancient Borobudur temple, in Magelang, Central Java. The Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple.
Courtesy of the Jakarta Globe