Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

This study examines the inherent and structural factors that inevitably expose humans to violent situations, such as war, by analyzing several episodes from classical scriptures. First, it argues that the root causes of violence lie within the human condition itself, corrupted by the three poisons (三毒), as well as in the unavoidable karmic consequences of past actions. Next, it explores the social and structural origins of violence, showing how rulers—likened to venomous snakes—provoke wars to satisfy their thirst for power, thereby placing those under their authority inescapably at risk of war and violence. In response to these existential and structural constraints, the Buddha proposed renouncing worldly life and seeking nirvana within monastic communities like the Sangha as the most effective solution.
However, during the reign of King Asoka, the Sangha became entangled in royal authority, allowing kings to intervene even in internal monastic affairs. As a result, episodes seemingly endorsing violence arose in later Mahayana Buddhism, offering justification for participation in wars under the banner of “holy war.” Meanwhile, in Indian Buddhism, un-Buddhist behaviors such as war and violence were relegated to laypeople. This tendency appears to reflect a Sangha-centered worldview, in which renunciants, charged with preserving and disseminating the Dharma, grappled with the paradox of resorting to unwholesome means. This argument is further illustrated by the case of Sri Lanka, where monks were deemed justified, as a last resort, in temporarily reverting to lay status to engage in war under the rationale of a “holy war.”