Buddhism has been entwined with politics for centuries

The issue raises questions about the separation of clergy and state and of religious and secular affairs.
But, in reality, there is a centuries-old tradition of Buddhist monks being involved in affairs of state, often in violent and militaristic ways. Examples include Japanese Sohei warrior-monks, who for 600 years fought against rivals; China’s Shaolin Temple for martial arts, where monks were used by successive emperors to quash revolt; and the Myanmar monk Saya San, who led a revolt at the head of a peasant army before being hanged by British colonial authorities in 1931.
More recently the Dalai Lama has lived a highly politicised life since he fled Tibet in 1959, declaring that one of his aims is “the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness”.
The Vietnamese monk Thich Quang Duc focused world attention on the corruption and intolerance towards Buddhists of Catholic president Ngo Dinh Diem, when in 1963 he became the first Vietnamese Buddhist monk to self-immolate.
More recently 2007’s so-called Saffron Revolution in Myanmar focused world attention on the injustices of the military regime, perhaps hastening its move towards a more liberal stance.
Many say that activist monks in Thailand blur the lines between religion and politics, claiming the latter belong solely in the secular field.
But many would argue that, when there is evil and wrongdoing, or when there is social injustice, inequity and inequality, it is the duty of
religious leaders to speak out and seek reform.
Unfortunately, in one of the most recent examples of Buddhist activism, monks in Myanmar have resorted to inciting violence against Muslim Rohingya, leading to the death of many and the homelessness of many more.
David Brown