"No Greater Glory: The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II" by Dan Kurzman.
A great ecumenical read!
Posted on 10/30/2009 8:31:28 PM PDT by Saije
All Army chaplains wear the same uniform, and...answer to the same calling: to provide comfort and to relieve the suffering of American soldiers.
But one chaplain stands out from the crowd. Thomas Dyer is the first and only Buddhist chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army.
Dyer will be deployed to the Middle East in December along with the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment. Although his faith is grounded in pacifism, the 43-year-old Dyer says war has become a necessary part of peace.
"My teacher has concluded that without the military, without civil protection, the world would enter into a very dark place very quickly," Dyer told Fox News. "There aren't that many caves to run to, there aren't that many mountains to go to anymore. And if we don't have protection, we suffer greatly."
A former Baptist preacher, Dyer found his new faith a few years ago through the practice of intense meditation. Born in Nashville, Tenn., he says his Christian background gives him an advantage in meeting the demands of a military with diverse spiritual needs.
“It has made me kind of like someone who is bilingual, where they can speak two languages, or bicultural,” he said. “I am kind of like a bi-religious person, so I am able to make connections with soldiers in a way that is very familiar to them, so I don’t look so scary or ... strange.”
Less than one percent of the United States population is Buddhist, and Buddhists make up only three-tenths of a percent of the military. But Dyer has quickly gained the respect of his Christian colleagues, who make up the vast majority of military chaplains. He has also fostered a close relationship with his chaplain assistant, Spc. Jonathan Westley, who's trained specifically to protect him.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
To hell with sending this guy to Iraq. Send him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. There's somebody there who BADLY needs to hear this.
a fallen away Baptist preacher.
“a fallen away Baptist preacher.”
Yes, I noted that as well. But that’s between him and the Almighty.
They do allow fightting in their otherwise peaceful beliefs.
Me, too, especially since more than a few Buddhist Hawaiians and mainlanders served in the Nisei 100th Battalion and/or 442nd RCT during the Second World War.
Buddhist priests went to Japanese camps where US prisoners of war were held. They demonstrated useful skills...like how to kill prisoners with a single sword stroke.
Buddhism is not pacifist.
Buddhist PING
“A man must move forward from where he stands. He cannot jump to the absolute.”
The Sojourn of Arjuna
http://www.nutsie.com/song/Sojourn%20of%20Arjuna/4956708&album_id=4956701
I posted the jam in which they do not recite the whole song ~ kind of pointless post without the lyrics:
So Arjuna and Krishna you know they’re hanging out on the battlefield
Arjuna is like tired of war, he’s trying to get out of this battle
so Krishna drops a little science on him, he says you know it’s the way of
spiritual growth
a man must go forth from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute, he must evolve toward it (can you hear that)
Krishna says at any given moment in time we are what we are
Arjuna we have to accept the consequences of being ourselves
and only through this acceptance can we begin to evolve further
we may select the battleground but we cannot avoid the battle
so Krishna tells Arjuna it follows therefore that every action under certain
circumstances and for certain people may actually be a stepping stone to
spiritual growth
Arjuna is to do the best he knows
in order to pass beyond that best to better
how can we prescribe our neighbors to be perfect
when it is so hard to know our own heart
the pacifist must respect Arjuna
Arjuna must respect the pacifist.
both are going toward the same goal
if they are really sincere
there’s an underlying solidarity between them
which can be expressed
each one follows without compromise the path upon which he finds himself
for we can only help others to do their duty
by doing what we ourselves believe to be right
it is the one supremely social act.
so Kirshna’s reply to Arjuna occupies the rest of the story
it deals not only with Arjuna’s immediate personal problem
but the whole nature of action
the meaning of life
and the aims for which man must struggle here on earth
at the end of the conversation Arjuna has changed his mind
he’s ready to fight, he’s ready to go ahead on
it is the way of spiritual growth
a man must go forward from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute
and the battle begins...
How have you been, Joe?
God bless this guy. But I had figured that out before the fifth grade.
No it isn't. The attitude of Buddhism in non-aggression not pacifism. There is a big difference.
Why didn’t they say what kind of Buddhist he is? There are some big differences among Buddhist traditions.
It could have been worse. They could have sent them some idiot psychobabologist.
Lotus eating aside,...it seems like Chaplain Dyer can be pretty versatile in supporting our troops in their mission, having been a Christian and now a Buddhist.
I think in previous discussions I may have mentioned “Living Buddha, Living Christ” by Thich Nhat Hanh. I thought Hahn’s observations and juxtapositions were interesting and pretty cool, though I obviously don’t fully agree with all of it.
The forward to this book was written by Elaine Pagels, who is an agenda-driven, idiot psychobabologist, but that doesn’t reflect poorly on Hahn’s observations.
Thank you for the book suggestions. It would probably do me good to read something like "No Greater Glory" and give FR and the news a rest. I haven't read any kind of book in a long time.
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