A Statement by the 14th Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche on September 24, 2001

During the past two weeks as I have traveled in the United States, many have asked me to explain the horrible acts of the terrorists on September 11, and to suggest a course of action from the Buddhist perspective. I offer the following thoughts for guidance.

The terrorists who brought about this senseless tragedy are afflicted by ignorance and consequently, can be deceived by a blind faith in a belief system that distorts the true spirit of Islam. They do not have the wisdom and proper sense of judgment to determine what is right and wrong. Because of their ignorance and blind faith, people with evil intentions have manipulated and misused them. Therefore, just as we should show compassion for the victims, we should also have compassion for the terrorists due to their ignorance.

When governments and individuals set a future course of action, their motivation or aim is the critical determinant to what is appropriate and morally correct. The seeking of revenge clearly is not acceptable in Buddhist terms. However, if a government or individual must take an action that has harmful effects, but is done for the purpose of preventing evil and benefiting the majority, then this is acceptable.

According to the Buddha's teachings on ethics, I believe there are four different combinations of aim or intention and action. Listed from the most evil to the most compassionate, they are:

1) Bad or evil aim with negative or hurtful action
2) Bad aim with benign or positive action
3) Good, realistic aim with destructive or harmful action
4) Good or pure aim with benevolent action

In order to counter terrorism, governments of the world and their leaders must pursue this goal only with the aim of benefiting everyone, including the ignorant terrorists themselves. If purely benevolent acts are inadequate to achieve this goal, then there is no choice but to engage in narrowly targeted acts designed to root out the evil of the terrorists while inflicting the least amount of harm to the innocent. This can be accomplished through the use of our wisdom and compassion which we find through logical analysis that is a part of human wisdom. It is important not to make decisions based on our obscured emotions.

On a personal level, we should not dwell in our sadness or fear over this tragedy. Instead, we should use it as an inspiration to develop our own compassion. We should make wishing prayers for the victims, but also expand our wishes to include all beings who have suffered throughout the world. This tragedy must inspire us to achieve a vast compassion for all beings.