Buddhism, Nationalism and War: A Comparative Evaluation of Chinese and Japanese Buddhists‘ Reactions to the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937~1945)

Abstract

This paper tries to give a theoretical and historical framework of the intimate link between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, nationalism and militarism evidenced by the Second Sino-Japanese War. It analyzes how the Buddhist monks in both China and Japan, despite Buddhism's traditionally ahimsa philosophy, participated in the fierce violence of the Second Sino-Japanese War from a historical perspective. In sum, Buddhism has played an essential role in reevaluating the Second Sino-Japanese War, and more insights can therefore be gained on the complicated relationship between religion, polity and violence.