DAY AFTER DAY, horrific images have flashed across our TV and computer screens, bearing painful testimony to the brutality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin himself indicated that the intention behind this campaign is nothing short of obliterating Ukraine’s status as a sovereign nation and crushing its citizens’ distinct identity. Pummeled by bombs and artillery fire, the Ukrainian people faced a stark choice: to capitulate or to fight back. They chose to fight, and they have fought valiantly.
For us as Buddhists, this decision poses a moral quandary. While we don’t personally have to consider joining in combat on behalf of the Ukrainians, we do face the issue of moral evaluation, particularly from the standpoint of the dharma. And further, for us as Americans, we must decide whether we can morally endorse the U.S. policy of providing aid to Ukraine—including military aid—to help them stem the onslaught.
Buddhist ethics unequivocally calls for nonviolence and the resolution of conflict through peaceful dialogue. As the Dalai Lama put it in a statement soon after the invasion began: “Problems and disagreements are best resolved through dialogue. Genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding and respect for each other’s well-being.” When we sit on the seat of the dharma, our job is to insist on an end to violence, to call for a
