Beyond belief
When Buddhist monks in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, protested skyrocketing fuel and food prices in 2007 by chanting blessings, they were beaten by government troops who suppressed the protests by firing on demonstrators. The Economist put the holy men on its cover. The headline: “Burma’s Saffron Revolution.” Earlier this year, when monks associated with a Buddhist nationalist movement in Myanmar urged the shunning of Muslims, their campaign was seen as inciting violence that left 40 dead and thousands displaced. This time when a monk was featured on a magazine cover he looked ominous: Time headlined its image of U Wirathu “The Face of Buddhist Terror.” The two portrayals, juxtaposed, are incongruous: In one, Buddhist monastics, noted for their philosophy of nonviolence, are perceived as victims; in the other, aggressors. But Charles Carstens, a Ph.D. student in Buddhist studies affiliated with the Committee on the Study of Religion, sees a common thread. Both...