Richard Reoch, former president of Shambhala, has written an article for Lion’s Roar about his trip to the Rohingya refugee camps outside of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
In the article, Richard grapples with how Buddhists in Myanmar could condone, even encourage, violence against the Rohingya people. “The Buddha was no stranger to genocide,” he writes. “His own people, the Sakyas, were the victims of mass slaughter. One of the final acts of his life, recounted in the opening verses of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, was to refuse a request to give his blessing to an act of genocide.”
Richard Reoch visited Bangladesh as a part of the International Interfaith Peace Corps’ delegation to the refugee camps. Richard and Hozan Alan Senauke were the delegation’s Buddhist representatives.
Richard’s article also encourages Buddhists around the world to support the Buddhist Humanitarian Project’s efforts to condemn the violence and support refugees. We are grateful to Richard and Lion’s Roar for their support. To read the full article, click here.