As the fourth largest religion in the world, Buddhism is a fairly large religion that continues to attract more and more followers.
However, this religion has a somewhat unusual method of culture spread. Instead of purposefully sending proselytizers to other nations and cultures, they try to gently encourage others along the path of enlightenment through more subtle means.
Here’s what you need to know about the Buddhist views on proselytizing.
Does Buddhism Strictly Forbid Proselytizing?
To figure out whether or not proselytizing is strictly forbidden, it is necessary to look at some of the teachings, history, and texts of Buddhism. There are various schools of Buddhism, but they generally agree that aggressive proselytizing is not permitted. For example, the Pali Vinaya-pitaka orders monks and nuns to avoid talking to people who are clearly not interested in Buddhism. This includes things like people who are sitting in vehicles or walking along the street. Spreading the impact of Buddhism is never more important than the individual feelings and preferences of others.
The Buddha himself tended to avoid proselytizing according to texts in the Ayacana Sutta. Ven. Bhikku Bodhi further clarified this teaching, saying that proselytising tends to be an aggressive act that is not compatible with Buddhist views of understanding, selflessness, and acceptances. In general, Buddhists tend to feel that a person should not start discussing the Buddha dharma unless they are asked about it. However, even though proselytizing is generally frowned upon, it is not rigidly prohibited. Though it goes against Buddhist teachings, this religion does not tend to have a strict list of taboos.
Keep in mind that modern views on Buddhism tend to be a little different than historical views. For example, some ancient Buddha Khan like Ashoka the great specifically campaigned to spread Buddhism to nearby nations. Though the typical Buddha khan was not violently spreading Buddhism in a crusade, there have still be a few governments that tended to be a little domineering in their promotion of Buddhism. These historic examples do not necessarily reflect the ideal way of spreading Buddhism, and they may be frowned upon by modern Buddhists.
How Does Buddhist Culture Spread Without Proselytizing?
When people learn that Buddhists are typically against proselytizing, they often want to know how the Buddism impact even ended up becoming so large without extensive campaigning and proselytizing.
The reason that we still experience the impact of Buddhism is due to the Buddhism concept of sharing the four noble truths and leading others towards enlightenment. As part of the Bodhisattva vow, many Buddhists take a solemn commitment to teach others and try to lead other people to Buddhahood.
To do this, Buddhists tend to be quite open about their beliefs. They may create books others can buy or host lectures people have the option of attending. With the advent of the internet, many spots sharing facts about Buddhism have now moved to websites run by missionaries and others interested in Buddhism. Many schools of Buddhism perform a lot of charity and are active in their local community. Due to their very visible presence, others naturally become curious about Buddhist beliefs and may seek further instruction.
Though Buddhists do not proselytize, they have no qualms about sharing facts about Buddhism when asked to elaborate by others. When it is appropriate to tell others about the noble truths and texts depends on which school a Buddhist belongs to. One school of Buddhist missionary may not discuss dharma until they are asked directly three times while others feel that it is appropriate to discuss Buddhism when they encounter someone expressing general curiosity. The robes worn by Buddhist missionary monks in many parts of the world are unusual enough to invite questions and open up dialogues.
Are Buddhists Bothered by an Inability to Proselytize?
If you come from other religious traditions, the idea of not proselytizing can seem a little baffling.
However, one of the Buddhist teachings is that a belief in God can become a way of realizing wisdom. This means that other religious doctrines can encourage people towards practicing mindfulness, compassion, and other precepts. Buddhists recognize that even though other religious traditions do not work for them personally, others can still get benefit from certain religious doctrines. This viewpoint helps to explain the lack of focus on proselytizing in the Buddhist community.
Another reason that proselytizing is not seen as an essential part of Buddhism is the idea that people have multiple lifetimes to grow and improve. Due to the concept of reincarnation, everyone is capable of achieving enlightenment by continuing to grow and learn. Without the concepts of hell and single lifetimes that are found in so many other religions, Buddhists do not feel like there is an overwhelming urgency to try to force someone to convert before that person is ready.
Is Leading Others to Buddhism Really Different from Proselytizing?
When you see a Buddhist missionary traveling around and passing out information, it can look like proselytizing on the surface, and this leads to some confusion. You may be wondering if the actions of Buddhist missionaries is really different from proselytizing since the end results are often quite similar. It is essential to understand that the key differences between to the two routes to increasing Buddhism impact is primarily motivation and method.
To avoid proselytizing, Buddhists have to examine their own motivations carefully and prevent themselves from trying to push their religion for the goal of creating new followers and proving other religions wrong. Instead, their primary goal should be sharing the concept of dharma with others and helping to alleviate suffering by setting others on the path to enlightenment. An emphasis on mindfulness encourages Buddhists to spend a lot of time thinking about their own mindset before trying to share.
The other key difference between sharing Buddhism and proselytizing is in the routes Buddhist missionaries take to open up others to the possibility of Buddhism. Unlike some proselytizing methods, people are not given a stack of doctrine to read. Buddhism encourages others to seek enlightenment and realize dharma on their own instead of just following a textbook. They carefully follow precepts to avoid harming others in any way, so Buddhists are not likely to do anything that would cause distress, such as criticizing other religions or interrupting people to discuss Buddhism. Any discussion should be framed around helping a person instead of diminishing their religion or bothering them when they are not interested in learning.
