Mindfulness, PTSD, and the Military: ethical questions and quandries

I was happy to learn of the increased efforts of the military to work with PTSD and its related increasing work with mindfulness.  I am happy for the soldiers that this is showing positive results, both prior to and after the stressful conditions of combat.



Watching the movie "Wartorn" presented such a stark and bleak look at the effects of combat, combat training, witnessing the all around effects of war.  In some ways, it was hopeful in the sense that there is far more awareness nowadays of the effects, yet the trauma experienced by so many individuals puts such a strain on them and their families.


So on the one hand, I am hopeful that increased mindfulness training can help.  Yet, at the same time I am a little weary of the potential manipulation of such a technique for the military's benefit.

Over a decade ago, one American ordained in the Japanese Zen tradition wrote a couple books that through the Japanese Zen schools in particular, and all Japanese Buddhist schools into a tizzy: Zen at War and Zen War Stories.  The books documented Japan's use and abuse of Buddhism during the Pacific War period and its imperial expansion.

The Japanese soldiers at the time underwent Zen training, but numerous issues arise.  There is evidence that some soldiers experienced a stronger dissociation with life. Eventually one Japanese general lamented in 1943, “there are none calling themselves Japanese soldiers who are attached to life.  On the contrary, they all want to die…. Thus, the problem is not death, but how to accomplish our mission.  What I am racking my brains about is not teaching my soldiers how to die laughing or die with peace of mind, but rather how to get them to stay alive even one more day fighting to the last.” (Zen at War, 215)

In other cases, evidence shows that meditation helped individuals commit a murder. Onumo Sho, troubled with serious anxiety over an assassination he was about to commit, decided to do zazen:

After starting my practice of zazen I entered a state of Samadhi the likes of which I had never experienced before.  I felt my spirit become unified, really unified, and when I opened my eyes from their half-closed meditative position I noticed the smoke from the incense curling up and touching the ceiling.  At this point it suddenly came to me – I would be able to carry out [the assassination] that night.” (Zen at War, 214)

In his court testimony later, he said, “I was primarily guided by Buddhist thought in what I did.  That is to say, I believe the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism as they presently exist in Japan are wonderful.” (Zen at War, 215)

Then there is the case of Yasutani Haku'un, a Zen monk whose fervent nationalism led him to be one of many monks involved with the training of the Japanese military.

Yasutani also provides one of the more clear and detailed answers as to why he thinks Buddhists can kill, despite the fact that the first precept instructs otherwise:

"What should the attitude of disciples of the Buddha, as Mahayana bodhisattvas, be toward the first precept that forbids the taking of life?  For example, what should be done in the case in which, in order to remove various evil influences and benefit society, it becomes necessary to deprive birds, insects, fish, etc. of their lives, or, on a larger scale, to sentence extremely evil and brutal persons to death, or for the nation to engage in total war?  Those who understand the spirit of the Mahayana precepts should be able to answer this question immediately.  That is to say, of course one should kill, killing as many as possible.  One should, fighting hard, kill everyone in the enemy army.  The reason for this is that in order to carry [Buddhist] compassion and filial obedience through to perfection, it is necessary to assist good and punish evil.  However, in killing [the enemy] one should swallow one’s tears, bearing in mind the truth of killing yet not killing.  Failing to kill an evil man who ought to be killed, or destroyed, would be to betray compassion and filial obedience, to break the precept forbidding the taking of life.  This is a special characteristic of the Mahayana precepts" (Zen War Stories, 69).

 

(Yasutani with his student, Philip Kapleau, author of The Three Pillars of Zen)

In this quote, Yasutani presents many ideas which lead to justification of war: a dualistic concept of good and evil, coupled with belief in Japan’s purity and the compassion to spread it.  According to Yasutani’s reasoning, not only does the precept allow for killing others, but it requires “killing as many as possible” in order to keep the precept.  

It is a far cry to move from PTSD related mindfulness training to the issues experienced by Japanese Buddhist military training of the Pacific War, yet in some ways it seems so easy to move down a slippery slope once some success is established.  If our military finds mindfulness training leads to more effective willingness to shoot at their targets, what will happen?  How will these teachings be used? 

I am not saying this kind of slippery slope will happen, and I think its great if meditation can help suffering soldiers, yet I also have some serious concerns about where this could lead.  So I am simply unsure how I feel about it.

---