Was the Buddha Really a Pacifist? The Ideals Modern People Have Projected onto a Sage from 2,500 Years Ago

The other day, I came across an article saying that a book titled The Man Called Buddha had become a bestseller.

I read some reviews and introductions, and the subject was quite interesting: Was the historical Buddha really the person we imagine him to have been?

Buddhism includes Mahayana Buddhism, which developed later, and Theravada Buddhism, which preserves relatively early teachings.

In the scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, the form most familiar in Japan, the Buddha sometimes displays superhuman abilities. He moves freely through space and sees into the past and future. At that point, he seems less like a religious teacher than a character in a science-fiction film.

Scholars have long attempted to strip away this deification and search for the Buddha as a historical human being.

What caught my attention this time, however, was the argument that went one step further.

Perhaps not only the image of the Buddha as a man with supernatural powers, but even the modern image of him as a “saint of peace and equality,” was created by later generations.

Was the Buddha a Modern Human Rights Activist?

We often encounter claims that the Buddha was a pacifist, advocated gender equality, and rejected the caste system.

But apparently, even the early Buddhist texts do not support such definite conclusions.

For example, the Buddha criticized the idea that a person’s spiritual worth was determined by birth. That does not mean, however, that he was campaigning to abolish the class system in the modern sense.

He allowed women to enter monastic life, but men and women were subject to different rules within the religious community.

Trying to impose today’s ideas of gender equality and democracy directly on India 2,500 years ago is unreasonable in the first place.

And yet, whenever we discuss great historical figures, we somehow want them to receive perfect scores according to today’s moral standards.

They must love peace, reject discrimination, advocate gender equality, and stand with the vulnerable.

By that point, the figure no longer resembles a religious teacher from ancient India. He looks more like an exemplary modern human rights activist.

Even a Saint’s Face Is Adapted for the Local Market

This kind of idealization is not limited to the Buddha.

In Western religious art, Jesus Christ is often depicted with pale skin, long hair, and sometimes blue eyes, giving him a European appearance.

The historical Jesus, however, was a Jewish man who lived in ancient Palestine. It is reasonable to assume that he had black hair, brown skin, and features closer to those of people in today’s Middle East. At the very least, he probably did not look like the European figure seen in religious paintings.

The same is true of the Buddha.

Although he lived in ancient India, Japanese Buddhist statues and paintings often give him a somewhat East Asian appearance.

Each time a teaching crosses a border, even the founder’s face is adapted for the local market.

Localization in religion is remarkably thorough.

And appearance is not the only thing that changes. Ideas and personality are also brought closer to the ideals desired by people in each period.

Perhaps the Real Buddha Was a Surprisingly Ordinary Human Being

What did the historical Buddha actually say and think? Even the early Buddhist texts were compiled some time after his life and are not verbatim records of his words.

So it is not as simple as removing later embellishments to reveal the real Buddha underneath.

One fascinating point, however, is that when we examine how images of the Buddha have changed, we learn more about what later generations considered ideal than we do about the Buddha himself.

In an age that valued supernatural powers, he became a miracle worker. In an age that values peace and equality, he becomes a pacifist.

Without saying a word, his profile has continued to receive updates for 2,500 years.

If I could meet the real Buddha with a time machine, I would like to hand him a modern guide to Buddhism.

He might look puzzled and say, “I do not remember saying all these admirable things.”

Of course, even that remark would probably be added to a later scripture as “the ultimate humility demonstrated by the Buddha.”