As illustrated above, there are rich resources within the Theravada
Buddhist tradition that can be drawn upon to inculcate attitudes and
policies supporting religious pluralism. Buddhists in Myanmar can en-
gender a rich and potentially transformative conversation by appealing
to notions of right speech, to the virtues of loving kindness and com-
passion, to the need to test claims about reality and be open to oth-
ers, and to understand the ways in which change and impermanence
drives anxiety and suffering. While it will be important to construct
and support alternative Buddhist narratives regarding conflict, other
religions, and the protection of Buddhism, it will be equally necessary
for continued political, legal, and economic reforms to address the un-
derlying socioeconomic insecurities that motivate the current conflicts
and that will continue to inhibit national reconciliation and peaceful
coexistence in Myanmar. Without attention to this entire range of con-
tributing conditions, interreligious conflict could be the downfall of
Myanmar’s once-promising transition to democracy.