The afterthoughts of Bernard Faure address in concise terms the problem of accepting at face value that “Buddhism” is a religion of peace.
Using Faure’s own words, the essays in this volume seem to begin with the assumption that “Buddhist teaching fundamentally condemns killing” (212).
As Faure rightly notes, such a stance assumes an essential and persistent Buddhist doctrine, normative to all cultural and historical locations.
An epilogue that questions the assumptions of a work that is intent upon questioning the assumptions of our cultural milieu provides a poignant conclusion to this text.
In conclusion, the collected articles that compose Buddhist Warfare offer up a battle cry for those who believe in considering religious traditions for what they are, not as idealized fabrications devoid of the rough edges that constitute reality.