Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Today Aaron Alexis shot and killed 12 people at a Naval shipyard where apparently he worked or was about to work.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... story.html

Reports just in indicate that he was a Buddhist and learning the Thai language at a Buddhist temple. He was working at a Thai restaurant for free to learn the language better.

As far as I know, this is the first time a Buddhist has done a serial killing in the U.S. (and hopefully the last) and perhaps the first mass shooting by a Buddhist in any non-Buddhist country.

Truly bizarre.. It'll be interesting to see how it led to this-- how someone who is attracted to a religion which so emphatically denounces violence can murder so many people.

Metta and my merits to all those affected.

David N. Snyder wrote:Today Aaron Alexis shot and killed 12 people at a Naval shipyard where apparently he worked or was about to work.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... story.html

Reports just in indicate that he was a Buddhist and learning the Thai language at a Buddhist temple. He was working at a Thai restaurant for free to learn the language better.

As far as I know, this is the first time a Buddhist has done a serial killing in the U.S. (and hopefully the last) and perhaps the first mass shooting by a Buddhist in any non-Buddhist country.

The Dhamma ending age...

People practise Dhamma to be better people, not because they are already good. May he have the circumstances to practise better in the future.

This guy obviously had some deep and disturbing issues about himself. Going to a Buddhist temple isn't going to solve that. The guy probably needed some serious therapy and didn't get it and now this. This has become a pretty common occurrence in the US.

Viscid wrote:Truly bizarre..

Kusala wrote:The Dhamma ending age...

Dear friends, it's the actual progress, that counts, not the imaginary perfection.

For him it is better that he turned towards Buddhism before this happend than he if didn't.

He has been compared to Charles Whitman, who had a very similar occurrence happen. His case did not involve any Buddhism, but in his own writing (he wrote a journal) he seemed to indicate that he didn't know at all why he was having such thoughts dominate his mind. It was like someone/something turned on a switch in his head. I'm wondering if this case and autopsy will find something similar with Alexis. Most friends of his spoke well of him, and were apparently shocked of the news yesterday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... story.html

Reports just in indicate that he was a Buddhist...(and) this is the first time a Buddhist has done a serial killing in the U.S.

Reading just the one article (above), and not to dissect this too much, I see/saw no indication that he was Buddhist...basically he hung with Thais and meditated a little (for a while)...not too unlike Novak Djokovic when playing Wimbledon...

A sad, senseless mess nonetheless...

I think it said he quit the temple in 2011 and was known to be a heavy drinker, starting at 9:30 am. This guy was no Buddhist...it's just the news people trying to play up an angle.

Digity wrote:I think it said he quit the temple in 2011 and was known to be a heavy drinker, starting at 9:30 am. This guy was no Buddhist...it's just the news people trying to play up an angle.

You can't know, if he was a Buddhist.

He could have taken the Five Precepts each morning.

Not to break them is another deal.

We all do our best, no matter what our Kamma has in store for us.


Kind Regards

Now they're saying he heard voices in his head. Seems the guy had schizophrenia.

mirco wrote:

Digity wrote:I think it said he quit the temple in 2011 and was known to be a heavy drinker, starting at 9:30 am. This guy was no Buddhist...it's just the news people trying to play up an angle.

You can't know, if he was a Buddhist.

He could have taken the Five Precepts each morning.

Not to break them is another deal.

We all do our best, no matter what our Kamma has in store for us.

I do agree with you in general.

But I don't see the precepts as something you can break; they are training-goals, not rules. As with all training we all have a (individual) starting point, in time we improve our skills, sometimes we do worse; but in the long run we aim to be better.

_/\_

Dear Doshin,

Doshin wrote:I do agree with you in general. But I don't see the precepts as something you can break; they are training-goals, not rules. As with all training we all have a (individual) starting point, in time we improve our skills, sometimes we do worse; but in the long run we aim to be better. _/\_

yes, I see that.

To me, formally 'taking' the precepts comes with or builds up a certain energy. If I have done so, the alertness rises, for when I am about not to behave in harmonious way. It kind of strengthens the 'remindive' factor.

The same, when I behaved unharmonious. Forgiving myself for having done so and not knowing better and 'taking' the training vows again, helps.

The 'rules' to me are but precious training aids.

Buddhist community ponders apparent link between their faith and Navy Yard shooter
http://tinyurl.com/n4tczhh