Buddhism In William Dalrymple's Nine Life

What does it mean to be Buddhist? There are many ways to interpret what it means to be a Buddhist. Buddhism is a religion that has faith in in customs, views and divine practices that are based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha. The Buddha referred to his religion as “finding peace in oneself”. Buddhism is all about finding inner peace and being content with oneself. The story, The Monk’s Tale in the book, Nine Lives, by William Dalrymple portrays a good example of what it means to be a Buddhist and how it is so important to respect and follow the religion. There are many different meanings for religion over-all. Religion is a set of rules and beliefs that an individual or a group follows. Everyone comes together to worship their god(s) in hopes that they would be enlightened on a moral path leading to an ultimate journey's end. Buddhism, which originated in India, is …show more content…
The Monks Tale is about this man Tashi Passang who became a monk. He had a big decision to make. “Especially for a monk. The most important thing is to love each and every sentient being. But when it comes to a greater cause, sometimes it can be your duty to give back your vows and to fight in order to protect the dharma.” (Dalrymple; 143) He decided to then give up his monastic vows and take up arms to fight for his religion. He joined the rebels to fight the Chinese in order to protect the dharma. In 1960, Tashi Passang went to India to protect the Dali Lama. He was forced to join the Indian Army. While he was in the army, he killed Pakistanis. “’Once you have been a monk, it is very difficult to kill a man,’ said Tashi Passang. ‘But sometimes it can be your duty to do so.’” (Dalrymple; 142) Tashi Passang was released in 1986 to go back home. He became a monk again in 1995 and sought forgiveness for all of the killing he committed and the violence and hatred he felt during the time he was