Dear Dennis Deane (deane@ohio.edu)
In answer to your enquiry:
WordPress Subject:[THE SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR)] Sangha Kommune (僧伽公社) Defined”
Date: Saturday, 1 January 2022 22:46:
‘So, given the Buddhist foundations of the Sangha, how do you accommodate the estimated 3 million people killed during Lenin’s regime?’
May I offer the following observations by way of a corrective.
Your observation is a) academically ‘flawed’ and b) primarily a work of ‘fiction’.
The Pali-Sanskrit term ‘Sangha’ (Union) pre-dates Buddhism and is usually defined in Hindi as meaning ‘संघसंस्कृत का शब्द है- जिसका अर्थ सभा, समुदाय या संगठन है।’ or ‘an assembly, community or organization.’ It has no association with your implied Eurocentric notions of sentimentalised ‘Judeo-Christian’ religion – as Asian Buddhism is not a ‘religion’, has no ‘blind faith’ and ‘rejects’ any central or controlling theistic concept. Therefore, to begin with deconstructing your false assertions – ‘Buddhism’ is not the ‘foundation’ of the term ‘Sangha’. This is not a good start for you – someone who ‘thinks’ they are being ‘clever’ – and yet is making howling schoolboy errors ‘off the bat’ as we say in England!
To remain in the realms of material fact for a moment – it is important not to allow your mind to ‘wander’ – and to keep as close as possible to established history. It will obviously come as something of a ‘shock’ for you to learn that the country you inhabit (that is the ‘United States) is responsible for the greatest (and continuous loss of life) the world has ever known due entirely to the maintenance and proliferation of its economic system of predatory capitalism. The impact of this statement will no doubt be doubly-shocking when you are further informed that this racially involved killing is ongoing and that the US System does not appear inclined to change its policies or impact upon the world anytime soon. The following is by no means an exhaustive list of the ongoing ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ and ‘War Crimes’ committed by the United States – but these shocking statistics will give your wayward mind something to focus upon whilst your body recovers from the shock of their implications:
Colonization of North and South America Kills Around 56 Million by 1610
U.S. Regime Has Killed 20-30 Million People since World War II
US Invasion of Russia 1918-1920
Highest death toll from a civil war – Russia 1918-1920 – 10 Million
THE SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 