The Jew in the Lotus - Part 5

As mentioned in the previous entry on the book, one of the questions the Dalai Lama posed had to do with the Jewish view of the modern State of Israel. After Rabbi Greenberg finished, Paul Mendes-Flohr, the only one of the Jewish delegation from Israel, spoke about the state.

He saw the Jewish return to Israel as the Jewish return to political history. He believes in the land as a Zionist entity, but does not see the religious aspects of it. His primary concern is with the Arab-Israeli conflict and how that shapes Israeli culture. The Dalai Lama asked him how he views violence. Mendes-Flohr viewed violence as a necessary evil. Unfortunately, this thread of conversation did not go on for too long. The Dalai Lama, when asked about violence, said it is a method, not a goal.

I think, while this part of the dialogue was short and sort of an addendum to Rabbi Greenberg's talk, it is highly significant. The Buddhists seem to claim that violence and anger are not the true answer. They might be needed at times, but the reality is that other methods should be tried first. The one question I have is, when is enough, enough? I am not advocating the use of violence, but, and this seems to be something even the Dalai Lama alluded to, sometimes it is needed. Sometimes the option of violence might be the solution to prevent violence and actually bring about peace.