Beginning in 712AD and continuing through 1030AD, India was subject to massive annual invasions from Muslims who eventually conquered and destroyed much of the cultural heritage of India. In a final desperate act to annihilate Buddhism, in 1193, Nalanda University which was home to the greatest center of learnings in the East was destroyed, with thousands of monks beheaded. The destruction of the temples, monasteries, centres of learning at Nalanda and northern India to be responsible for the demise of ancient Indian scientific thought in mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, and anatomy.^{[19] Much of what modern scholarship of Buddhist studies puzzles over today was contained in the manuscripts and minds of those who were lost during this calamity. However as the Kalachakra Tantra shows, the war between Dhamma and Islam is not over, nor is it.  The prophecy includes detailed descriptions of the future invaders as well as suggested ways for the Buddhist teachings to survive these onslaughts.}

The Dalai Lama has stated that the public exposition of this tantra is necessary in the current degenerate age. The initiation may be received simply as a blessing for the majority of those attending, however, many of the more qualified attendees do take the commitments and subsequently engage in the practice.

We must be diligent in reminding the

It is important to notice what Alexander Berzin wrote how “Karmic potentials, in fact, give rise to a broad array of impulses that affect our lives. Collective karmic potentials from previous actions of a huge number of beings – including ourselves – give rise, for example, to the impulse for a universe to evolve with specific environments and life forms into which we and these beings subsequently take rebirth.” Collective karma can be seen as the actions that have generated us in our present bodies, from the decisions of our parents, ancestors, and peers that gives us the appearance of our lives (Janaka kamma or the kamma that determines birth). We are all recipients of karma beyond our control. Put in another way, our DNA contains a vast storehouse of kamma.

This sad state of affairs is where the Kalachakra initiation takes its cue.  By harnessing ritual and intention, the Kalachakra initiation at its highest level bestows a daily practice for awakening that an army of practioners around the world are also engaging in. This collective kamma has the subtle effect of making the conditions of purifying bad kamma’s and unwholesome dhamma’s into virtuous ones.

Ultimately we feel this will have the eventual effect of producing a Dhamma centered world based on the natural laws of mind that the founders of the 969 Movement are striving to achieve.

In the face of terrorism, it is exceptionally challenging and incredibly important to maintain the Right Intent. Even with the blood of our brothers still fresh on our most holy temples to lose the Right Intent is to lose the foundation of our religion.

This author proposes that when executed with the right intention, forceful means of stopping violence is a legitimate use of force. We must ask ourselves is allowing violence to occur onder our watch is for reasons of shock, fear, or uncertainty does not display skilfulness in  presence of mind, the same as reacting to violence in anger and rage. Surely it is the Buddha’s intent to teach the monks (his spiritual heir’s) to not cherish their life, to not be beholden to a long life, and to accept the dessolution of the body as a natural occurence all will one day experience. But that does not mean throwing away life unjustly. It means realizing when the right kamma makes it necassary to act. No one would propose that the Buddha would say to an injured victim, “this is your kamma for some action you have done, you must suffer accordingly.” The Buddha is not a nihilist or an existentialist. No, the Buddha would help the victim as he or she is able. We protect our temples, our bodies, and our minds from nefarious influences, but with a clear mind of what we are doing and why it will reduce suffering.

For more on this topic, the following is a different translation from “Sayings of Buddha”, Pilgrims Publishing, 2003:

“Simha said: “One doubt still lurks in my mind concerning the doctrine of the Blessed One. I am a soldier, and am appointed by the king to enforce his laws and to wage his wars. Does the Tathagata declare that it is wrong to go war for the protection of our homes, our wives, our children, and our property? Does the Tathagata teach the doctrine of a complete self surrender? Does the Tathagata maintain that warfare waged for a righteous cause should be forbidden? Buddha replied:

He who deserves punishment must be punished, and he who isworthy of favor must be favored. Yet at the same time the Tathagata teaches to do no injury to any living being but to be full of love and kindness. These injunctions are not contradictory, for whosoever must be punished for the crimes, which he has committed, suffers his injury not through the ill-will of the judge put on account of his evil-doing. His own acts have brought upon him the injury that the executor of the law inflicts. When a magistrate punishes, let him not harbor hatred in his breast; and a murderer, when put to death, should consider that this is the fruit of his own act.

The Tathagata teaches that all warfare in which man tries to slay his brother is lamentable, but he does not teach that those who go to war in a righteous cause, after having exhausted all means to preserve the peace, are blameworthy. He must be blamed who is the cause of war. The Tathagata teaches a complete surrender of self, but he does not teach a surrender of anything to those powers that are evil, be they men or gods or the elements of nature.

Struggle must be, for all life is a struggle of some kind. But he that struggles should look to it lest he struggle in the interest of self against truth and righteousness. He who struggles in the interest of self, so that he himself may be great or powerful or rich or famous, will have no reward, but he who struggles for righteousness and truth, will have great reward, for even his defeat will be a victory.

Self is not a fit vessel to receive any great success; self is small however, is large enough to receive the yearning and aspirations of all selves and when the selves break like soap bubbles, their contents will be preserved and in the truth they will lead a life everlasting. (This does not appear in the first version)

He who goes to battle, O Simha, even though it be in a righteous cause, must be prepared to be slain by his enemies, for that is the destiny of warriors; and should his fate overtake him he has no reason for complaint. But he who is victorious should remember the instability of earthly things. His success may be great, but be it ever so great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust.

The doctrine of the conquest of self, O Simha, in not taught to destroy the souls of men, but to preserve them. He who has conquered self is more fit to live, to be successful, and to gain victories that he who is the slave of self. He, whose mind is free from the illusion of self, will stand and not fall in that battle of life. He, whose intention are righteousness and justice, will meet with no failure, but be successful in his enterprises and his success will endure. He who harbors in his heart love of truth will live and not die, for he has drunk the water of immortality. Struggle then, O general, courageously; and fight your battles vigorously, but be a soldier of truth, and the Tathagata will bless you.”

It also does not mean that the Buddhism path lacks ferocity. Many Buddhist temples contain ferocious spiritual guardians like the Singha Lions, Dharmapala, or Naga to scare away bad spirits or people with evil intent. In Western terms, the traditional Buddhist posture could be described like a dog that is ‘all bark and no bite.’ Unfortunately in this corrupt age, we need more than stone lions to protect our heritage.

“Those absorbed insuch accusations as: “He/She/They abused, hurt, did me or us wrong ” whether right or wrong!, such foolish ones only prolong own pain by being obsessed by their own anger. However! Those freed of these accusations:”He/She/They abused, hurt, did me or us wrong ” noting: whether right or wrong – so what! – such clever ones stop own pain by relinquishing all anger.”

This quote is best understood as directed at solving disputes within the Sangha and not society at large. The Dalai Lama makes an interesting point that “As free human beings we can use our unique intelligence to try to understand ourselves and our world. The Buddha made it clear that his followers were not to take even what he said at face value, but were to examine and test it as a goldsmith tests the quality of gold. But if we are prevented from using our discrimination and creativity, we lose one of the basic characteristics of a human being.”

When speaking on the wellbeing of a democratic society, Lord Buddha said thus

”So long, Ānanda, as the Vajjians assemble in harmony and disperse in harmony; so long as they conduct their business in harmony; so long as they introduce no revolutionary ordinance or break up no established ordinance, but abide by the law; so long as they honour, revere, esteem and worship the elders(thera) among the Vajjians and deem them worthy of listening to; so long as the women and maidens can go about, without being molested or abducted; so long as they honour, revere, esteem and worship the Vajjian shrines, both the inner and the outer; as long as they allow not the customary offerings given and performed, to be neglected; so long as customary watch and ward over the holy men that are among them is well kept, so that they may have free access to the realm and having entered may dwell pleasantly therein, just so long as they do these things, Ānanda, may the prosperity of the Vajjians be looked for and not their decay.“

Social harmony is an explicit goal of the Dhamma. When social harmony does not exist, anger at crimes is a natural response to injustice, it is the goal of Buddhist training that anger is no longer possible. However the cause of justice must not be surrendered to rectify crimes and wrongdoing which must be confessed and punished for. Since he is not of samsara, Lord Buddha will always show mercy, he will always be compassionate, and he will always be forgiving. As such he is the perfect model for human behavior for us to model ourselves on. However it is the kamma of the authorities, and when lacking, the people, to insure justice be done and the Dhamma protected. Just as when the insane are placed in a hospital for their own protection, when people with infectious diseases are placed in quarantine, when criminals are put into prison, and when foreigners in detention camps, these merciful acts are done for their protection.

As Buddhists we believe that blindly following religious doctrine without discrimination and creativity is the source of untold suffering in the world. Carefully consider all words and supposed words of the Buddha in this context.

That is why 969 Movement is so important for Buddhist people and Buddhist nations. Without harming others, we help each other. Without harsh speech, we strengthen each other.Without poor choices, we enrich each other. This is the way it has always been done and a little more mindfulness and a little more effort can produce great benefit to all sentient beings. 969 means no surrender of our principles.