buddhists in the military

just discovered lieutenant shin’s blog about serving as a buddhist chaplain in the u.s. military, and was lucky to read this wonderful post of her’s about having confidence in her path.

i’ve contemplated taking a similar path as lt. shin; i even talked to the army chaplain recruiters about it. however, the back surgery i had as a teenager is going to keep me out of the military permanently, even the chaplain corp had a problem with it.

i’m not entirely sure why i kept an interest in military service, even after my medical disqualification and discharge so many years ago, but there’s something about service that still interests me. now that i consider myself pacifist and confirmed in my buddhist path, i still would find great value in serving as a chaplain in the midst of such a violent situation. but there are aspects of the military that touch me to my core. primarily, it’s the level of connection and intimacy that members of the military develop with each other. i bet that only occurs in professions that are potentially fatal. i bet coal miners and fire fighters experience this too. during my short stint in the u.s. army i discovered that when the lives of your friends are on the line, everything matters. and that was very compelling - a life with that much clarity and importance. serving as a chaplain would have a similar clarity, to provide peace and support for those in the most difficult and perilous situations. that would be quite meaningful.

i guess then i should ask, “how does one find similar clarity and inspiration in a non-perilous life?” have any ideas?

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