Contesting Buddhist Narratives effects to oneself, developing insight into the true nature of phenomena (or reality) and eradicating the drivers of suffering: And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration...I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of aging & death, direct knowledge of the origination of aging & death, direct knowledge of the cessation of aging & death, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of aging & death. —Nagara Sutta Several aspects of the eightfold path bear relevance in constructing an ethic for treating the “other,” which is central to religious pluralism. In particular, given the dynamics in contemporary Myanmar, it is useful to focus on right speech. Right speech, as described by the Buddha, entails abstaining from malicious or harsh speech, from idle chatter, and from lies (Samyutta Sutta). Elaborating, the Buddha describes malicious speech as that which causes divisions between people, whereas one rightly following the eightfold path speaks in a way that promotes concord and friendships, (re)uniting people: He does not repeat elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, nor does he repeat to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships…a speaker of words that promote concord. —Culahalthipadopanna Sutta Moreover, right speech is said to reduce fear among others: “By abstaining from false speech, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear” (Anguttara Nikaya). These Buddhist calls for a form of speech that promotes concord and does not sow division or fear appear powerfully relevant and resonant for the current situation in Myanmar. Recently, some civil society organizations and actors, as well as political actors, have criticized the use of “dangerous speech,” and several new campaigns actively promote 35