Western perceptions of Buddhism are often shaped by the Dalai Lama’s version of peace and compassion, a view that warrants critical scrutiny. Such perceptions obscure the political realities of Theravāda Buddhist societies in Southeast Asia. Using Myanmar as a case study, this paper examines how Buddhism has become deeply entangled with civil war and violent nationalist projects targeting ethnic and religious minorities. It shows how the state, sangha, military, and monks collaborated to promote a centralized Buddhist nationalist movement that marginalizes minority rights while civilian resistance has remained largely decentralized. It identifies three distinct forms of resistance: decentralized, interreligious, and diasporic. It examines Buddhism’s paradoxical role: legitimizing exclusionary nationalist politics while also inspiring interreligious solidarity between moral Buddhists and prophetic Christians seeking a democratic future grounded in justice, peace, and respect for human rights. Diasporic mobilization sustains both hidden and public forms of decentralized and interreligious resistance to the regime.