Buddhism and War: The Complementarity between the Red Cross and Buddhism

Geneva/Bangkok (ICRC) – The first reference work on the commonalities between Buddhist teachings and international humanitarian law (IHL) was published yesterday as part of a joint initiative by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and prominent Buddhist scholars and practitioners.

While Buddhist literature extensively addresses non-violence, few writings focus on the practice of Buddhist values and rules of conduct in armed conflicts. This new publication, Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law, fills that gap.

The authors unveil a pragmatic and clear approach to Buddhism that, in perfect accordance with international humanitarian law, aims to prevent and alleviate the suffering of war.

“Intention, compassion, non-violence, and interdependence, deeply rooted in Buddhism, all support the fundamental principles of IHL, namely distinction, military necessity, proportionality, and precaution. They thus contribute to protecting persons who are not directly participating in hostilities,” explains Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn, Professor Emeritus at Chulalongkorn University and current Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in a review of the book.

Buddhist Ethics and the Conduct of Conflicts

While Buddhists are present in the armed forces of many nations, the ability of this religion to inform the conduct of contemporary warfare had previously received little attention. The ICRC therefore launched a project on the links between Buddhism and IHL in 2017.

Over 2,500 years of history, Buddhists have fought many battles. Yet, Buddhism and war are widely considered incompatible, and texts encouraging restraint in armed conflicts have mostly remained in the shadows. A chapter in this new work examines how Buddhism can help IHL humanize the conduct of war.

It explains that, according to the fundamental precepts of Buddhist ethics, it is in the interest of belligerents to minimize the harm inflicted on others, as well as the karmic consequences that arise for themselves, which greatly aligns with the principles of IHL.

“Although Buddhism and international humanitarian law pursue exactly the same goal, namely to reduce human suffering, this work supported by the ICRC constitutes the first concerted effort to bring them together,” emphasizes Venerable Khammai Dhammasami, from Shan State Buddhist University.

Mindfulness and Military Training

The work analyzes in detail the ethical principles of Buddhism and what Buddhist teachings offer soldiers, particularly when applied to military training. Maintaining disciplined, virtuous, and competent armed forces, serving a just cause, is consistent with Buddhist ethics, the authors state.

According to Daniel Ratheiser, from the ICRC’s Global Affairs Department and co-editor of the book, “Buddhism, like IHL, accepts the reality of war and strives to find a way to reduce suffering. Its ethics admirably align with the rules of international humanitarian law. Furthermore, it offers psychological resources that can promote better adherence to the most common humanitarian standards advocated by IHL. Mindfulness techniques, for example, can be useful to combatants, even non-Buddhists, by developing their psychological resilience as well as their ability to demonstrate skill and restraint in confrontations.”

The book has been published open access and can be downloaded free of charge from the ICRC.