Once the Buddha Was a Warrior: Buddhist Pragmatism in the Ethics of Peace and Armed Conflict

Abstract

Buddhist traditions offer a richly nuanced ethic for the compassionate use of violence, including warfare, torture, and punishment, that has effectively supported regimes of vast geographical and cultural diversity for millennia. This chapter explicates the Buddhist ideology of compassionate violence as presented in a broad range of classical treatises and scriptures. Ahiṃsā, generally mistranslated as “nonviolence,” has always meant non-harm, and sometimes failure to engage in violence is harmful. Buddhist texts argue that compassionate policies literally protect both the individual and society, even in war. Superficially, selfish policies of economic exploitation and conquest based on greed undermine national security. Compassion is in the national interest and leads to general human flourishing and prosperity. International, national and personal peace and security, through strong alliances, absence of enemies and social contentment, are created through commitment to the wellbeing of others.