The way to peace: a buddhist perspective

Introduction

Buddhism has long been celebrated as a religion of peace and non-violence. With
its increasing vitality in regions around the world, many people today turn to Buddhism
for relief and guidance at the time when peace seems to be a deferred dream more than
ever, with the wars in the Middle East and Africa, and the terrorist activities expanding
into areas where people never expected that scope of violence before such as Bali,
London, and New York. Yet this is never a better time to re-examine the position of
Buddhism, among those of other world religions, on peace and violence in the hope that
it can be accorded in the global efforts to create new sets of values regarding the ways
people manage conflict and maintain peace via nonviolent means.
This article tends to provide a review of the Buddhist vision of peace in the light
of peace studies. It also addresses the Buddhist perspective on the causes of violence and
ways to prevent violence and to realize peace.

The last section explores the potentials of Buddhist contributions to the peacemaking efforts and the promotion of a culture of peace
in today’s world. Buddhism, having enjoyed a long history and enrichment by
generations of people in various traditions, ranges north and south with branches across
many cultures and regions. However, a common core of Buddha’s teaching and practice
is observed in major Buddhist traditions and considered essentials of Buddhism. In this
article, the term Buddhism is used to refer to the common core teachings across the
current major traditions of Buddhism.