Non-violence is at the heart of Buddhist thinking and behaviour. The first of the five precepts that all Buddhists vow to follow is “Avoid harming any living thing.” Buddhism is essentially a peaceful tradition. Nothing in Buddhist scripture gives any support to the use of violence as a way to resolve conflict.One of Buddha’s sermons puts this very clearly with a powerful example that stresses the need to love your enemy no matter how cruelly he treats you: Even if thieves carve you limb from limb with a double-handed saw, if you make your mind hostile you are not following my teaching.
Figures like the Dalai Lama (who won the Nobel Peace Prize) demonstrate in word and deed Buddhism’s commitment to peace. “Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is the ancient law.” Many Buddhists have refused to take up arms under any circumstances, even knowing that they would be killed as a result. The Buddhist code that governs the life of monks permits them to defend themselves, but it forbids them to kill, even in self-defence. The pure Buddhist attitude is shown in this story:
Thich Nhat Hanh
A Vietnam veteran was overheard rebuking the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, about his unswerving dedication to non-violence.
“You’re a fool,” said the veteran, “what if someone had wiped out all the Buddhists in the world and you were the last one left. Would you not try to kill the person who was trying to kill you, and in doing so save Buddhism?”Thich Nhat Hanh answered “It would be better to let him kill me. In killing I would be abandoning the very teachings I’m seeking to preserve. So it would be better to let him kill me and remain true to the spirit of the Dharma.”
source: adapted from BBC Religion
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