PEACE IN BUDDHISM

PEACE IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ~ 118 ~ misery, he attached the greatest importance to the fact that man should free himself from all kinds of desires. For it is these desires that lead man into all kinds of evils, including violence. The principles he set forth to govern human life are as follows: One must renounce all desires and all thoughts of lust, bitterness, and cruelty. One must harm no living creature. One must abstain from all killing. One must work in an occupation that benefits others and harms no one. In principle, there is no place for violence in Buddhism. For the aim of Buddhism is basically personal reform. And personal reform can come about only by striving hard against one’s own self, rather than by committing aggression against others. It would be correct to say that violence is something alien to the Buddhist scheme of things. Ideologically, Buddhism has no direct relation with violence.