🔥 Fire and hatred
Fire burns whatever it touches, and so do craving and hatred. They burn the person who feels them, and then the people around them. Peace is what is left when the fire goes out.
Buddhist Beliefs about Peace and Conflict » Peace and Pacifism in Buddhism
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 3.2 (Buddhism)
- Why peace matters so much to Buddhists, and why it starts inside a person
- What Dhammapada 202-205 teach about peace
- How the first precept, metta, right action and right livelihood lead Buddhists towards pacifism
- The difference between absolute and conditional pacifism among Buddhists
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Unlock This CourseThe nature and importance of peace for Buddhists
The lesson Peace, Pacifism, Forgiveness and Reconciliation explained peace, inner peace and pacifism in general. This lesson looks at what Buddhists add.
For Buddhists, peace is more than a time without fighting. It is a calm, kind and clear state of mind. The Buddha taught that suffering (dukkha) is fed by greed, hatred and ignorance. Wars, fights and quarrels are the same three poisons, only on a bigger scale. So the Buddhist answer is to deal with the root: the mind.
Think of a glass of muddy water. If you keep stirring it, it stays cloudy. If you leave it still, the mud settles and the water clears. A troubled mind is like the stirred water. A peaceful mind lets things settle, so a person can see clearly and choose wisely. Buddhists believe that peace in the world begins with inner peace in each person.
This is why peace is so important in Buddhism:
- A person who is at peace inside is less likely to hurt anyone.
- Meditation and the Noble Eightfold Path train the mind to become calm. Many Buddhists say that if more people were at peace inside, there would be less conflict outside.
- The goal of the path, nibbana, is described as the deepest peace, with greed, hatred and ignorance gone.
Key terms:
- Right action: one part of the Noble Eightfold Path. It means acting in ways that do not harm anyone, such as not killing, stealing or lying.
- Non-harm: the Buddhist aim of not hurting any living being, in body, speech or thought. It is the idea behind the first precept.
Buddhist teachings about peace: Dhammapada 202-205
The Dhammapada is the famous collection of the Buddha's sayings in verse. Verses 202 to 205 come from the chapter on happiness. Here they are in our own words (a paraphrase, not a word-for-word translation):
- Verse 202: There is no fire like passion (craving) and no wrong like hatred. There is no happiness higher than peace.
- Verses 203-204: Hunger (here meaning craving) is the worst of illnesses, and being content is the greatest wealth. Nibbana is the highest happiness.
- Verse 205: Someone who has tasted the quiet of being alone and the sweetness of peace is free from fear and wrongdoing, and finds joy in the Dhamma, the Buddha's teaching.
🌟 Peace as happiness
Many people think happiness comes from getting more. These verses say the highest happiness is peace and contentment. A person who wants less has less to fight about.
Buddhists use these verses as a guide to daily life. They remind believers to notice anger and greed early, before they turn into harmful words or actions.
Buddhist teachings on pacifism
Several core teachings push Buddhists towards pacifism. In the lesson Buddhist Teachings on War and the Simile of the Saw you met the first precept and right livelihood. Here they are again, with metta and right action alongside.
🙏 The first precept
The promise to avoid harming living beings. War involves killing, so it breaks this rule.
💖 Metta
Metta (loving-kindness) is wishing happiness for all beings, including enemies. It is hard to wish someone well and attack them at the same time.
✅ Right action
Part of the Noble Eightfold Path. It asks Buddhists to act without harm, which rules out violence.
💼 Right livelihood
A living that harms others is wrong, so many teachers say Buddhists should not make or sell weapons.
Together these teachings give Buddhists a strong pull towards peace. Buddhists also believe in kamma: harmful actions bring suffering back to the person who does them. Violence is therefore seen as unskilful, because it plants seeds of more suffering.
Absolute and conditional pacifism
Not all Buddhists agree on exactly how far pacifism goes. This is the same split you met in general terms: absolute pacifism and conditional pacifism.
🕊 Absolute pacifism
Some Buddhists say violence is never right, whatever the reason. They point to the first precept, which they read as having no exceptions, and to the fact that violence always grows from hatred, greed or ignorance. They will not fight, even to defend themselves or their country.
⚖ Conditional pacifism
Other Buddhists say that peaceful ways must always come first, but that the least possible force may be accepted as a last resort to protect people from serious harm. They say that standing by while innocent people are hurt is not compassion either.
As the earlier lesson showed, some Buddhists accept defensive war, while others reject all war. Both groups agree on one thing: the intention behind an action matters, and hatred must never be the motive.
Common mistakes
- Saying Buddhists have no interest in conflict. They care deeply, but they begin with the mind.
- Saying all Buddhists are absolute pacifists. Views differ, and good answers show this.
- Describing the teachings without saying why they lead to peace. Always link the teaching to the result.
Exam-style question
Paper 1 (b) [AO1] Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about pacifism in this religion. [4 marks]
Paper 1 (c) [AO1, AO2] Choose one religion. Explain why peace is important in this religion. [6 marks]
Paper 1 (d) [AO1, AO2] "Pacifism is the only right choice for a religious believer."
Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(b) (Buddhism) One teaching is the first precept, where Buddhists promise to avoid harming living beings (1), so killing in war goes against it (1). Another is metta, loving-kindness for all beings (1), which means Buddhists should wish even enemies well rather than attack them (1).
(c) (Buddhism) Peace is important to Buddhists because the Buddha taught that suffering comes from greed, hatred and ignorance (1), and fighting is these poisons in action, so peace means less suffering for everyone (1). Peace also begins in the mind, so a person with inner peace is less likely to harm others (1). The Dhammapada says there is no happiness higher than peace (1), so Buddhists see peace as the highest kind of happiness (1). Finally, nibbana, the goal of the path, is described as the deepest peace (1).
(d) Plan. For: the first precept protects life; metta covers enemies; violence plants seeds of more suffering through kamma. Against: conditional pacifists say limited force may protect innocent people as a last resort; some Buddhists accept defensive war; a non-religious view is that force is sometimes needed to stop a greater evil. Conclusion: a balanced answer might say pacifism is the ideal for Buddhists, but the word "only" is too strong, since Buddhists themselves disagree about whether it must be absolute. Judge each argument as you go.
Exam tip
In the 12-mark question, cover the key word "only". Show that even within Buddhism there are two views, then give a reasoned conclusion.