|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Author |
Bartles-Smith, Andrew (著)
|
|---|
| Source |
Contemporary Buddhism: An Interdisciplinary Journal
|
|---|
| Volume | v.22 n.1-2 |
|---|
| Date | 2021 |
|---|
| Pages | 1 - 7 |
|---|
| Publisher | Routledge |
|---|
| Publisher Url |
https://www.routledge.com/
|
|---|
| Location | Abingdon, UK [阿賓登, 英國] |
|---|
| Content type | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
|---|
| Language | 英文=English |
|---|
| Note | This article has been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC). |
|---|
| Abstract | What guidance can Buddhism provide to those involved in armed conflict, and to belligerents who must perhaps kill or be killed, or defend their families, communities or countries from attack? How, moreover, does Buddhism compare with international humanitarian law (IHL) – otherwise known as the law of armed conflict – which protects non-combatants and restricts the means and methods of warfare in order to limit the suffering it causes?
Despite the prevalence of armed conflict in parts of the Buddhist world, few contemporary studies have addressed these questions. While there is a wealth of material on Buddhist conflict prevention and resolution, remarkably little attention has been paid to what Buddhism says about the actual conduct of war. IHL is also still relatively little known in the Buddhist world, and might not therefore influence the behaviour of belligerents who self-identify as Buddhists and are perhaps more likely to be guided by Buddhist principles.
It was for these reasons that in 2017 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), whose mandate is to assist and protect victims of armed conflict and to promote respect for IHL, launched a project on Buddhism and IHL. Having reached out to Buddhist clergy, scholars, legal experts, and military and humanitarian actors around the world, the first phase of the project culminated in an international conference titled ‘Reducing Suffering During Armed Conflict: The Interface Between Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law’ in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, in 2019. It was here that the first drafts of the articles that comprise this volume were presented.Footnote1 A substantial co-written article with the same name (Bartles-Smith et al. 2020), an early draft of which served as the position paper for the conference, was also published in the previous volume of Contemporary Buddhism (21: 1–2), staking out the territory with regard to the study of both Buddhism and IHL and its potential practical applications.Footnote2
This volume and the project of which it is a part has a number of aims. Firstly, it identifies correspondences between Buddhism and IHL by examining Buddhist teachings and concepts relevant to the conduct of war with which Buddhist belligerents might be more familiar. Insofar as Buddhism and IHL align, and Buddhist principles correspond with IHL rules, this should help to legitimise and improve compliance with IHL in Buddhist-majority contexts, and might be integrated into IHL education and military training programmes. While militaries in Buddhist-majority countries have often adopted Western training models, this project offers the possibility that Buddhist combatants might also draw on a Buddhist legacy of restraint in war. Moreover, Buddhist clergy in many countries are often highly respected by their communities, governments, military personnel and non-state armed group members, and Buddhist guidance with respect to conduct of hostilities, and by extension IHL, can therefore be significantly enhanced through them.
Beyond correspondences between IHL and Buddhist principles, this volume also explores how Buddhist practices and psychological resources might be directed to improve voluntary compliance with IHL and equivalent Buddhist or humanitarian norms, thereby bridging the disconnect between IHL and its implementation to some degree. The Buddhist focus on the training of the mind, and its remarkable mindfulness techniques, hold out the possibility that military training might be enhanced to heighten resilience, self-control and situational awareness of the battlespace in high-stress conflict situations, better equipping combatants to act with precision and restraint.
A first milestone was achieved when Professor Peter Harvey, Professor P. D. Premasiri and Professor Asanga Tilakaratne wrote the initial drafts of position papers on the subject. This established a framework for research as it subsequently developed, and whi |
|---|
| ISSN | 14639947 (P); 14767953 (E) |
|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2021.2146837 |
|---|
| Hits | 73 |
|---|
| Created date | 2023.04.19 |
|---|
| Modified date | 2023.04.19 |
|---|
 |
Best viewed with Chrome, Firefox, Safari(Mac) but not supported IE
|
|
