The worldwide campaign for ending death penalty since middle period of 20th century promoted by the United Nations was developed on the Christian civilization foundation. In the human history, the similar campaign also appeared and was originated from Buddhism doctrine. These cases happened in Japan, Chinese, Tibet, and India. The author intends to present the development, and rebuilt the Buddhist history of rejecting death penalty according to the biographies and scriptures. Buddhism was born in a society, which the death penalty has appeared. But from the beginning, the Buddha and his followers rejected the death penalty, rescued the people on death row, and denied to execute the death penalty; they also supposed the death penalty violate Buddhist discipline, and devalued the judges and the executioners. In the Mahayana scriptures, the bodhisattvas are requested to rescue the people on death row; if they are the kings, they must to end the death penalty. And in the Mahayana tradition, the Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) bodhisattva is known as the typical character that rescuing the people on death row without condition. Although the Buddhist opinion of the death penalty was foundered on the ideas of 'transmigration of soul', 'karma and result' and 'liberation from suffering' which were originated from the Brahmanism, the last tide of worldwide campaign for ending death penalty was more depended on the character of Buddha and the practice of his followers to reject the death penalty firmly.
