Suchergebnisse

In the first part the article offers a preliminary synoptic approach to Buddhism in South America in general. The latter part is based on a combination of different kinds of references, including academic sources, official statistics of religion launched by governmental and research agencies Buddhist directories, estimations of the statistical relevance of Buddhism by continent, by country or in a city, and homepages run by Buddhists institutions active in South America. Since research on Buddhism in Brazil is well advanced, the reader can expect more details in the second part of this essay dedicated to a description and interpretation of the situation in the only Portuguese speaking country in South América.

Swearer, Donald K.: Introduction. Issues and themes in international Buddhist studies. Promta, Somparn: Buddhist studies in Thailand. Tilakaratne, Asanga: Buddhist studies in Sri Lanka. Shim Jae-ryong: Buddhist studies in Korea. Kimura, Kiyotaka ; Iwagami, Kazutaka: Buddhist studies in Japan. Tang Yijie: Buddhist studies in China. Reynolds, Frank E.: Buddhist studies in the United States. Matthews, Bruce: Buddhist studies in Canada. Gombrich, Richard: Buddhist studies in Britain. Franco, Eli: Buddhist studies in Germany and Austria. Gabaude, Louis: Buddhist studies in France, Belgium, and Switzerland

This article stems from a project launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2017 to examine the degree to which Buddhism might complement or enhance international humanitarian law (IHL), also known as 'the law of war' or 'the law of armed conflict'. Given that Buddhist teachings discourage violence, scholarship has critiqued Buddhists' involvement in armed conflict rather than considered how Buddhism might contribute to regulating the conduct of hostilities once war has broken out. Yet the Buddhist aim to reduce suffering is particularly relevant during armed conflict, and the empirical realism of early Buddhist texts shows that early Buddhist communities were very much aware of its grim reality. The article investigates the evidence for this empirical realism before exploring a range of concepts, doctrines and practices from within Buddhism that are pertinent to the recognition and implementation of IHL principles and the conduct of war. While IHL lays down explicit rules to follow during war, Buddhism emphasises broader ethical principles to be applied, so as not to dilute its ideal of non-violence. At a deeper level, it addresses the intention or motivation of parties to armed conflict, and possesses psychological insights and resources to help change their behaviour.