Over the past few years, the ICRC’s Buddhism and international humanitarian law (IHL) project has generated lively dialogue among Buddhist and IHL scholars. In this article in the Interdisciplinary Studies Journal of Mahidol University, Bangkok, Professor Claudio Cicuzza argues that the teachings of the Buddha are indispensable for reducing suffering during war in line with IHL, and that this initiative will bear positive results, especially given that it brings together experts and influencers from different backgrounds, including both monastic and lay Buddhists.

Cicuzza argues that this fruitful dialogue is particularly vital in Southeast Asia, where the  office of the ICRC in Bangkok recently organized a second conference on Buddhism and IHL in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to follow up on the first conference in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, in September 2019.

Prof. Claudio Cicuzza received his MA and PhD in Indology from the University of Rome, “La Sapienza”. He was teaching Buddhism and religious studies in Webster University and also worked as the Director of the Lumbini International Research Institute. Currently he is teaching Buddhist studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University.

Please read the article here.