The ICRC Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Project has brought together a wide range of resources relevant to the humanitarian conduct of armed conflict from across the Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhist traditions. These materials include both general ethical principles applicable to warfare and more specific teachings concerned with the mitigation of suffering during armed conflict.

As a tradition that functions primarily as a psycho-ethical system focused on the motivational roots of human behaviour, Buddhism places particular emphasis on the cultivation of skilful mental states conducive to restraint, compassion, and self-control in situations of extreme stress, including war. It also offers rich psychological insights and practical resources—most notably contemplative and meditative practices—that can support combatants in developing greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and moral resilience.

Despite this potential, the ethical and psychological resources that historically guided and supported Buddhist combatants have received little attention in contemporary discussions of warfare. To date, they have been integrated into the organisation, doctrine, and training of modern Buddhist-majority armed forces and non-state armed groups only to a limited extent.

The booklet and video-slide presentation below provide an introduction to Buddhist resources for supporting today’s fighting forces, and suggest practical ways in which they might be incorporated into military organisation, education, and training. Drawing on the findings of the ICRC Buddhism and IHL Project, this booklet and presentation distil key Buddhist insights into practical guidance for Buddhist-majority armed forces and non-state armed groups, showing how these ancient ideas might be translated into contemporary military contexts.

This guidance is available in this pdf booklet and video slide presentation.

Andrew Bartles-Smith has over twenty years’ experience working for the ICRC in Asia, pioneering innovative approaches to engage with armed groups and religious circles, and spearheading the promotion of research and debate on correspondences between religious traditions and international humanitarian law (IHL). Andrew has launched major projects on Islam and IHL, Buddhism and IHL and Humanitarian Affairs in Asia, as well as boosting humanitarian engagement with Hindu, Christian, Chinese and local/ indigenous traditions. Andrew is Co-editor of the book Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law (2023, Routledge), and author of a number of peer-reviewed articles on religion and IHL. He established the ICRC Religion and Humanitarian Principles website with Daniel Ratheiser and colleagues in 2021, is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York, and is on the advisory board of the Beyond Compliance Project.