Bodhicitta and Practice of Peace

Buddha has given many discourses and teachings about individual and global happiness or peace. Of all these teachings, the Bodhisattva vow and its teachings are very crucial to promote peace in this conflict-ridden world. This chapter addresses the process of inculcation of peace from the Buddhist perspective. Specifically, it examines how the Bodhisattva vow and its teachings as well as practices help to maintain peace and harmony at individual and societal levels. The Bodhisattva worldview sees sentient beings from the eyes of equality because all sentient beings are equally capable to achieve great peace or happiness. Buddha, in course of finding a solution for conflict or suffering, has identified the main root causes as attachment, aversion, and ignorance, which in turn give rise to other mental defilements or negative emotions. Thus, real peace and happiness are only achievable by eradicating or controlling such mental defilements or their root, ignorance.