Abstract:
In a world characterized by growing international tension and personal conflict, the more familiar
approaches to peacebuilding have increasingly been augmented by psychological and philosophical
applications. This paper discusses the effectiveness of Buddhist practices: mindfulness or
Sati, loving-kindness or Metta, and non-harming or Ahimsa, as usable methods of reducing violence
in today’s society. The research argues that Buddhist mental training directly addresses
the "three poisons" of greed, hatred, and delusion known to be causative agents of aggressive
behavior. This heightened self-awareness allows for a "cognitive gap" between provocation and
reaction to open so that, during high-stress moments, a potential for non-violent options can
follow. This cultivation of compassion moves the practitioner from the ego-centric world view
to one of interconnectedness, dissolving fundamentally the need to "other," which leads often
to either physical or systemic violence. In this article, based on the case study and psychological
data examine the Buddhist practices in a way to prove that Buddhist practices are not simply
religious rituals and are scalable interventions in behavior. When used in a secular setting like
schools and community mediation centers and in prison settings, Buddhist practices have been
shown to possess great potential in terms of lowering recidivism rates and hostility levels in
society and family settings.
