Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law

This volume is part of an ICRC project which explores correspondences between Buddhist and IHL principles, and identifies Buddhist resources to improve compliance with IHL and equivalent Buddhist or humanitarian norms.The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Contemporary Buddhism.

Andrew Bartles-Smith has many years of experience engaging with religious circles and non-state armed groups in Asia. He has pioneered ICRC efforts to promote research and debate on IHL and religious teachings and leads this project on Buddhism and IHL.

Kate Crosby is Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies at Oxford University, UK. Her books include Santideva‘s Bodhicaryavatara with Andrew Skilton (1995), the Mahabharata’s The Dead of Night & The Women (2009), Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Identity, Diversity (2014) and Esoteric Theravada: The Story of the Forgotten Meditation Tradition of Southeast Asia (2020).

Peter Harvey is Emeritus Professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Sunderland, UK. His books include The Selfless Mind: Personality, Consciousness and Nirvana in Early Buddhism (1995), An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices (1990, 2013) and An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics: Foundations, Values and Issues (2000).

Asanga Tilakaratne is Emeritus Professor of Pali and Buddhist Studies at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Founding Chairman of the Damrivi Foundation. He has published extensively on Buddhist philosophy, practical ethics and Buddhist epistemology, among other subjects. He is Editor-in-chief of the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Government of Sri Lanka.

Daniel Ratheiser is a Regional Advisor for the ICRC. He studied economics and religious sciences at George Washington University and the Universities of Heidelberg and Maastricht, held consulting roles in India and China and taught at the Max Mueller Bhawan. His research focuses on cultural relations between China and India.

Noel Maurer Trew is an international law adviser for the British Red Cross, a former US Air Force research psychologist and instructor and a former volunteer for the Buddhist chapel at the USAF Academy. He holds a PhD in Strategy and Security Studies from the University of Exeter, UK.

Stefania Travagnin is Reader in Chinese Buddhism at SOAS University of London, UK. Her publications include the volume Religion and Media in China (2016), and three co-edited volumes on Concepts and Methods for the Study of Chinese Religions (2019-2020). She is Co-director of the research project Mapping Religious Diversity in Modern Sichuan (CCKF funding; 2017-2023).

Elizabeth J. Harris is an honorary senior research fellow within the Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Birmingham, UK, and President of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies, on which she writes. Her latest monograph is Religion, Space and Conflict in Sri Lanka: Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts (2018).

Venerable Mahinda Deegalle is Emeritus Professor of Religions, Philosophies and Ethics at Bath Spa University, UK; Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge, UK; and Executive Director of the Research Centre for Buddhist Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka. He is the author of Popularizing Buddhism and editor of several other volumes.

Christina A. Kilby is Associate Professor of Religion at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, USA. She earned her Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, and her PhD in History of Religions from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA. She has conducted extensive fieldwork among Tibetan communities, and her current research focuses on Buddhism and displacement.