Buddhist Diplomacy

Abstract

In an age of fundamental conflicts of interest, civilizational clashes and the omnipresent threat of nuclear proliferation, diplomacy remains one of the few stable foundations of international society. The paper argues that, although traditional diplomacy appears to be in severe decline, it is not dead but requires reorientation to an alternative paradigm: Buddhist Diplomacy. Rooted in the Buddhist principles of Sarvasattva Rakṣā (preservation of all beings), Panchsheel (five principles of peaceful coexistence) and Parahita/Parakalyāṇa (working for the welfare of others), these core philosophies offer a normative foundation for rethinking the practice of international relations and diplomacy.