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.

Introduction: How Does Buddhism Compare with International Humanitarian Law, and Can It Contribute to Humanising War? Part 1: Situating Buddhism in Relation to IHL 1. Buddhist Motivation to Support IHL, From Concern to Minimise Harms Inflicted by Military Action to Both Those Who Suffer Them and Those Who Inflict Them 2. Implications of Buddhist Political Ethics for the Minimisation of Suffering in Situations of Armed Conflict 3. Two Dimensions of Buddhist Practice and Their Implications on Statecraft 4. The Paradox of the Buddhist Soldier 5. Buddhist Empirical Realism and the Conduct of Armed Conflict 6. Fundamental Intelligence, A Buddhist Justification for the Universal Principles Underlying IHL Part 2: The Military and the Conduct of War 7. The Buddhist Soldier: A Madhyamaka Inquiry 8. Limiting the Risk to Combatant Lives: Confluences Between International Humanitarian Law and Buddhism 9. 'Not Knowing Is Most Intimate': Koan Practice and the Fog of War 10. Siege Warfare and the Prohibition of Intentional Starvation of Civilians: The Convergence of IHL and Buddhist Ethics Part 3: Minimising Harm and Practical Values 11. 'Freedom From Hatred': The Role of Khanti in Complementing the Work of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) 12. Restraint In Warfare and Appamada: The Concept of Collateral Damage in International Humanitarian Law in Light of the Buddha's Last Words 13. The Gift of Fearlessness: A Buddhist Framework for the Protection of Vulnerable Populations Under International Humanitarian Law 14. Addressing the Causes of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence with the Buddhist Doctrine of Lack of a Permanent Self and Meditation Training 15. How Buddhist Principles Can Help the Practical Implementation of IHL Values During War with Respect to Non-Combatants Part 4: Buddhist Historical and Humanitarian Dimensions 16. Buddhism, The Royal Imaginary and Limits in Warfare: The Moderating Influence of Precolonial Myanmar Royal Campaigns on Everyday Warriors 17. Between Common Humanity and Partiality: The Chogye Buddhist Chaplaincy Manual of the South Korean Military and Its Relevance to International Humanitarian Law 18. International Humanitarian Law and Nichiren Buddhism 19. Socially Engaged Buddhism and Principled Humanitarian Action During Armed Conflict