Why Does the World Keep Waging War? The Buddha Revealed the Deepest Cause

On Christmas Eve just past, in Indonesia, churches celebrating Christmas were bombed, taking the lives of many innocent people. The press called it "a Christmas without peace." We Vietnamese, a people who have endured so many years of war, suddenly felt a pain as if it were our own. Why does war keep repeating itself? The Buddha saw the cause very deeply, in things that seem unrelated.

A Sorrow That Belongs to No One Alone

As children of the Buddha, we understand that the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) are not confined to a single religion. The suffering (dukkha) of others, even those of different faiths, is our own suffering (dukkha). Thầy Thích Chân Quang once taught:

"The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) is not a path that confines itself within the framework of one religion. The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) means a love that reaches all people, without discrimination."

We Vietnamese know the pain of war all too well. Thousands of years of resisting invasion, from North to South, our country has known so much loss. And whenever we see bombs falling somewhere in the world, we cannot help but shudder. Peace is not the longing of one nation alone, but of all humanity.

The Distant Cause: From the Meal on Our Plate to War

In the Buddhist view, war has a distant cause and a near cause. The distant cause is the karma of killing. The Buddha summarized this in a verse:

"If all beings had no karma of killing, nowhere in the ten directions would there be the clash of weapons. If every household practiced goodness together, why would the world worry about peace?"

This means that if there were no more karma of killing, there would be no war anywhere in the ten directions. If every family knew to cultivate goodness, the world would have nothing to fear but peace. Many people wonder: what does killing animals have to do with war between humans? The answer is: everything. Thầy Thích Chân Quang explained:

"In order to have enough nutrition, we eat a great deal of animal food, and in doing so we unknowingly create the karma of war for the world and for ourselves."

When we eat meat, we are creating invisible knots of resentment. The animals that are killed carry thoughts of hatred, and those who take revenge are those very beings, reborn in human form in another life. This is why eating a plant-based diet is not only for health or for nurturing compassion—it is also a way to extinguish the karma of war at its very root.

The Near Cause: Hearts That Do Not Want Peace

The near cause, according to Thầy Thích Chân Quang, lies in the human heart. Take, for example, the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Both sides fight over land, but the root is that the people themselves do not want peace. Thầy pointed out:

"If their leaders truly wanted peace, their own people would assassinate them at once."

We cannot rely on diplomacy alone and hope for peace. True peace must begin with transformation within each person's soul. As long as hatred remains, as long as clenched fists remain, war will continue in every form.

An Eternal Law: Love Conquers Hatred

The Buddha taught an unshakable truth:

"What fire can extinguish fire? What hatred can end hatred? Only love can conquer hatred—this is the law of a thousand autumns."

Fire only burns further; hatred only breeds more hatred. To use aggression to control others is the thinking of a thug, and it can never bring lasting peace. Only love can truly dissolve hatred. Thầy told a story from everyday life:

"There was a person who accepted being at a disadvantage. There was a person who accepted, gladly and willingly, the disadvantage that fell to them, and the whole atmosphere around them became joyful."

In a home where several families lived together, one person quietly bore the cost of electricity and water without demanding fairness. It was precisely this yielding and loving spirit that kept the household peaceful. Peace is like that too: it is not about demanding that others change, but about our own willingness to give first.

Peace Begins With Each of Us

So how can we contribute to peace? Thầy did not speak of resolving conflicts between nations, but emphasized small actions. First, keep the karma of killing clean, by eating a plant-based diet, or eating plant-based more often. Second, let go of keeping score and competing over who wins and loses—in the family, at work, among friends. Third, practice living with compassion and a spirit of yielding.

Eat plant-based foods to reduce the karma of killing and create peace for the world.

Yield to others, and do not compete over advantages in the family and in society.

Practice truly loving, beginning with those closest to us.

War begins with the passions and hatred in each person's mind/heart. And so does peace. When each of us transforms our own heart—transforming our anger and our score-keeping—the world will grow gentler day by day. The Buddha has shown us the path, and now is the time for us to walk it.

Place your hand on your chest and feel your own heart beating in the rhythm of peace. Carry that love out into the world. Begin today—with a plant-based meal, with a gentle word, with one act of yielding. That is how the world becomes peaceful.