Compassion and Peace in Buddhism

The book is organized into six main chapters. Chapter 1, “Concept of Dukkha or Universal Suffering,” introduces the Four Noble Truths and analyzes dukkha through its physical, psychological, and philosophical dimensions, including birth, ageing, death, sorrow, lamentation, grief, despair, separation, unsatisfied desire, and the five aggregates of clinging. Chapter 2, “Namarupa and Kamma,” examines ignorance, the individual as nāma-rūpa, the five aggregates, the working of kamma, and the relationship between kamma and suffering. Chapter 3, “Concept of Causation,” explains dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) as the principle through which repeated birth, suffering, moral causation, causes, and conditions are understood. Chapter 4, “Brahmavihara and the Concept of Karuna,” studies the four divine abidings—mettā, karuṇā, muditā, and upekkhā—with special attention to the meaning, function, and significance of compassion in Pāli texts and Jātaka literature. Chapter 5, “Peace,” discusses internal and external peace, peace of mind, purification of consciousness, meditative states, arūpa-jhāna, and Nibbāna as supreme peace. Chapter 6, “Survey,” synthesizes the study by showing that compassion and peace are inseparable in the Buddhist path toward meaningful life and liberation.