What does Buddhism say about the death penalty?
Buddhist arguments in favour of the death penalty
There are no teachings in Buddhism that promote the the death penaltyA form of punishment which involves a person being put to death for their crime. Also referred to as captial punishment., but some Buddhist countries do still use the death penalty. Reasons for this are:
- belief by politicians that the death penalty is necessary for retribution and deterrence
- a long tradition of the death penalty
- some claim keeping order in society is more important than the BuddhaThe founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one. teaching
Buddhist arguments against the death penalty
The death penalty is clearly against Buddhist teaching. Buddhists place great emphasis on non-violence and compassionUnderstanding and appreciation of the pain and suffering of others. for all life. The first Precept requires individuals to abstainTo refrain from doing something, eg a nun abstains from sexual relationships. from injuring or killing any living creature.
The Buddha did not explicitly speak about the death penalty but his teachings show no sympathy for physical punishment, no matter how bad the crime.
An action, even if it brings benefit to oneself, cannot be considered a good action if it causes physical and mental pain to another being.
