The Buddha's Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony ─ An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon

In a world of conflict and strife, how can we be proactive—not reactive—makers of change? The words of the Buddha have inspired readers for thousands of years, and can still today teach us how to skillfully handle the ineveitable conflicts we face.

Collected here for the first time are the Buddha's teachings on conflict resolution, interpersonal and social problem solving, and building harmonious relationships. Each selection is drawn from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmonycovers the breadth of cultivating harmony, including chapters on

Dealing with Anger

Good Friendship

Settling Disputes

Establishing an Equitable Society

and more.

A concise, informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow.

The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha’s approach to creating and sustaining social and communal peace. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha’s teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable. Translated by the acclaimed scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, this text belongs on the bookshelf of anyone looking to bring peace to the world.

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is the premier English language translator of the Pali Canon. An American Buddhist monk from New York City, he born in 1944. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998). From 1984 to 2002 he was the editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy, where he lived for ten years with the senior German monk, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (1901-1994), at the Forest Hermitage. He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Ven. Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya, 1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya, 2000), and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya, 2012). In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition. He lives in Carmel, NY.