Which belief system emphasizes non-violence?

Which belief system emphasizes non-violence?

• A. Hinduism
• B. Islam
• C. Christianity
• D. Buddhism

Answer: (D)

Non-violence as a guiding ethical principle is central in Buddhism. In Buddhist teaching, all beings can experience suffering, so harming living beings only perpetuates suffering and keeps one trapped in cycles of karma. This leads to a core commitment: abstaining from taking life, which is one of the Five Precepts that lay practitioners follow in daily life. Because of this emphasis, Buddhists cultivate compassion and loving-kindness through practices like metta and karuna, aiming to reduce harm in every action, speech, and thought. While mercy and peace appear in other traditions as well, Buddhism makes non-harm a practical, continuous discipline on the path to enlightenment, shaping choices from diet and behavior to how one responds to conflict.