French — Volume 63, Issue 4

Buddhist Law represents a distinct legal tradition that has received limited scholarly attention compared to Western religious legal systems. Buddhism possesses a detailed law code with a long history extending back to the founder's detailed legal decisions, collectively compiled into the Vinaya—the first of the three baskets of Buddhist canon. Unlike modern Western law focused on cases, rules, rights, and judicial procedures, Buddhist Law uniquely emphasizes individual socialization and internalization of rules for operating within community. The Buddha, over approximately fifty years of teaching, regularly pronounced detailed decisions on legal matters in a narrative, didactic format, making him the sole architect of Buddhist Law. Buddhist legal concepts are central to understanding contemporary international relations, particularly given Buddhism's political significance in major Asian nations including India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Korea, and Japan. Approximately 488 million Buddhists worldwide represent the fourth largest religion globally, with vast populations concentrated in Asia as a center of global commercial production. French argues that legal scholarship and Asian Studies scholars have concentrated on translating philosophical and religious texts rather than legal materials. Understanding Buddhist Law provides essential context for diplomatic engagement, commerce, and political relations with Buddhist-majority nations.

Topics: International Law · Legal Theory · Legal History

Keywords: Buddhist Law · Vinaya · religious law · Asia · legal tradition · Buddha · Buddhist canon