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ABSTRACT
This paper narrates the concept of Sustainable Peace Leadership and examines how three prominent Peace Activists from South and Southeast Asia measure up to the concept. The article will consider the works and ideas of Mohandas K. Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), Lhamo Thondup (The 14th Dalai Lama), and Nguyen Xuan Bao (Thich Nhat Hanh). Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in achieving Indian independence from the British Empire. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and has managed a difficult relationship with the Chinese government following the occupation of Tibet. Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist and is known as the ‘father of mindfulness’. The paper identified several characteristics of Peace Leaders. These include being a charismatic leader who motivates their followers to achieve their goals in a non-violent and inclusive manner. Peace leaders meditate and spend time developing inner peace which then leads to outer peace. The paper also asserts that peace leaders are capable of recognizing the humanity in their opponents and seek a mutually beneficial solution. The three chosen individuals are all recognised as being charismatic leaders who were prominent peace leaders. All were deeply spiritual and practiced meditation and other inner work on a regular basis. They stressed the humanity in their opponents, based on their religious beliefs and the concepts of non-duality and interdependence.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. This is a person who is capable of reaching Nirvana but delays doing so in order to help others.
2. Tobden (Citation2017, 116) Shantideva’s Guide to Awakening: A commentary on the Bodhicharyavatara.
3. This is not dissimilar to Gandhi’s idea that we are all connected so should not make others suffer.
4. Thich Nhat Hanh (Citation2023) Cracking the Walnut: Understanding the Dialectics of Nagarjuna
5. Much of the information about the life of Thich Nhat Han comes from the website of Plum Village, www.plumvillage.org, the French monastery founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in 1982. https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/biography/.
7. All three are male. It would have been preferable to include a female peace leader. For example, if we were writing this article 10 years ago, we would have included Ang San Suu Kyi. However, her defence of the treatment of the minority Rohingyas in Myanmar has excluded her from further consideration.
8. Hinduism believes we have souls, whereas Buddhism does not believe in this.
9. Earlier in their lives the Dalai Lama and Gandhi, while not using violence themselves, were ambiguous about the use of force. Gandhi supported the British Empire in its war against the Boers in South Africa (Desai and Vahed Citation2015). Even Nelson Mandela in his younger days advocated violence against the Apartheid regime. However, as they matured, they became steadfast in their support of non-violence.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Manoj Kumar Mishra
Manoj Kumar Mishra is the Coordinator of the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi India. His PhD was on Ethnic Minorities in Central Asia. Currently Manoj is concentrating on the issues of Human Security, Peace Research, Environmental Security, and Environmental Conflict. He was awarded the UPSAM Fellowship at the United Nations Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica in 2008-2009. In 2020 and 2022 he was awarded the Linnaeus Palme award for teaching and research in Karlstad University, Sweden.
Priyankar Upadhyaya
Priyankar Upadhyaya founded the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India where he is the UNESCO Chair for Peace and Intercultural Understanding. He is also a Global Fellow of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, Norway. He co-edited the UNESCO publication Long Walk of Peace: Towards a Culture of Prevention in 2018. His contribution to Peace and Conflict Studies is globally recognised.
Thomas Paul Davis
Thomas Paul Davis is a Researcher in his final year of his PhD on Indigenous Indian Ideas of Peace at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi India. Prior to this he volunteered for 3 years with an NGO in Varanasi working with disadvantaged women and children. He is interested in exploring ways in which different cultures can learn from each other to live more harmoniously. He has a master’s degree in international relations from Ireland. Prior to this, Thomas earned an engineering degree and a master’s in business administration.