Varanasi — The teachings of the Ghotamukha Sutta, found in the Majjhima Nikāya of the Pāli Canon, offer timeless principles that can be applied to promoting global peace amid today's social, political, and technological challenges.
The discourse records a dialogue between Venerable Udena and the Brahmin Ghotamukha in the city of Varanasi concerning the true purpose of monastic life and the path toward lasting inner peace. Venerable Udena explains that ordination is not merely a change of social status but a disciplined training leading to liberation from greed, hatred, delusion, and suffering.
A central teaching of the discourse classifies people into four categories: those who harm both themselves and others; those who harm themselves but not others; those who harm others but not themselves; and those who harm neither themselves nor others. The last group is praised as embodying genuine peace and noble conduct, comparable to the serenity of the Brahmā realm.
The discourse further describes the gradual training of Buddhist monks: maintaining moral discipline, guarding the senses, cultivating mindfulness, developing meditative concentration, attaining the absorptions (jhānas), and finally realizing liberating wisdom that completely eradicates suffering.
Peace scholars suggest that the principle of "harming neither oneself nor others" remains highly relevant for modern society. It can guide international diplomacy, public governance, conflict resolution, sustainable development, and the ethical design of Artificial Intelligence, emphasizing compassion, wisdom, accountability, and human dignity.
As AI increasingly influences human decision-making, the Ghotamukha Sutta reminds us that technology should be governed by ethical principles, transparency, and responsibility so that innovation becomes a force for peace rather than division.
At the conclusion of the discourse, the Brahmin Ghotamukha develops profound faith in the Triple Gem, declares himself a lay follower of the Buddha, and generously donates wealth to construct the Ghotamukhi Refectory for the monastic community at Pāṭaliputta, leaving a lasting legacy of public generosity.
The Ghotamukha Sutta therefore presents not only the value of monastic discipline but also a universal philosophy of peace: transforming oneself through morality, meditation, wisdom, and compassion before extending that peace to humanity as a whole.
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