Indonesian Buddhist Figure Urges World to Quell Middle East Conflict with Loving-Kindness

The intensifying conflict in the Middle East, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, has sparked concern among various religious figures. An Indonesian Buddhist leader, Bhante Bhatranatha, has urged all parties to return to the values of loving-kindness as a path to quell the conflict. This message of peace was conveyed by Bhante Bhatranatha as part of the 67th anniversary celebrations of the Indonesian Supreme Sangha, combined with an ecotheology programme through the planting of 670 trees. According to Bhatranatha, fundamentally, there is no being in the world that desires suffering. Everyone, he said, yearns for a peaceful and happy life. “No being wants to live in suffering. All beings hope for a peaceful and happy life,” stated Bhatranatha at Vihara Bakti Pramuka, Cibubur Camping Complex, East Jakarta, on Wednesday (1/4/2026). He likened loving-kindness to a lamp that can turn darkness into light. In the context of conflict, loving-kindness is seen as a force to transform suffering into happiness.