This projects explores the similarities and differences among a wide range of religious approaches on issues of war and peace, especially the use of armed force. So far, studies include:

War & Peace in World Religions (Scriptural Justifications) gives and overview of the approaches in the major scriptures of seven world religions, resulting in a series of three Research Reports:

Part II: Religions of Indic Origin (pdf) (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism)

Part III: Comparison of Seven World Religions (pdf) comparing extracts from scriptures. Abstract (html).

Hinduism's Rāmāyaṇa and Just War Criteria (html) (pdf) shows that the Just War criteria can be found in this ancient Indian scripture, though with a distinctly South Asian flavour. More generally: some links to Hindu texts.

For Sikhism, a paper titled "The Sword and the Turban: The Use of Armed Force in Sikh Thought" (html or pdf) was published in 2011 in Journal of Military Ethics. A companion piece has been developed on "Modern Sikh Warriors: Militants, Soldiers, Citizens." More generally: some links to Sikh texts.

Other religions are also being studied, including Baha'ism and religions of Far Eastern origin (Chinese traditional).

A general comparison of the Eastern/Western approaches to peace is provided in Lotus on the Lake: Eastern Spirituality & World Peace (html) (pdf). Also available in Japanese translation (pdf).

The ways in which U Thant, the Buddhist UN Secretary-General (1961–71), dealt with ethical dilemmas during his tenure at the helm of the United Nations, especially the robust use of force by UN troops in the Congo (1961-64); See U Thant: Buddhism in Action (html) (pdf).

This endeavour on religious studies runs in parallel with work on the ethical justifications for war and peace, titled the Just War project.