The non-harming of self and others has always been one of the defining features of Buddhism. There is not a single sentence of the Buddha's teachings that can be interpreted in such a way as to support violence of any kind. The Buddha even denounced mental violence. On one occasion he cautioned the monks around him that anyone who indulged in angry thoughts towards those who slandered the Buddha would be no true disciple of his.

There is a common idea that certain kinds of harming others are sometimes necessary to achieve a greater good. When such actions are performed without any ideas of personal gain, it is believed, they are purified. This thinking, expressed by the English idiom, "the end justifies the means', lies behind so much of the violence that disfigures our world.

The Buddha never preached absolute pacifism. What he did do was to reveal the law of kamma. Harming others for whatever reason, he said, is always bad kamma. Those who choose to do so, whatever their justifications, should be aware of the consequences.

- Ajahn Jayasāro