Komparasi Hak Asasi Manusia dengan Ajaran Buddha

Abstract

This study is motivated by the dominance of Western perspectives in the construction of modern human rights, which tend to be legalistic and individualistic, often failing to address the inner ethical dimension and moral responsibility. This research aims to comparatively analyze the concept of human rights and Buddhist teachings in order to identify their convergences, differences, and integrative potential in constructing a more comprehensive human ethics. The research employs a qualitative approach with a library research design, using descriptive-analytical and philosophical-comparative methods on international human rights documents and Buddhist canonical texts. The findings reveal that human rights and Buddhist teachings share universal humanitarian values such as human dignity, non-violence, and equality, although they originate from different philosophical paradigms, namely the rights-based approach in human rights and duty-based ethics in Buddhism. Buddhist teachings emphasize inner transformation and individual moral responsibility through the law of kamma, whereas human rights emphasize legal protection and institutional mechanisms. The study concludes that human rights and Buddhist teachings are complementary rather than contradictory. The implication of this study suggests that integrating Buddhist values such as mettā, karuṇā, and ahiṃsā can strengthen the internalization of human rights in multicultural societies and enrich human rights education and interreligious dialogue based on humanistic ethics.