Cambodia’s tragic history under the Khmer Rouge left a deep scar on the land and its people. Between 1975 and 1979, nearly two million Cambodians died from starvation, forced labor, disease, and mass execution. The Khmer Rouge targeted religious figures, intellectuals, and ethnic minorities — erasing centuries of cultural and spiritual heritage. Of the 50,000 monks alive before their rule, only about 3,000 survived. Nearly all of Cambodia’s 3,600 Buddhist temples were destroyed .
Amid this devastation, a quiet but powerful force for healing emerged: Mahā Ghosānanda, a Cambodian monk who became a beacon of peace and reconciliation. Often referred to as “the Gandhi of Cambodia,” he embodied the Buddha’s values of compassion, non-violence, and loving-kindness in the most difficult of circumstances .
After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Ghosānanda began working in Thai refugee camps. In Sa-Kaeo in 1978, he distributed pamphlets on the Buddha’s discourse on lovingkindness and began building a bamboo temple. Despite Khmer Rouge threats, 20,000 refugees attended its opening. Ghosānanda repeatedly recited the Dhammapada verse: “Hatred is never ended by hatred. Only by love is hatred ended. This is an eternal truth” .
He believed that national peace could only begin with personal peace, and he facilitated interfaith meetings among Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian leaders to promote reconciliation. In 1980, during two days of meditation and prayer, more than 120,000 refugees gathered in collective silence — a profound gesture of spiritual solidarity .
In 1980, Ghosānanda co-founded the Inter-Religious Mission for Peace in Cambodia. He helped locate surviving monks and nuns, encouraging them to retake their vows and resume leadership roles. He founded over 30 temples in the U.S. and Canada, and helped rebuild numerous others in Cambodia. His work included educating monks and nuns in non-violence and human rights monitoring .
During UN-sponsored peace talks, he led a delegation of monks and urged reconciliation — even toward the Khmer Rouge. “We must condemn the act,” he said, “but we cannot hate the actor.” This deep ethic of compassion extended even to perpetrators of violence. Ghosānanda taught that those with the most unwholesome minds were in greatest need of loving-kindness .
His famous Prayer for Peace remains a powerful summary of his vision:
“The suffering of Cambodia has been deep.
From this suffering comes Great Compassion.
Great Compassion makes a Peaceful Heart.
A Peaceful Heart makes a Peaceful Person.
A Peaceful Person makes a Peaceful Family.
A Peaceful Family makes a Peaceful Community.
A Peaceful Community makes a Peaceful Nation.
A Peaceful Nation makes a Peaceful World.
May all beings live in Happiness and Peace.”
Through simplicity, humility, and a profound spiritual presence, Ghosānanda rekindled faith, hope, and healing for a people shattered by war. His legacy endures as a reminder that peace is possible — not in spite of suffering, but through it.