Our shared world is torn apart by religious and ideological contrasts. A unifying, global ethics is only emerging in tentative approaches. Religions are both a source of positive values and a cause of ongoing conflict. This book seeks a common foundation for a secular ethics, one that engages in dialogue with religion and science but is not bound by presupposed beliefs. It draws on Western philosophy and develops a dogma-free ethics from Buddhist traditions. Buddhism plays a special role in this: its philosophy is based not on faith, but on clear understanding. At its core is a universally human experience: the interdependence of all things. This fact forms the basis for the compassion ethics developed here. A common starting point for e.