David Chappell, 64; Scholar Applied Buddhism to Peace Efforts

David Wellington Chappell, an author, scholar and educator on the history of Buddhism, a peace advocate and the principal founder of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, has died. He was 64.

Chappell died Thursday of heart failure in Laguna Hills.

A professor of religion at the University of Hawaii for three decades, Chappell moved to Southern California in 2000 to become professor of comparative studies at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo.

He helped create the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies in the 1980s and served as founding editor of its journal, Buddhist-Christian Studies.

Chappell, who earned several grants from peace organizations, worked throughout his life to apply religious teachings to achieving peace in troubled areas of the world. His books often embraced that effort.

In 2001, he published “Buddhist Peacework: Creating Cultures of Peace,” after soliciting essays from religious and lay leaders. The concept for the book sprang from a 1994 UNESCO conference on how religion could help promote peace.

In reviewing the book, the International Journal on World Peace said that Chappell “has very skillfully drawn together essays from some of the leading figures of contemporary Buddhist thinking.... This is a useful book both for those who are familiar with Buddhist thought but are interested in its social applications, especially in peacemaking, and for those who know less of the philosophy.”

Chappell’s other books include “Buddhist and Taoist Practice in Medieval Chinese Society,” “Tien-Tai Buddhism: An Outline of the Four-Fold Teachings” and “Unity in Diversity: Hawaii’s Buddhist Communities.”

A Canadian native, Chappell earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Allison University, his bachelor’s of divinity from McGill University and a doctorate in the history of religions from Yale.

He is survived by his wife, Stella; a son, Mark; daughters Cindy Rice, Laura Demitria, Gwen Demitria and Jeanne Barnes; a brother, Gordon; and five grandchildren.

A celebration of his life is planned for June during the international conference of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies at Los Angeles’ Loyola Marymount University.