Engaged Buddhism, also known as socially engaged Buddhism, refers to a
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
social movement
A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or Political movement, political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to re ...
that emerged in
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
in the 20th century. It is composed of Buddhists who seek to apply
Buddhist ethics
Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on the Enlightenment in Buddhism, enlightened perspective of the Buddha. In Buddhism, ethics or morality are understood by the term ''śīla'' () or ''sīla'' (Pāli). ''Śīla'' is one of three sections o ...
, insights acquired from
meditation practice, and the
teachings of the Buddhist dharma to contemporary situations of
social
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives fro ...
,
political
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
,
environmental, and
economic
An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
suffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence (psyc ...
, and
injustice
Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...
.
Modern engaged Buddhism emerged in
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
in the 1950s, from the teachings of
Thiền Buddhist teacher
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; , Huế dialect: ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet, and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, ...
.
It was popularised by the Indian jurist, politician, and social reformer
B. R. Ambedkar, who inspired the
Dalit Buddhist movement in the 1950s.
It has since spread to the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
and
the West
West is a cardinal direction or compass point.
West or The West may also refer to:
Geography and locations
Global context
* The Western world
* Western culture and Western civilization in general
* The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...
.
During the 1960s, the terms "engaged Buddhism" and "socially engaged Buddhism" were taken up by loosely-connected networks of Buddhists in Asia and the West to describe their adaptation of Buddhist values and ethical conduct to social and
political activism
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
. This included a range of
non-violent social and political activities such as
peacemaking
Peacemaking is a practical conflict transformation focused upon establishing equitable power relationships robust enough to forestall future conflict, often including the establishment of means of agreeing on ethical decisions within a communit ...
, promotion of
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
,
environmental protection
Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...
,
rural development
Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life, quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Often, rural regions have experienced rural povert ...
, combatting
ethnic violence
An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...
,
opposition to warfare, and support of
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
.
With
globalisation
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
and
technological advancement, engaged Buddhist organisations and efforts have spread across the globe; an example is the
Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Origins
Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh coined the term "Engaged Buddhism" in his collection of articles, "A Fresh Look at Buddhism".
Engaged Buddhism emerged from a need to respond to world crises, particularly the Vietnam War.
The term was new, but Buddhism that engages with social and political issues had already occurred throughout the world.
Nhất Hạnh was inspired by the
humanistic Buddhism reform movement in China led by
Taixu and
Yinshun and later propagated in Taiwan by
Cheng Yen and
Hsing Yun. At first, Nhất Hạnh described the concept by using
Literary Chinese
Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...
, the liturgical language of Vietnamese Buddhism, calling it . During the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, he and his
sangha
Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...
(spiritual community) responded to the suffering around them, in part by adopting the
nonviolence
Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...
activism techniques of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
in India and of Reverend
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
in the United States.
They saw this work as part of their
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
and
mindfulness
Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through exercises, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one's own mind and bodily sensations in the present moment. The term ''mindfulness'' derives from the Pali ...
practice, not as something apart from it.
As early as 1946,
Walpola Rahula identified an explicit social ethos present in the earliest recorded Buddhist teachings. He noted that
the Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),*
*
*
was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
encouraged early monks to travel in order to benefit the largest number of people, and that his discourses to lay people often included practical instructions on social and economic matters, rather than being purely concerned with philosophical or
soteriological
Soteriology (; ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religions. In the academic ...
concerns.
Teachings
Engaged Buddhism applies the teachings of the Buddha to social life in order to bring about social change.
Engaged Buddhists hope to connect traditional Buddhist beliefs to protest and social action.
[Hanh, Thich Nhat (Fall 2002). "The fourteen precepts of Engaged Buddhism. (Special Feature)". Gale General OneFile. Social Policy. Retrieved 7 March 2021] One way to view Engaged Buddhism is through Thích Nhất Hạnh's "The Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism", which serve as guidelines for living with a stronger social awareness:
B. R. Ambedkar also advocated for a type of Engaged Buddhism to inspire social change and provide dignity and humanity to himself and his community.
Ambedkar's principles the commitment to
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, which stemmed from the Buddha's philosophy.
In India
In
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, a form of engaged Buddhism founded by
B.R. Ambedkar started as a Buddhist revival movement called the
Dalit Buddhist movement. Ambedkar's socially engaged Buddhism focuses on economic justice, political freedom, and moral striving. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in 1956 and initiated what is called
Ambedkar Buddhism, when in October 1956 in
Nagpur
Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...
, nearly 400,000
Dalit
Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...
s converted from Hinduism. His book ''
The Buddha and His Dhamma
''The Buddha and His Dhamma'', is a 1957 treatise on Gautama Buddha, Buddha's life and Buddhism, philosophy. It was the last work of Indian statesman and scholar B. R. Ambedkar. According to Queen (2015), the text is treated as scripture for th ...
'' was published in 1957, after his death.
Buddhist teachings invite us to take responsibility for ourselves, and engaged Buddhists interpret this as taking responsibility for the entire sangha, the larger community, and our ecosystem. Ambedkar warns that if we spend too much time in personal meditation practice, in retreat from social relationships, we will be irresponsible to our community. So we need to get off the cushion, get out of the house, get out there and start to educate, agitate, and organise. This is a collectivist notion of sangha as people working together for a society of justice, wherein Buddhist practice becomes the engaged activity of social change.
Socially engaged Buddhism in the West
In the West, like the East, engaged Buddhism attempts to link authentic Buddhist practice—particularly mindfulness—with social action.
It has two main centers: the
Plum Village monastic community in Loubes-Bernac, France and the
Community of Mindful Living in Berkeley, California.
Both centers are tied to Nhất Hạnh's
Unified Buddhist Church.
The current
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
also encouraged Buddhists to be more involved in the socio-political realm:
Organisations
Many organisations were established to help build the movement of engaged Buddhists. These include the
Soka Gakkai International
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organization founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai.
It is run by two vice-presidents, including Hiromasa Ikeda, son of the founder. It c ...
,
Buddhist Peace Fellowship,
Buddhist Global Relief, the
International Network of Engaged Buddhists, the
Zen Peacemakers, and the
Order of Interbeing. Other engaged Buddhist groups include the
Benevolent Organisation for Development, Health and Insight, Gaden Relief Projects, Earthworks Centre foundation, the UK's
Network of Buddhist Organisations,
Fo Guang Shan, and
Tzu Chi.
The School of Youth for Social Service was established by Nhất Hạnh in 1964. It trained social workers through the teachings of Engaged Buddhism.
Members of the school helped relieve suffering and rebuild villages for those affected by the Vietnam War.
Notable figures
Prominent figures in the movement include
Robert Aitken Roshi,
Joanna Macy,
Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His early poetry has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance and he has been described as the "poet laureate ...
,
Alan Senauke,
Sulak Sivaraksa,
Daisaku Ikeda
was a Japanese Buddhist leader, author, educator and nuclear disarmament advocate. He served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, which is considered among the largest of Japan's new religious movements but ...
,
Maha Ghosananda,
Sylvia Wetzel Sylvia Wetzel (born 5 July 1949 in the Black Forest) is a Buddhist feminist, with a focus on the Buddhist community of Germany in the topics of meditation and spirituality among women.
Life
Sylvia Wetzel studied political science and Slavistics in ...
,
Joan Halifax,
Tara Brach
Tara Brach (born May 17, 1953) is an American psychologist, author, and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. (IMCW). Brach also teaches about Buddhist medi ...
,
Taigen Dan Leighton
Taigen Dan Leighton (born 1950, grew up in Pittsburgh, PA) is a Sōtō priest and teacher, academic, and author. He is an authorized lineage holder and Zen teacher in the tradition of Shunryū Suzuki and is the founder and Guiding Teacher of Anc ...
,
Ken Jones,
Jan Willis,
Bhante Sujato,
Bhikkhu Bodhi
Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944) () born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk ordained in Sri Lanka. He teaches in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Soci ...
,
and
Ajahn Buddhadasa.
See also
*
Buddhist ethics
Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on the Enlightenment in Buddhism, enlightened perspective of the Buddha. In Buddhism, ethics or morality are understood by the term ''śīla'' () or ''sīla'' (Pāli). ''Śīla'' is one of three sections o ...
*
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
*
Buddhist socialism
*
Dalit Buddhist movement
*
Dhammayietra
*
Engaged spirituality
*
Humanistic Buddhism
*
Navayana
''Navayāna'' (Devanagari: नवयान, IAST: ''Navayāna'', meaning "New Vehicle"), otherwise known as Navayāna Buddhism, refers to the Engaged Buddhism, socially engaged Buddhist schools, school of Buddhism founded and developed by th ...
*
Religion and environmentalism in Buddhism
*
Religion and peacebuilding
References
Further reading
*
* Main, Jessica L., and Rongdao Lai
"Introduction: Reformulating "Socially Engaged Buddhism" as an Analytical Category."The Eastern Buddhist, NEW SERIES, 44, no. 2 (2013): 1–34.
*
Visalo, Phra Paisal''Buddhists Engaged in Social Development''
*
Visalo, Phra Paisal''The Path to Social and Inner Happiness''
External links
Buddhist Peace FellowshipZen PeacemakersInternational Network of Engaged BuddhistsEngaged Buddhist Revival in IndiaEcodharma CentreNetwork of Buddhist Organisations (UK)Amida Trust Home PageSulak Sivaraksa: A Socially Engaged BuddhismThe Engaged Zen FoundationBuddhist Global ReliefBenevolent Organisation for Development, Health and InsightSakyadhita International Association of Buddhist WomenBuddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation
{{Buddhism topics
Plum Village Tradition