Engaged Buddhism

1
Engaged Buddhism

• Peace, Nonviolence, and Social Justice

2
Buddhist Solutions to Global Conflict

• When Two Parties Listen to each other and see one
  another not as enemies but as human beings, the
  animosity between them can be dissolved. So much
  can be achieved through dialogue. Overcoming
  dualistic thinking that sees the world as good or
  evil, friend or foe, is the basis of nonviolence,
  and nonviolence is the basis of peace. P. 3
• Three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance by
  practicing the Six Paramitas (generosity,
  morality, patience, effort, meditation, and
  wisdom) or the Four Brahmaviras metta (loving
  kindness), Karuna (compassion), mudita
  (sympathetic joy), and upekkha (equanimity)
• Case studies
• Buddha and Shakyas and the Koyilas and Kosala
  Karma
• Thich Nhat Hanh and Peacebuilding
• Quakers

3
Buddhist Perspective on Nonviolence

• Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction
  of life, I am committed to cultivating compassion
  and learning ways to protect the lives of people,
  animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined
  not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to
  condone any act of killing in the world, in my
  thinking and my way of life Thich Nhat Hanh p.
  14
• Structural violence Violence begins in the mind
  
• A fanatical mind can cause the killing of not
  just one, but millions of human beings
• Case Studies
• Gush Shalom
• Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
• Peace Brigades International

4
The Real Crisis in the World

• The state of the world in the years following
  September 11, 2001 indeed constitutes a crisis.
  It should be noted that the word crisis comes
  from the Greek krisis, which means to separate,
  with the implication of choice. And it is very
  true that America and the world face a choice.
  If American leaders come to understand terrorism
  as cost and consequence of American imperial
  practices (admittedly a very big if), and if they
  shun violence and pursue a policy grounded in
  non-harming rather than structural violence, the
  United States can redeem itself. If not, it is
  likely to face more of the same tragedy in the
  future. Peace means not only the absence of war
  but also the presence of metta, karuna, and
  wisdom. P. 24

5
Culture and Reconciliation

• What is clear that a culture of truth,
  forgiveness, and cooperation can foster acts of
  reconciliation, which in turn can bring out the
  life affirming aspects of culture. A culture of
  reconciliation is our best hope for healing past
  injustices and fostering individual and social
  transformation. P. 25
• Case Studies
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission South
  Africa
• Pak Moon Dam and the Assembly of the Poor

6
The Value of Simplicity and Humility

• Both simplicity and humility, which Buddha
  exemplified, remind us that Buddhism is not
  really concerned with private salvation of the
  individual. Moreover, the concern with the
  individual salvation is a form of self-interest,
  which ultimately puts limits on compassion and
  love. Individual salvation may be a high form of
  self-interest, one that it is not so worldly and
  so on, but it is self-interested nevertheless.
  And like all forms of self-interest or
  attachment, it narrows the range of thoughts and
  feelings. For instance, the preoccupation with
  private salvation leads to attachment to ones
  beliefs, faith, beliefs, and teachers. This way
  of thinking breeds division and conflict not
  dissimilar to nationalism, racism, other isms.
  Thus the preoccupation with private salvation
  dulls and tethers the mind, making real freedom
  impossible. Freedom entails the unfettering of
  the consciousness from its attachments, values,
  judgments indeed from all its contents

7
A Simple Monk

• In sum a simple monk is someone who is ever
  humble, mindful, and leads a noble and celibate
  life. He wants so little for himself that all
  his time and energy are sacrificed for the
  happiness and welfare of other sentient beings.
  His happiness depends on his thoughts, his
  speech, and his actions, which are directed first
  and foremost to the well-being of others. His
  life is harmonious physically, mentally, and
  spiritually. And this harmony leads to
  harmonious relationships with other monks and
  nuns, as well as to laypersons. His lifestyle
  influences the laity, who try to imitate the
  simple mindful living of the monks. His
  lifestyle also influences natural phenomena,
  making them more harmonious and wholesome. Even
  beasts and bees learn to be less harmful and more
  compassionate! The simple life of a monk can
  contribute much to social welfare and
  environmental balance. Moreover, a simple monk
  has time for learning various sciences, which can
  prevent as well as cure modern personal or social
  ills. P. 46

8
The Virtuous Friends of Christianity and Buddhism

• The Christian socialist tradition of Reinhold
  Niebuhr and his critique of both capitalism and
  Marxism are still applicable today. In his book
  The Children of the Light Niebuhr wrote that one
  Marxist illusion is that the inclination of men
  to take advantage of each other is a corruption
  which was introduced into history by the
  institution of property. It therefore assumes
  that the socialization of property will eliminate
  egotism. He goes on to say, A second source of
  Marxist illusion is its belief that the ownership
  of property is the sole and only source of
  economic power. From a Buddhist perspective,
  private property is not the primary source of
  egotism. Pride, craving, and attachment are
  internal qualities that exist with and without
  private property. External factors are
  manifestations of internal chaos, but material
  change does not necessarily lead to inner
  transformation. Buddhism says we must tackle
  these inner obstacles nonviolently and patiently.
  Similarly, cultivating compassion in all
  relationships is necessary to catalyze change in
  oppressive power structures. Focusing only on
  equality in distribution does not entail a change
  in the relationship between producer and
  consumer. Buddhism advocates a change in the way
  we view and appreciate material goods and
  understand the co-arising of mind and matter. P.
  56

9
A Very Simple Magic

• In Buddhism, magic does not mean walking on water
  or flying through the air. It is rather
  considered magical miraculous to walk on
  earth mindfully. If we do not exploit the
  earth, nature will care for itself, and
  contribute to the human effort of growing
  physically, mentally, and spiritually. P. 57
• If one were to go to the Buddha to ask for a
  solution to the problems resulting from Cartesian
  dualism or corporate consumerism, one that might
  help us rid ourselves of all the modern
  predicaments, I imagine he might suggest I
  breath, therefore I am.