Engaged Buddhism

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Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Engaged Buddhism, also known as socially engaged Buddhism, refers to a Buddhist social movement that emerged in Asia in the 20th century. It is composed of Buddhists who seek to apply Buddhist ethics, insights acquired from meditation practice, and the teachings of the Buddhist dharma to contemporary situations of social, political, environmental, and economic suffering, and injustice.<ref name="Gleig 2021">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Modern engaged Buddhism emerged in Vietnam in the 1950s, from the teachings of Thiền Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh.<ref name="Gleig 2021"/><ref name="interview"/> It was popularised by the Indian jurist, politician, and social reformer B. R. Ambedkar, who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement in the 1950s.<ref name="Gleig 2021"/> It has since spread to the Indian subcontinent and the West.<ref name="Gleig 2021"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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. This included a range of non-violent social and political activities such as peacemaking, promotion of human rights, environmental protection, rural development, combatting ethnic violence, opposition to warfare, and support of women's rights.<ref name="Gleig 2021"/> With globalisation and technological advancement, engaged Buddhist organisations and efforts have spread across the globe; an example is the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.<ref name="Gleig 2021"/>

Origins

Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh coined the term "Engaged Buddhism" in his collection of articles, "A Fresh Look at Buddhism".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Engaged Buddhism emerged from a need to respond to world crises, particularly the Vietnam War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The term was new, but Buddhism that engages with social and political issues had already occurred throughout the world.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At first, Nhất Hạnh described the concept by using Literary Chinese, the liturgical language of Vietnamese Buddhism, calling it Template:Zh. During the Vietnam War, he and his sangha (spiritual community) responded to the suffering around them, in part by adopting the nonviolence activism techniques of Mahatma Gandhi in India and of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States.<ref name="interview">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="irons2008"/> They saw this work as part of their meditation and mindfulness practice, not as something apart from it.<ref name="interview"/>

As early as 1946, Walpola Rahula identified an explicit social ethos present in the earliest recorded Buddhist teachings. He noted that the Buddha 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 concerns.<ref name="rahula">Template:Cite book</ref>

Teachings

Engaged Buddhism applies the teachings of the Buddha to social life in order to bring about social change.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Engaged Buddhists hope to connect traditional Buddhist beliefs to protest and social action.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">Hanh, Thich Nhat (Fall 2002). "The fourteen precepts of Engaged Buddhism. (Special Feature)". Gale General OneFile. Social Policy. Retrieved 7 March 2021</ref> 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:<ref name="precepts">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" />Template:Blockquote 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.<ref name=":3" /> Ambedkar's principles Template:Clarify the commitment to Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, which stemmed from the Buddha's philosophy.Template:Vague<ref>Meshram, Manish T. "Engaged Buddhism in India: Buddhist Approach of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to Sustainable Society in India." Mindful Leadership for Sustainable Peace, edited by Từ Nhật and Thiện Nhật, Hong Duc Publishing House, 2019.</ref>

In Queer Engaged Buddhism (2025), Kody Muncaster explores a queer, trans, and intersex approach to socially engaged Buddhism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In India

In India, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in 1956 and initiated what is called Ambedkar Buddhism, when in October 1956 in Nagpur, nearly 400,000 Dalits converted from Hinduism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His book The Buddha and His Dhamma 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.Template:Editorializing 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.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="emptybell">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has two main centers: the Plum Village monastic community in Loubes-Bernac, France and the Community of Mindful Living in Berkeley, California.<ref name="irons2008">Template:Cite book</ref> Both centers are tied to Nhất Hạnh's Unified Buddhist Church.<ref name="irons2008"/>

The current Dalai Lama also encouraged Buddhists to be more involved in the socio-political realm:

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Organisations

Many organisations were established to help build the movement of engaged Buddhists. These include the Soka Gakkai International, 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> Members of the school helped relieve suffering and rebuild villages for those affected by the Vietnam War.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" />

Notable figures

Prominent figures in the movement include Robert Aitken Roshi,<ref name="justify">Template:Cite web</ref> Joanna Macy,<ref name="justify"/> Gary Snyder,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alan Senauke,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sulak Sivaraksa,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Daisaku Ikeda, Maha Ghosananda,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sylvia Wetzel, Joan Halifax,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tara Brach,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Taigen Dan Leighton,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ken Jones,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jan Willis,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bhante Sujato,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bhikkhu Bodhi,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Ajahn Buddhadasa.

See also

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References

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Further reading

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