An Introduction to Engaged Buddhism

An Introduction to Engaged Buddhism
Author: Paul Fuller
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2021-08-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1350129097

This textbook introduces and explores the ideas, practices and philosophy of engaged Buddhism. The movement holds that suffering is not just caused by the cravings of the mind, but also by political and social factors; therefore, engaged Buddhists 'engage' with social issues to achieve liberation. Paul Fuller outlines the movement's origins and principles. He then offers a comprehensive analysis of the central themes and issues of engaged Buddhism, offering new insights into the formation of modern Buddhism. The range of issues covered includes politics, gender, environmentalism, identity, blasphemy and violence. These are illustrated by case studies and examples from a range of locations where Buddhism is practised. Discussion points and suggested further reading are provided at the end of each chapter, which will further enrich undergraduates' grasp of the topic.

Socially Engaged Buddhism

Socially Engaged Buddhism
Author: Sallie B. King
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2009-01-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 082483335X

Socially Engaged Buddhism is an introduction to the contemporary movement of Buddhists, East and West, who actively engage with the problems of the world—social, political, economic, and environmental—on the basis of Buddhist ideas, values, and spirituality. Sallie B. King, one of North America’s foremost experts on the subject, identifies in accessible language the philosophical and ethical thinking behind the movement and examines how key principles such as karma, the Four Noble Truths, interdependence, nonharmfulness, and nonjudgmentalism relate to social engagement. Many people believe that Buddhists focus exclusively on spiritual attainment. Professor King examines why Engaged Buddhists involve themselves with the problems of the world and how they reconcile this involvement with the Buddhist teaching of nonattachment from worldly things. Engaged Buddhists, she answers, point out that because the root of human suffering is in the mind, not the world, the pursuit of enlightenment does not require a turning away from the world. Working to reduce suffering in humans, living things, and the planet is integral to spiritual practice and leads to selflessness and compassion. Socially Engaged Buddhism is a sustained reflection on social action as a form of spirituality expressed in acts of compassion, grassroots empowerment, nonjudgmentalism, and nonviolence. It offers an inspiring example of how one might work for solutions to the troubles that threaten the peace and well being of our planet and its people.

Engaged Buddhism in the West

Engaged Buddhism in the West
Author: Christopher S. Queen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2012-11-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0861718410

Engaged Buddhism is founded on the belief that genuine spiritual practice requires an active involvement in society. Engaged Buddhism in the West illuminates the evolution of this new chapter in the Buddhist tradition - including its history, leadership, and teachings - and addresses issues such as violence and peace, race and gender, homelessness, prisons, and the environment. Eighteen new studies explore the activism of renowned leaders and organizations, such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Bernard Glassman, Joanna Macy, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and the Free Tibet Movement, and the emergence of a new Buddhism in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia.

Action Dharma

Action Dharma
Author: Christopher S. Queen
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780700715947

These essays chart the emergence of a new chapter in an ancient faith - the rise of social service and political activism in Buddhist Asia and the West. Engaged Buddhists have sought new ways to comfort society's oppressed communities.

Engaged Buddhism

Engaged Buddhism
Author: Christopher S. Queen
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 462
Release: 1996-01-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780791428436

This is the first comprehensive coverage of socially and politically engaged Buddhism in Asia, presenting the historical development and institutional forms of engaged Buddhism in the light of traditional Buddhist conceptions of morality, interdependence, and liberation.

Engaged Buddhism

Engaged Buddhism
Author: Bharati Puri
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2009-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780198062486

This volume elaborates on, examines, and understands the Dalai Lama's thought on various current issues such as non-violence, human rights, and the political issue of the autonomy of Tibet. This is one of the first books - in spite of the range of books on the Dalai Lama-to actually seek out the conceptual foundations of his thought. The Dalai Lama's ethical teachings have gained worldwide recognition primarily because his actions and writings reflect a concern for combining ancient religious traditions with a contemporary political, social, and religious cause. His thought extends to the arena of international politics and human relations. By categorizing the Dalai Lama's thought under various headings and sub-themes, the book attempts to articulate and carry out an analysis of this thought. Allusions to other thinkers and writers have been made in order to draw parallels to the thought of the Dalai Lama. Such a comparative approach helps to bring out the significance of the eclectic dimensions of the Dalai Lama's thought. The author collates in this work perhaps the most comprehensive bibliography ever put together of the Dalai Lama's works. She also provides the entire transcription of an interview with the Dalai Lama which she conducted personally in August 2001.

True Peace Work

True Peace Work
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Publisher: Parallax Press
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1946764469

Thich Nhat Hanh, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, bell hooks, Bill McKibben, Gary Snyder, Maha Ghosananda, Charles Johnson, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Matthieu Ricard, and many others are featured alongside each other in this foundational trove of Buddhist essays, poems, and teachings. Now a modern classic, True Peace Work is the premier collection of writings on the practice of Engaged Buddhism, a term that Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh coined in the 1960s as part of his peace work in Vietnam that has grown to become a worldwide movement. The topics covered here are especially relevant in today's world: from creating nonviolent social change, to raising climate awareness, to simply learning how to walk (and enjoy it). This is not purely an activist's manual, however. True Peace Work is a spiritual bedrock that is as timeless as it is timely, one that insists on the connection between peace in oneself and peace in the world. Originally published in 1996 as Engaged Buddhist Reader, this revised edition has been expanded for our current time with a new introduction and additional contributors.

Being Benevolence

Being Benevolence
Author: Sallie B. King
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2005-06-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780824829353

Engaged Buddhism is the contemporary movement of nonviolent social and political activism found throughout the Buddhist world. Its ethical theory sees the world in terms of cause and effect, a view that discourages its practitioners from becoming adversaries, blaming or condemning the other. Its leaders make some of the most important contributions in the Buddhist world to thinking about issues in political theory, human rights, nonviolence, and social justice. Being Benevolence provides for the first time a rich overview of the main ideas and arguments of prominent Engaged Buddhist thinkers and activists on a variety of questions: What kind of political system should modern Asian states have? What are the pros and cons of Western "liberalism"? Can Buddhism support the idea of human rights? Can there ever be a nonviolent nation-state? It identifies the roots of Engaged Buddhist social ethics in such traditional Buddhist concepts and practices as interdependence, compassion, and meditation, and shows how these are applied to particular social and political issues. It illuminates the movement’s metaphysical views on the individual and society and goes on to examine how Engaged Buddhists respond to fundamental questions in political theory concerning the proper balance between the individual and society. The second half of the volume focuses on applied social-political issues: human rights, nonviolence, and social justice.

Interbeing, 4th Edition

Interbeing, 4th Edition
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Publisher: Parallax Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2020-05-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1946764191

The beloved Zen teacher presents 14 Buddhist guidelines for living consciously and ethically in our modern, uncertain times—a must-read for social activists, Engaged Buddhists, and anyone eager for long-term global change. If you want to live life as an active agent for change: begin here. Originally formulated by Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh during the Vietnam War, Interbeing is a call to collective awakening and a guidebook for getting there. The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings are a radical expression of Buddhist ethics and morality that offer essential insights for existing mindfully, and not burning out. This fourth edition introduces the most up-to-date revision of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, with fresh commentary on living in contemporary society. Extra depth is added with a new foreword by Sister Chan Khong, one of the first six people to be ordained as a monastic by Thich Nhat Hanh, who opens a vivid personal window into the history and lineage of these trainings. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen master, scholar, and peacemaker. He was nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for the Nobel Peace Prize and is author of over thirty books, including Being Peace, Living Buddha Living Christ, and Teachings on Love. He is the founder of Plum Village, a meditation community in France that leads retreats on “the art of mindful living.”

Taiwan's Tzu Chi as Engaged Buddhism

Taiwan's Tzu Chi as Engaged Buddhism
Author: Yu-Shuang Yao
Publisher: Global Oriental
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2012-05-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004231323

This book is the first comprehensive sociological account and in-depth analysis of a new Chinese Buddhist movement, known as Tzu Chi (otherwise, the Buddhist Compassion Merit Society). Based in Taiwan, it was founded in 1966 and still led by a female Buddhist master – Master Cheng Yen. Its members are laity, and women play a major role. The main focus of the movement is medical charity – to ease and if possible prevent suffering and to teach ethics to the wealthy; at the same time, it also offers members a religion and a way of life. Recruitment typically attracts people from the urban middle class. With some 3.5 million members and a very low drop-out rate, Tzu Chi is extraordinarily successful, and has spread to other parts of the world, not least mainland China where it is attracting the attention of the general public and the media. The book stands in the Anglo-American tradition of the sociology of religion; it also draws on the author’s knowledge of Buddhist history. The data come from participant observation and many long interviews. It will be of particular interest to students of new religious movements, religious studies in contemporary China, and studies in ethics and social change in East Asia.