A contemporary movement formerly but now less commonly referred to as ‘Socially Engaged Buddhism’, concerned with developing Buddhist solutions to social, political, and ecological problems. The engaged movement cuts across the lay-monastic divide and includes Buddhists from traditional Buddhist countries as well as Western converts. It originated in the latter half of the 20th century and has increasingly become part of mainstream Buddhist thought and practice. The term ‘Engaged Buddhism’ was coined in 1963 by the Vietnamese (see Vietnam) zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh at a time when his country was ravaged by war. Nhat Hanh began to seek solutions to this and other problems by applying Buddhist teachings in a more activist way than had hitherto been the case. He has remained one of the leading protagonists of the movement and, now resident in France, has founded the ‘Order of Interbeing’ to promote worthy social causes. The aim of this and other ‘engaged’ groups is to reduce suffering and oppression through the reform of unjust and repressive social and political structures, while not losing sight of the traditional Buddhist emphasis on inward spiritual growth. In part, this development is a response to the charge that Buddhism has been too passive and aloof, emphasizing meditation and withdrawal rather than reaching out to the mass of humankind. Accordingly, the Mahāyāna Bodhisattva is seen as the ideal or icon for the activist. Some commentators trace the origins of the movement to the encounter between Buddhism and Christianity during the colonial period, and in the challenge to Buddhism to develop a ‘social gospel’ that speaks to the needs of the poor and oppressed along Christian lines.
Engaged Buddhism
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Engaged Buddhism refers to Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the insights from meditation practice and dharma teachings to situations of social, political, environmental, and economic suffering and injustice. Finding its roots in Vietnam through the Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, Engaged Buddhism has grown in popularity in the West.[1]
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Origins
The term was coined by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh (known as Thay to his students), inspired by the Humanistic Buddhism reform movement in China by Taixu and Yinshun.[2] At first, he used Chinese characters (a scriptural language of Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism), 入世佛教 (lit: Worldly Buddhism, 入世 = enter + world). During the Vietnam War, he and his sangha (spiritual community) made efforts to respond to the suffering they saw around them. They saw this work as part of their meditation and mindfulness practice, not apart from it.
Since then, the term has been translated into Western language as "Engaged Buddhism", which is not an accurate translation of the original Chinese. This term has since been retranslated back into Chinese as "Left Wing Buddhism" (左翼佛教) to denote variations that this type of Buddhism underwent in the West.[citation needed]
The term has also been used as a translation for what is commonly understood in China and Taiwan as "Humanistic Buddhism" (人間佛教）.
In practice
Organizations such as the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists are devoted to building the movement of engaged Buddhists. Other engaged Buddhist groups include the Zen Peacemaker Order, led by Roshi Bernard Glassman, the Benevolent Organisation for Development, Health and Insight, Gaden Relief Projects, Fo Guang Shan and Tzu Chi.
Prominent figures in the movement include Robert Aitken Roshi, Joanna Macy, Gary Snyder, Alan Senauke, Sulak Sivaraksa, Maha Ghosananda, Sylvia Wetzel, Diana Winston, Fleet Maull, Joan Halifax, Tara Brach, and Ken Jones.
References
- ^ Queen, Chris; King, Sallie (1996). Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia. New York: Albany State University Press. ISBN 0-79142-843-5.
- ^ Queen, Christopher (2000). Engaged Buddhism in the West. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-159-9.
See also
- Buddhist socialism
- Humanistic Buddhism
- Buddhist Peace Fellowship
- International Network of Engaged Buddhists
- UK Network of Engaged Buddhists
- Network of Buddhist Organisations(UK)
- Amida Trust Home Page
- Sulak Sivaraksa: A Socially Engaged Buddhism
- The Engaged Zen Foundation
- The Maitri School, Non Sectarian Engaged Buddhism.
- Benevolent Organisation for Development, Health and Insight
- The Jamseng Healthcare Centre
- Gaden Relief Projects
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- Buddhism Dictionary (Religion content from Answers.com)
- Journal of Buddhist Ethics
- Thich Nhat Hanh
- Sulak Sivaraksa
