Buddhist Practice for Social Change

How can early Buddhist practice help our effort for social change? We’ll discuss ways that these teachings can impact our efforts towards making the world a better place, and ways that they might help make us healthier and more effective. Books mentioned: Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony Richard Gombrich, Theravāda…

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Start With Yourself

We all want to make the world a better place, but doing so can be at times difficult, frustrating, even stressful. Rather than turning towards cynicism, why not start making the world a better place by working with yourself? A good article from the Washington Post notes that work on oneself should not preclude work…

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Perfectionism Social and Personal

Many of us are perfectionists of one kind or another, and perfectionism has its benefits. It also has its darker side, which we will consider in today’s video: both in a sociopolitical sense and in a personal sense. We will finish up by considering a few ways that the Buddha appears not to have been…

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Politics, Religion, and Engaged Buddhism

With the advent of “engaged Buddhism”, Buddhism in the modern world has taken an emphasis on political involvement. We will look at some of the history of religious involvement in politics, with a particular focus on Buddhism, and ask how Buddhism can work best in a secular context. Check out my new Patreon page!

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Three Strategies for Watching the News

The news nowadays can be pretty stressful and depressing for many of us. Are there any strategies we can use to lessen its psychological impact on us? I’ll outline three basic mindsets we can use, suggested by early Buddhist teachings, plus some additional thoughts.

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Buddhist Activism and Quietism

Many of us are looking for the right way to engage with contemporary political concerns. What does Buddhism have to teach us? A couple of recent articles have taken this question in opposite directions. In “Let’s Stand Up Together”, Bhikkhu Bodhi argues that Buddhism has a number of important ethical lessons to teach that rise above simple notions…

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The Parade of Horribles

Hope is both blessing and curse. It is a blessing when it gives us the confidence to act, to see beyond temporary obstacles and problems towards the greater good that stands in the uncertain distance. Hope gladdens the heart, turns our minds towards optimism and brings energy when we are low and tired. Hope can…

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Can You Be a Conservative and a Buddhist?

This question was recently answered in the affirmative by Christopher Ford, who argued in Elephant in the Meditation Room (October 14, 2016) that it’s possible to be both politically conservative and a Buddhist.  More, he thinks it’s crucial that Buddhism in the U.S. has a greater diversity of opinion among its adherents, for “a bigger…

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Idle Chatter About Kings: Political Speech

With the first debate last night, we’re in the thick of political season in the US, a once every four year cycle of presidential agita that dominates the news for months. It’s natural to bemoan the foolishness of it all, to wax satirical or cynical on the state of the nation, but the inconvenient truth…

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