Engaged Buddhism and Politics

The Interdependence Party and Engaged Buddhism

• The Interdependence Party is a fictional Buddhist political organization that proposes to serve the worldwide community, promoting harmony, and limiting suffering.
• The party's goals include treating all individuals with compassion, promoting loving-kindness, eradicating greed, hatred, and delusion, and abolishing animal slaughter.

The Relationship between Buddhism and Politics

• The term "politics" is derived from "polis" meaning "city-state" and refers to the competition over resources, decision-making, and the exercise of power.
• Buddhism has often been misunderstood as being apolitical or other-worldly, but engaged Buddhists argue that this is a misconception.
• Buddhism has always been involved in politics and has shaped society in various ways.

Max Weber and the Portrayal of Buddhism

• Max Weber, a 19th-century German sociologist, characterized Buddhism as an "unpolitical" and "anti-political" status religion, which has been influential in shaping the Western understanding of Buddhism.
• Weber's portrayal of Buddhism as ascetic, intellectual, and concerned with salvation has been pervasive and enduring.

The History of Buddhism and Politics

• Despite the common portrayal of Buddhism as non-political, Buddhist monks and institutions have been involved in politics throughout history.
• Examples include Emperor Aśoka, Nichiren, and the Dalai Lama, who have all had a strong institutional involvement with politics.
• Buddhist monks have often been involved in commerce, employed workers, and kept slaves, and have been intimately involved in imperial politics.

Bhikkhu Bodhi and the Involvement of Buddhism in Politics

• Bhikkhu Bodhi, a renowned American scholar-monk, argues that Buddhism should be involved in politics to address issues such as racism, oppression, and environmental degradation.
• Bodhi suggests that Buddhism has been overly focused on personal transformation and needs to engage with the world to address suffering caused by social and economic factors.

The Interaction between Buddhism and Political Institutions

• There are four ways in which Buddhism interacts with political institutions:
  1. Buddhism has authority over political institutions, with Buddhist laws overriding secular laws.
  2. Buddhism shares power with political institutions, with mutual respect and protection.
  3. Persecution of Buddhism, with opposition and conflict with political authority.
  4. Buddhism withdraws from politics.

Examples of Buddhism and Politics

• In the 1960s, King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia attempted to formulate a form of Buddhist socialism.
• U Nu, the leader of Burma, described the goal of socialism as "returning to this original pure state, prior to the appearance of the defilement of craving and the corruption of man."
• Bhutan's concept of Gross National Happiness is an example of the state and Buddhism working together to provide conditions conducive to the cultivation of happiness.### Persecution of Buddhism
• The state can persecute Buddhism, threatening its existence, as seen in China's Cultural Revolution and Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
• Reasons for persecution include economic (seeing Buddhism as a financial strain) or xenophobic (viewing Buddhism's Indian roots as unpatriotic) motivations.

Buddhist Rebellions

• Monastic rebellions against political rule have occurred, such as the Saffron Revolution in Myanmar, where Buddhist monks attempted to overthrow the military government.
• Anti-colonial Buddhist movements have also emerged, sometimes taking the form of millenarianism or messianic movements, centered around figures like the future Buddha Maitreya.

Extreme Forms of Protest

• Tibetans have engaged in self-immolation to protest Chinese occupation, with 155 recorded cases since 2009.
• This form of protest has a long history in East Asian Buddhist traditions.

Withdrawal from Politics

• In some Southeast Asian countries, Buddhist monks are deliberately disenfranchised, contradicting the principle of universal suffrage.
• This withdrawal from politics is seen as preserving the monks' sanctity, as politics is viewed as corrupting.

Engaged Buddhism

• Engaged Buddhism seeks to integrate political activism with Buddhist principles, encouraging monks and laypeople to engage in political protest.
• Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa proposed a "Dictatorial Dhammic Socialism," where a morally advanced ruler guides society toward moral development.

The Two Wheels of Dhamma

• The "Two Wheels of Dhamma" concept describes the relationship between Buddhism and secular power.

• The "wheel of the law" (dhammacakka) represents Buddhist power and discourse, while the "wheel of command" (ān.ācakka) represents the authority of the ruler.

• This model has been influential in Theravada Buddhist cultures, particularly in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.### Buddhism and Politics

• The Buddhist tradition emphasizes the importance of the conduct of a ruler in shaping the behavior of their subjects.

• The Aggañña-sutta (D III 80-98) explains the status of a Buddhist ruler and the importance of their actions in society.

The Role of Conduct in Society

• In Buddhist tradition, one's actions and behavior are more important than their birth or social status in determining their purity and place in society.
• A king should offer service, support, and maintain the Buddha and his community of ascetics.
• The text states that "Dhamma is the best thing for people in this life and the next" (D III 84).

The Respect of a Buddhist Ruler

• The esteem of a Buddhist ruler is also determined by the respect their society receives in neighboring areas.
• Rulers of adjacent areas may be materially superior, but they still pay reverence and homage to the Buddha.

Ethical Behavior

• Followers of the Buddha avoid destructive and unwholesome behavior, such as taking what is not given, censuring, lying, and punishment.
• They instead perform constructive and wholesome actions.

The Ten Royal Virtues

• The ten royal virtues are:
  • Generosity (dāna)
  • Morality (sīla)
  • Charity (pariccāga)
  • Honesty (ajjava)
  • Gentleness (maddava)
  • Self-control (tapa)
  • Non-anger (akkodha)
  • Non-violence (ahimsā)
  • Forbearance (khanti)
  • Non-obstruction (avirodhana)

The Seven Things Conducive to Welfare

• The seven things conducive to welfare are:
  • Holding regular and frequent assemblies
  • Meeting in harmony, breaking up in harmony, and carrying on business in harmony
  • Not authorizing what has not been authorized already, and not abolishing what has been authorized
  • Honoring, respecting, revering, and saluting the elders
  • Not forcibly abducting others' wives and daughters
  • Honoring, respecting, revering, and saluting the Vajjian shrines
  • Ensuring proper provision for the safety of Arahants

The Two Realms of Activity

• The Buddhist tradition distinguishes between two realms of activity: the mundane world (lokiya) and the supramundane world (lokuttara).
• The mundane world is characterized by eight worldly ideas: gain, non-gain, fame, ill-fame, blame, praise, pleasure, and pain.
• The supramundane world is characterized by five supramundane faculties: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and understanding.

The Tension Between the Two Worlds

• In traditional forms of Buddhism, there is a sharp separation between the mundane and supramundane worlds.
• Politics is part of the mundane world, while Buddhism is part of the supramundane world.
• In engaged Buddhism, the tension between the two worlds is often lessened or removed, allowing for a wider range of Buddhist practice.

Mindful Politics

• Mindfulness and meditation can be used to tackle political problems, allowing for a more engaged and active form of Buddhism.
• The use of meditative techniques by native traditions of mental culture can be suggestive of underlying Buddhist ideas shaping political discourse.