The Buddha on Politics and Society

[@spacemonkey086]

This is my favorite book on Buddhism I keep coming back to it

[@DougsDharma]

Yes Bhikkhu Bodhi did a great job with it. Thanks Tanner!

[@RakeshYadav-kf6he]

Hi Smith! This is Rakesh from India. Your lecture was really good. I think in present time teachings (political idea) of Buddha is more relevant, when intolerance is increasing day by day all over the world. Those who are in political power trying to control people by each and every means and have no patience to listen dissents. Teachings of Buddha can make a better society, when it's followed by those who are in power. Since I'm student of Philosophy, so planning to do my PhD at 'Political Thought in Buddhism'.

[@DougsDharma]

Great to hear Rakesh, best of luck on the PhD! Yes it would be nice if those in power really listened to wise teachers like the Buddha. 🙏

[@RakeshYadav-kf6he]

Thank You Smith!

[@manojsinha9959]

Mr. Rakesh Yadav and Mr. Smith Can I contact with you. I am planning to write a novel of that period. My mail ID is [e-mail]

[@peepeedrink2117]

First video, subscribed right away. People keep making videos, Buddhism is my only journey right now.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks! Glad to be of help.

[@jamesmorimotosagarino1378]

How Buddhism is applied in the social and political structuring of predominantly Buddhist countries?

[@DougsDharma]

Good question Jamez, I don't think there is any easy answer however. One paradigm for us though has to be King Asoka: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGWbameLnJ2MacU

[@pedrofvale]

Really enjoyed the video. Thanks Doug! If I may suggest, it would be interesting to have a video on arguments against Buddhism, to understand other points of view and how Buddhism holds against these stress tests. Thank you for your work!

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Pedro! As for the video idea, it's an interesting thing to consider, I'll keep it in mind.

[@StopFear]

What do you guys think about some Buddhists becoming authorities on translation and interpretation? I mean people such as Bhikku Bodhi (Jeffrey Block) and other famous Buddhists? Sometimes I think there develop cults of personality about some Buddhist teachers. I am not sure this is ultimately a good thing for Buddhism or any other religion, movement, or philosophy because then the readers will tend to trust that one individual no matter what interpretation they propose, or what teaching they teach. Also the same popular Buddhists (in case of Buddhism as topic of this video) may tend to keep producing content that they know will be received well by their main audience. So, for example Bhikku Bodhi is an American Buddhist. We know that he falls into the category of people whose Buddhism would in a number of ways correspond with liberal political and social views. So this can create a closed loop, a self reinforcing circle as opposed to objective interpretation and translation. By objective here I imply that maybe some Buddhist views may be conservative or not very popular with the views of left of center Americans and western Buddhists. As some people, or most, may know in Japan Zen Buddhism is more often associated with social conservative views as opposed to association with liberal views Europe and America. Same sometimes is the case in other Asian countries. For example take the issue of abortion in America. People on the left generally support the pro-choice position almost categorically and without exception. But Buddhism is actually associated with the pro-life position at least in the Asian countries. And I don’t mean. Pro life as avoiding violence toward living beings that are already out of their mother. They’re quite pro life regarding conception and abortion in the womb. So, how can we know that we are not interpreting someone I correctly in a self serving way, or that the liberal Buddhism is even the correct and objective Buddhism?

[@dbn281]

Doug..have watched a lot of your videos...brilliant and thanks.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome DBN. Thanks for watching! 😀

[@matteosollecito9053]

bhikkhu bodhi is socially and politically active, founding buddhist global relief and organizing one of the bus trips down to dc this past spring to protest the weakening of global warming initiatives.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Matteo, indeed he is. Bodhi has become one of the real heroes of engaged Buddhist practice.

[@MYTHFROMNATURE]

Love you doug,awesome

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks so much!

[@NewEarth25]

Imagine the state of society, politics and leadership could have been today, if every student and citizen received some education or have the opportunity to dialogue on the five ethics, at least the ethics of non-harming life & social relations.

[@DougsDharma]

That would be wonderful Susmita. It also takes our own willingness to hear and learn.

[@uilium]

🤠🗯One of the main keys to enlightenment is that you aren't in control of fixing you and if you aren't fixed then why would you spend valuable time to fix something else like society unless that fixing of society fixes you? But working with "other" people is just one spiritual practice whereby one transcends that assumption of separation between "me" and "you". Just one practice of many, not the only practice.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, it's a good practice! Thanks Uilium.

[@patrickcahill4396]

I have just had the book delivered today! Will return with a comment, no doubt, at a later date when I have read it :-)

[@DougsDharma]

Oh great Patrick, I’ll be interested to hear what you think. It is also worth learning about Bhikkhu Bodhi and his work for progressive causes and Buddhist Global Relief.

[@patrickcahill4396]

Doug's Secular Dharma yes I will. Will do a Google search on him. Thanks.

[@DougsDharma]

He was a recent guest on the Secular Buddhist podcast with Ted Meissner; you might want to check that out. I was able to make the introduction and break the ice between them, which makes me very happy. 😊 secularbuddhism.org/2018/03/25/episode-290-bhikkhu-bodhi-buddhisms-encountering-of-social-crisis/

[@radoskan]

You haven't yet responded😂

[@gnostie]

Is there a compilation on the Buddha's opinion on monastic life? Eg its appropriateness, pros and cons.

[@DougsDharma]

Hello gnostie and thanks for the question. There are a lot of suttas where the Buddha talks about monastic life, however he doesn't to my knowledge ever talk about "cons"; I think in his opinion any apparent cons are really due to our own hang ups. (Greed, attachment, etc.) I don't know of any contemporary compilation of those suttas in particular however. If you are interested you could look under "monastic life" over on the Access to Insight pages: www.accesstoinsight.org/index-subject.html#m

[@erikapaezmanjarres]

Thanks Doug for channel I am new here came through programme on Why Buddhism is True ( I am reading this book) I had a look to your titles and just finished listening The Buddha on Politics and Society which I enjoyed a lot! However there was nothing on gender politics/women and secular Buddhism. I would like to hear more on the topic as well as some bibliography / key practitioners both earlier ones and contemporary ones. And if I can add an additional topic for future and separate topic will be around gender identity and sexual orientation and secular Buddhism , thanks again

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks very much Erika for your excellent question. Gender and women in Buddhism and secular Buddhism is a topic I would like to discuss at some point in the future, though I come at it with humility since I have so much to learn on the subject. The SBA's Community Director, Jennifer Hawkins, has taken that project on full-throttle and I think is doing some excellent outreach work through Facebook and other places. One interesting place to start with bibliography is the Therigatha or "Poems of the First Buddhist Women". There are several translations out now, one very good one by Charles Hallisey. As for key women practitioners now, there are so many! I think of my friend Sebene Selassie, Sharon Salzberg, Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia, Thanissara, Amma Thanasanti, Ayya Khema, angel Kyodo williams, Shayla Catherine, Pat Enkyo O'Hara, Pema Chödrön, Dipa Ma, Sylvia Boorstein, and many, many others. I touch on a little of the issue of Buddhist patriarchy, particularly with respect to nuns in the Theravāda tradition, in my video on Buddhist fundamentalism: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3-xYYWJn9Jkq80

[@erikapaezmanjarres]

Thanks a lot Doug. Have listened to your programme Buddhist fundamentalism which I also enjoyed. Had a quick look at the SBA's web and resources and planning to go deeper later. The Poems of the First Buddhist Women sounds very interesting, remind me that somewhere I have the book Women of Wisdom by Lama Tsultrione Alione (documented lives of first Tibetan Buddhist women available in the 80s). In terms of practitioners great list I know few of them and looking forward to explore further these new names as well as the future discussion of the topic in your programme

[@DougsDharma]

That's great, Erika. Meanwhile feel free to contact Jennifer Hawkins, either through our website or Facebook page.

[@ensys1000]

8:42

[@aryankarki7900]

Sadhu sadhu sadhu.

[@DougsDharma]

🙏

[@uilium]

Did the Buddha ever say one should believe in rebirth?

[@DougsDharma]

I discuss that question a bit in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpixZICKa9JnsKs

[@unskillednonformaldancer3944]

Can buddhist join army ,To defend country

[@DougsDharma]

There are many Buddhists in the armed forces around the world, so yes. Though the Buddha did caution that the work of a soldier wasn't the best creator of karma.

[@Erdogan-zi1ci]

But today Buddhist majority countries leaders use ultranationalist Buddhist groups like BBS and Ravanabalaya for stay in power also Buddhist monk doing lot of illegal activities using politicians power this true story in Sri Lanka Buddhism. Sri Lanka authoritarian ruler and dictator Mahinda Rajapaksha using ultranationalist Buddhist groups and Buddhism for stay power do corruptions. Sri Lanka dictator Mahinda Rajapaksha And Sinhalese are example for today Buddhism facing it own disaster because it linking with corrupted authoritarian regimes and right wing political and social systems.

[@DougsDharma]

I did a video on Buddhist fundamentalism awhile back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3-xYYWJn9Jkq80

[@starrynight43451]

Buddhism exists today thanks to the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka and the many sacrifices they made. The politics in Sri Lanka is a much complex issue.