Here are a few quotes from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh containing his thoughts on engaged Buddhism. It was Thay, as he is affectionately called by his followers, who coined the term, “engaged Buddhism” in 1954. Now, it is more important than ever before for us to take action to do what we can to […]
Keep Our Compassion Alive
The People’s Climate Train, climate march and Flood Wall Street occurred while I was in Spain. My dharma brother, David Nelson, filmed the event and has made his film public. What we learn is that we need to keep our compassion alive as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) says, May we keep our compassion […]
Why Sit?
These words of wisdom from Lama Surya Das are straight out of Tricycle magazine. He answers the question, “Why sit?” Basically, he is saying that sitting is necessary to cultivate contemplative practice to help us develop aspects of nonviolence and compassion. He is saying that we need to balance these practices with local political action, […]
Taking Action For The Benefit Of All Beings
Bhikkhu Bodhi, in discussion with famed activist, Joanna Macy and Pannavati Karuna, talked about taking action for the benefit of all beings. The discussion took place at an event for the benefit of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in Berkeley, California. Of these three venerables, perhaps Joanna Macy is best known. I have heard her speak […]
The Goddess Of Mercy
Robert Aitken Roshi was an American Buddhist pioneer and author of the widely ready book, The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics. Along with The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment by Philip Kapleau and Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi these provided me with my initial readings in […]
Who Will Feed The Hungry Children In America?
Speaking of Engaged Buddhism, there is no finer example than that of Bhikkhu Bodhi. He founded Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) project to feed the hungry children in America and other parts of the world. According to an article on the BGR blog titled, Nourishing Change, the United States House of Representatives passed the new Farm […]
Engaged Buddhism
These words of wisdom from Sulak Sivaraksa rang true to me because of his work with engaged Buddhism. Together with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, The Dalai Lama, and Maha Ghosananda, he formed the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). Thich Nhat Hanh, as you probably know is a peace activist and is well-known for […]
2500 Years Of Social Revolution
This quote by Roshi Joan Halifax came to me by email in December. This ties in with The Story of the Buddha from earlier this week and reflects on 2500 years of social revolution. Also, I have been listening to a podcast by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in which he talked about how the Buddha […]
Engaged Buddhists Develop Wisdom and Compassion
The Dalai Lama and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) have shown that engaged Buddhists develop wisdom and compassion by selfless service to their communities. Both of these great minds have inspired thousands of people to get off of their cushions (or other meditation seats) and go out and serve the people. My teacher, Zen […]
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