ENGAGED BUDDHISM: The Buddhist Council of NSW and its approach to politics

 
Sometimes the Buddhist Council of NSW is faced with the decision of whether to make political statements to support worthy causes.  While most, if not all of the volunteers behind the Buddhist Council of NSW have genuine concern for making the world a better place, it is important to understand the difference between, on the one hand, thinking and behaviour based on the Dharma, and on the other hand, political thinking and behaviour.  Where the former is based on personal responsibility, the latter is more concerned with the setting of priorities and the allocation of resources on behalf of society as a whole.

Therefore, as an organisation with a spiritual mission, the Buddhist Council of NSW refrains from politics.  Instead, we promote compassionate action towards other beings, and the purification and cultivation of the mind.  Both of these are steps we can take personally.

The following words from Bikkhu Bodhi have been extracted from “Facing the Future: Four Essays on Social Relevance of Buddhism” (pp 22 to 23).  We have this book for free distribution.

While the laws of the spiritual life have always held true, what we are being compelled to see today, with a clarity never before so striking, is the inextricable dependence of the external, material dimension of our existence on the internal, psychological dimension.  In countless ways the point is being driven home to us that the world we share is a collective reflection of our minds, its social, economic, and political structures the outward projections of our thought patterns and value schemes.  For this reason our common welfare, perhaps even our survival as a species, depends on a large scale transformation of consciousness.

… If I were to sum up in concise terms the implications that the Buddha’s message has for us today … it would be this: that we must recognise that the wounds that afflict our world are symptoms of the wounds that afflict our minds.

… Surely such goals as social justice, relief from poverty, an end to communal conflict, and the protection of our natural environment deserve a top place on our agendas.  But what the Buddha’s teaching leads us to see is that we cannot reasonably expect to resolve these formidable social problems as long as we continue, in our personal lives, to move in the same familiar ruts of greed, carelessness, and selfishness.  To heal the wounds of our world we must work to heal the wounds of our heart, the deep hidden wounds of greed, hatred, and delusion.  

The message, admittedly, is a difficult one, for inner changes always require greater effort than outer achievements, especially when the first step is self-understanding.  In the final analysis, however, it is the only approach that will work, and this certainly makes it worthy of our attention.