Buddhism And Activism

[camerata]

I wonder what the Buddhist position is on being an activist? I would think any kind of activism is going to invite suffering, and in Thailand it usually results in some heavy-duty suffering for the activist and his family. Does the intent of doing good cancel out the suffering caused?

I remember a few years ago one or more Thai monks were active in "blessing" trees in a forest so that illegal loggers couldn't chop them down.

[andyinkat]

Gosh, well this is a very big subject and one that is very close to my heart.

The key point I'd have to start with is that there is no 'Buddhist position' on any issue of ethics or social practice, so one cannot generalise. Here it would have to depend on the specific cause, the specific methods and the motivation of the specific Buddhist.

So if we cannot generalise I think it relevant here to give an illustration by way of my personal story.

I was an activist - I was involved in animal rights protests, anti-globalisation protests and Free tibet campaigns - all motivated by my Buddhist principles. For me the heart of Buddhism is compassion, and compassion is no use if it's just a fluffy feeling - it has to be actively put into practice.

The animal rights campaign was about pressurising the UK government to cease the practice of intensively rearing and transporting farm animals, in accordance with the First Buddhist Precept. The methods were strictly non-violent and did not allow for any damage to property. By sitting in the road to obstruct the trucks we invited suffering upon ourselves by way of man-handling by police and arrest.

That campaign was successful in the main, but I very quickly distanced myself from the antiglobalisation movement when I saw a very worthy campaign to stand up for the interests of the poor of the developing world being hijacked by various agit-prop, rentamob anarchists with a violent agenda.

Most interesting I think is the Tibet issue. After years of campaigning for a Free Tibet I entered the western world's largest Tibetan monastery and took the founder as my teacher. Under his influence I completely reversed my principles. I realised that although with the best of intentions, the actual results of westerners protesting against the Chinese regime was to bring about greater persecution of Tibetans - i.e. it was counter-productive.

My teacher is sometimes regarded as a traitor by some Buddhists because of his stance. He insists on being politically neutral and never criticises the Chinese government. As a result he is able to spend six months of every year collecting money in the west and six months in Tibet using it to build hospitals, clinics and schools. His schools are the only schools in Tibet where the children learn Tibetan and not Chinese. He can only do this because he is not an activist.

So it was his example that inspired me to give up my activist principles, give away all my possessions and relocate to Asia where I work amongst the poorest people. Now I don't spend my time telling other people what to do, I just do it myself and maybe other people will be inspired by my example, and maybe not.

But given that Buddhism stresses the interdependent nature of reality there is no place for burying one's head in the sand and not caring about others; the issue is how does the Buddhist care? There is no blanket answer - it depends on the individual. You have to examine your motivation and ensure that it is driven by the three pillars of compassion, wisdom, and skilful means (upaya).

There are some worthy Buddhist activists in Thailand - Siva someone, monks involved in AIDS awareness campaigns and protecting forests, but it is an underdeveloped dimension in the face of new pressures that have arisen in the last half-decade.

[sabaijai]

There are some worthy Buddhist activists in Thailand - Siva someone, monks involved in AIDS awareness campaigns and protecting forests, but it is an underdeveloped dimension in the face of new pressures that have arisen in the last half-decade.

That Siva someone is Sulak Sivarak, who I often think of as Thailand's conscience. He is very lucid on this issue and I'd urge anyone seriously interested in this matter to go have a chat with him in Bangkok sometime. I've known him a long time, count him as one of my most valued friends, and can say that he's very approachable. Ajahn Sulak's approach is tactical, knowing how to choose one's battles carefully and realising that sometimes the action is only symbolic (eg, in occasions where there is no hope of "winning" at that moment)

The critique of activism in Thailand as "an underdeveloped dimension in the face of new pressures that have arisen in the last half-decade" is a notion that could be applied to the entire globe.

I think the challenge for the practicing Buddhist is to know when his intent is kusala or akusala, whether it's in social activism or brushing his teeth.

[andyinkat]

Hey Sabaijai,

You're more than earning your kammic corn as a moderator!

I'm very impressed that you count Sulak Sivarak amongst your personal friends. My deepest apologies for my faulty and disprespectful reference to him. I met him very briefly quite a few years back and it has been sometime since I read his works (was 'Seeds of Peace' one?)

I gave away my library of 3000 Dharma books and all my possessions are in a small holdall, consequently I have to rely on memory for everything I write on this forum and that memory is getting exceeedingly soggy with age.

But I very much hope to reconnect with Sulak Sivarak's thinking and maybe at some point meet him.

[sabaijai]

Hey Sabaijai,

You're more than earning your kammic corn as a moderator! 

I'm very impressed that you count Sulak Sivarak amongst your personal friends. My deepest apologies for my faulty and disprespectful reference to him.  I met him very briefly quite a few years back and it has been sometime since I read his works (was 'Seeds of Peace' one?)

I gave away my library of 3000 Dharma books and all my possessions are in a small holdall, consequently I have to rely on memory for everything I write on this forum and that memory is getting exceeedingly soggy with age. 

But I very much hope to reconnect with Sulak Sivarak's thinking and maybe at some point meet him.

Yeah I can be pretty corny sometimes. No apologies necessary, but appreciated all the same ...

I've known Ajahn Sulak since I was a student of his in 1980-81, and we've kept in touch ever since.

He can be reached via his long-running foundation Suksit Siam, 113 Fuang Nakhon Rd., Opp. Wat Ratchabophit, Bangkok 10200, www.sulak-sivaraksa.org. If you would like his email, send me a PM. He's one of the most extraordinary people I've had the pleasure to know.

At Suksit Siam you can read/buy books on engaged Buddhism, etc. Ajahn Sulak is leading a walk to the source of the Ganges at the end of August, which would be an excellent opportunity to get to to know him. I'll post that in separate thread.

Here's a link to a review of a book on this issue, at the website of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics:

A Review of Socially Engaged Buddhism for the New Millennium

[sendbaht]

WOW, andyinkat ,I sure enjoyed reading your post today.

[andyinkat]

Sabaijai,

Thanks for the leads. I may PM you at a later point as I don't know if I'll be in Bangkok any significant length of time; my job is in Isan.

I read your other post about the walk - I've been walking the Himalayas these last couple of years, but I can't afford to do an organised pilgrimage - I'm a penniless wanderer myself!