The New Kadampa Tradition is an international association of Mahayana Buddhist meditation centers that follow the Kadampa Buddhist tradition founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
Politics |
Buddhist teachings on civic engagement without attachment to outcome |
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Politics
"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry made his famous declaration at the Second Virginia Convention in 1775 and it was with similar conviction that the Buddha sat down beneath the fig tree in Bodhgaya 2,500 years ago, vowing to remain until he had attained liberation. But while Henry’s liberty was one that required radical political engagement, the Buddha sought a liberation of the mind. Shakyamuni spoke of the human condition - suffering, the cause and cessation of suffering, and the fruition of the path - but he was not involved in politics, at least not as we understand it in a democracy. In the monarchies of Brahmanic India, decisions of rule were a distant reality to the great majority of the population. More » -
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The Politics of Enlightenment: Interview with Robert Thurman
THE POINT OF DISCUSSING a Buddhist platform is not to generate something altogether new and exotic, but to reinforce enlightenment-oriented tendencies and to mobilize active Buddhist participation in American politics. It is a misunderstanding to think that enlightenment is some sort of final escape from life and that the doctrine of the unsatisfactory nature of samsara obviates any need for involvement with other beings or social responsibility. Because nirvana is selfless, there is no self that enjoys a state of being beyond the world. Selfish habits that dominate unenlightened living may be dissolved, but that leaves the aggregates of body and mind just as present in the world as they ever were. Buddha himself remained deeply engaged throughout his life after his enlightenment. Wisdom and compassion are ultimately inseparable, wisdom being the complete knowledge of ultimate selflessness and compassion being the selfless commitment to the happiness of others. More » -
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After the Flood
As usual, a cigarette is dangling from our friend Smokey's lips as she pulls up in front of our house with a load of spare plywood. “Be Nice or Leave,” it says on the rear window of her weathered old pickup truck, and “New Orleans, proud to crawl home.” It's early Sunday morning, August 28, and clouds are moving quickly across the sky. Overnight, Hurricane Katrina powered up to a Category 5, and our neighborhood is alive with last-minute preparations. Smokey helps unload the plywood, gives me an evacuation map and a kiss, then hurries home to pick up her hip boots; she knows there's going to be water. Lots and lots of water. Then she drives to Tulane Hospital, where she will spend the next four days preparing meals around the clock for dozens of doctors, nurses, patients, policemen, and firemen. More »
