For several decades, a new movement within Buddhist communities has been emerging that aims at joining various forms of activism - involving social, political, economic, and ecological concerns - with the tenets and practice of the tradition. Termed "socially engaged Buddhism," this phenomenon and perspective can be seen throughout Asia - in examples such as the work of Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam, Sulak Sivaraksa in Thailand, the Dalai Lama for Tibetans living in exile, and Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma as well as, more recently, in various forms throughout the West. This course will explore this emerging phenomenon in some depth. |