Socially Engaged Buddhism’s Role in the Buddhist Revival in

India and in the Re-Articulation of Buddhism in the 21st Century

Jonathan S. WATTS

Research Center for Buddhist Cultures in Asia (BARC)

Socially Engaged Buddhism’s Role

in the Buddhist Revival in India and

in the Re-Articulation of Buddhism in the 21st Century

Jonathan S. Watts

Introduction

The original scope of this research project was entitled “Socially Engaged Buddhism’s

Role in the Buddhist Revival in India”. While the main scope of research work took

place in India, the topic widening greatly for two reasons:

1) As India is the birthplace of Buddhism, all other Asian Buddhist traditions share

direct linkages to Indian Buddhism. In the revival of Buddhism in India, these various

Asian, and now even western, Buddhist traditions are actively taking part. This fact was

strikingly seen at the main site of the research, Bodhgaya, where Buddhists from all

over the world are very actively involved in worship and the revival of the tradition at

this most sacred of Buddhist hold sites.

2) The research was conducted largely through the lens of the activities of the

International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). INEB has a very strong Indian

membership, as witnessed by their hosting of the INEB bi-annual general conference for

the second time in 6 years (first time, Nagpur in 2005). The scope and nature of the

Indian Buddhist revival has a very important socially engaged aspect as seen at the core

of this movement in the conversion of mass numbers of formerly “untouchable” (Dalit)

classes to Buddhism as articulated by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (1891-1956), famed civil

rights activists and drafter of the modern Indian constitution.1 As with the first general

point above, socially engaged Buddhism in India, especially within the context of INEB,

involves the influence and participation of Buddhists from the rest of the world.

In this way, this research report will begin within the Indian context of the INEB

general conference held in Bodhgaya from October 19-29, 2011 and extend outwards to

1 Dahiwale, Mangesh. (2009). “An Awakened Vision: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Struggle to Re-ethicize Indian Society.” In Watts, Jonathan S. Ed. Rethinking Karma: The Dharma of Social Justice. (Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books). pp. 67-90.

see how not only Asian Buddhism, but Buddhism throughout the world, is being

re-articulated and re-created by this growing movement called Socially Engaged

Buddhism.

Defining Socially Engaged Buddhism & Introducing INEB

Socially Engaged Buddhism, or simply Engaged Buddhism, can be defined as:

the practice of Buddhism not simply for individual enlightenment but for the

enlightenment of all sentient beings through the realization of social

transformation and social justice. As such, while Engaged Buddhism seeks to

relieve immediate suffering through social welfare activities, it goes deeper to

discover, examine, and root out the causes of suffering in structural violence

and cultural violence. This engagement takes place through critical

self-awareness and transformation on three levels: the personal or individual,

the relational or communal, and the social or systemic. Finally, the

understanding of Buddhism is as dharma, an inclusive and ecumenical way of

practice that rejects evangelical aims and serves all sentient beings.

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) began

in February 1989 in Siam (Thailand) at a conference of 36

concerned ordained and laypersons from 11 countries. From the

beginning, the network has been guided by leading founder

Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand.2 He more than any other has

formed the foundation of INEB’s culture not only through his

strong personality but also through his incredible international

network of kalyanamitra (spiritual friends), which served as the

original base of the INEB network.

Three of Ajahn Sulak’s most important Buddhist kalyanamitra became INEB’s

original three patrons: His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Thich Nhat Hanh of

Vietnam, and Buddhadasa Bhikkhu of Thailand. INEB describes the role of these

patrons as “acting as guiding lights for the entire network through their lifelong

2 Swearer, Donald K. (1996). “Sulak Sivaraksa’s Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society.” In Queen, Christopher S. and King, Sallie B. Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia. (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press). pp. 195-235.

2011

commitment to the Dharma”.3 As figureheads, in a positive sense, these three Buddhist

masters have established an approach and understanding of Buddha Dharma and

manifested it in a way of living and engaging in society that serves in many ways as an

ideal template for INEB work.

Over the years, the network has expanded to assemble Buddhists as well as

non-Buddhists from more than 20 countries from Asia, Europe, America and Oceana.

Out of this diversity, INEB has become the leading voice in articulating Socially

Engaged Buddhism in the world, while integrating the practice of Buddhism with social

action. This commitment to global community based on the universal truths of wisdom

and compassion is said to guide all of their activities.

INEB brings together Buddhist and non-Buddhist based organizations around the

world to share resources and to support each other’s work. The network also links

activists, spiritual leaders, academics, and young people in areas of common concern.

INEB speaks of how it roots itself in “the treasure of personal relationship that raises the

original spirit of sangha in a contemporary, multi-cultural context.”4 INEB participants

work in a decentralized manner, while the Secretariat in Thailand maintains a flow of

information, support, and cohesion, with programs and joint activities that build

participants’ capacities.

The general goals of INEB are to:

1. To promote understanding and cooperation among Buddhist countries,

Buddhist sects, and socially conscious Buddhist groups.

2. To identify and address the structural and personal suffering facing our

communities, societies, and the world.

3. To articulate the perspective of engaged Buddhism regarding this suffering,

and to train Buddhist activists to respond effectively.

4. To serve as a network of information and resources on engaged Buddhism.

5. To cooperate and collaborate with activists from other spiritual traditions and

social change organizations.5

From these general goals, INEB has developed key areas of concern and engagement

around which it is building sub-networks and specific programs:

3 INEB Constitution, unpublished document, 2010.4 INEB Concept. http://www.inebnetwork.org/ineb/concept5 INEB Concept. http://www.inebnetwork.org/ineb/concept

• Alternative development and Buddhist economics (including the INEB Right

Livelihood Fund)

• Peace and reconciliation

• Environment (including the INEB Inter-Religious Dialogue on Climate

Change)

• Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (including the Buddhist

Education for Social Transformation (BEST) program)

• Alternative education

• Human rights and social justice

• Reform and revival of Buddhist institutions

• Youth and spiritual leadership development (including the INEB Young

Bodhisattva program)

• Inter-religious Dialogue (including INEB’s Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue)

• Dharmic culture and art

Participation in INEB is open to all, Buddhist and non-Buddhist, who share the same

interests and a fundamental commitment to non-harmful engagement. Their level of

participation and responsibility in INEB depends on the individual’s ability to devote

time and energy to communicate and cooperate with others.

Overview of the INEB 2011 Bi-annual Conference in Bodhgaya, India

The main platform for the development and intercultural exchange of INEB’s vision,

aims, objectives, and action is the general conference, held every two years on a rotating

country basis. The INEB 2011 Bi-annual Conference was held in Bodhgaya, India,

coinciding with the 2,600-year celebration of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The

conference was attended by over 250 people from the Asian region and beyond,

including, of course, a large representation from India The diversity of participants who

attended the conference from 31 countries illustrated the strong spirit of non-sectarian

Buddhism that INEB embodies.

The conference venue was located among the temple grounds of the new Thai

temple, Wat Pa Buddhagaya. The temple supported an atmosphere balanced between

the seriousness of discussion and dialogue on the conference theme - The Future of

Buddhism: From Personal Awakening to Global Transformation - with the core INEB

philosophy of building relationships among diverse participants. Being next to the

Mahabodhi temple where the Buddha attained enlightenment also helped participants to

connect with the Buddha’s teachings and their relevance in today’s world.

The space for dialogue and sharing also supported groups from marginalized areas,

who were able to utilize the conference as a platform for open dialogue. This was

especially relevant for the participants from countries, such as Myanmar, who were able

to meet and share among themselves in a way that is not possible in their country. The

diversity of participants at the conference also provided opportunities for them to

explore and expand connections of solidarity, learning, and exchange.

Conference themes on the Future of Buddhism that were explored were based on a

shared understanding of engaged Buddhism's perspective of critical engagement

through awareness of structural and cultural violence and its causes, and of a deepening

personal engagement with Buddhism through practicing the precepts and understanding

of the 4 Noble Truths. The conference events had spiritual, intellectual, relational,

practical, informational, and celebrational aspects as described below:

Spiritual: The context of Bodhgaya as the place where the Buddha attained

enlightenment naturally brought a spiritual element to the conference and participants,

with the Mahabodhi temple being an important site for both meditation and

contemplation. Daily meditations that took place early every morning at the Mahabodhi

temple were guided by groups from the various Buddhist traditions. Some days during

the conference the morning sessions also began with chanting and prayer from different

Buddhist sects. This supported an appreciation of the different traditions and

expressions of Buddhism represented within the INEB family.

Intellectual: Keynote

addresses were part of the first

morning session and given by

co-founder Ajarn Sulak

Sivaraksa, Venerable

Khyentse Rinpoche 6 , INEB

Executive Committee

Chairperson Harsha Navaratne,

and Phra Buddhaban, the

abbot of Wat Pa Buddhagaya.

While also attracting ‘walk-ins’ in addition to the registerd participants, these talks were

given in front of a packed audience. These speeches held within them key thoughts and

perspectives and personal reflections to stimulate new ways of intellectual thinking

among the audience. The following three morning plenary sessions were held on the topics of: “Dharma

for the Future”, an intergenerational sharing session by elders on their personal

development and life experiences, and “Sangha for the Future”. These plenary sessions

helped to identify key issues for INEB and its members to explore further in relation to

the future of Buddhism.

A total of twenty workshops were offered twice over the four-day conference. With

the theme of the conference in mind, these workshops ranged from new media, to

dharmic education, climate change, conflict transformation, and sustainable

communities. Resource persons with expertise in these areas were invited to facilitate

the workshops. These workshops were grounded in social issues, and reflected many

varying approaches and strategies to engaged Buddhist practice.

Relational: One of the aims of the conference was provide a platform for sharing

learning experiences with one another. This was consistent with INEB’s philosophy that

embodies a culture of sharing and the spirit of kalyanamitra (spiritual frienship) across

generations, genders, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. This was specifically

explored in one of the plenary sessions on inter-generational sharing as well as amongst

the youth contingent in their pre-conference workshop.

6 Khyentse, Dzongsar Jamyang. (2008). What Makes You Not a Buddhist (Boston: Shambhala)

Practical: Some of the workshops offered practical skills for the participants. These

included non-violence and mediation skills, caring for the dying and bereaved, as well

as more diverse techniques, such as film making and website design, offered by a range

of experienced practitioners. The youth who attended the pre-conference youth

workshop were also involved in set-up and coordination of the conference. They were

able to utilize the skills developed during their workshop to work together in teams to

support the logistics and running of the conference, including organizing the cultural

exchange evening.

Informational: Space was given for organizations to share their work within the

conference; yet building connections person-to-person was the key means for spreading

information and building knowledge and relationships among each other and across

organizations. At the registration area, organizational information was displayed with

campaigns, pamphlets, as well as other tables set up where some organizations shared

information to the wider conference participants. During the youth workshop, each

organization represented presented an overview of their work in order to build networks

among areas of common interest.

The INEB website and Facebook sites also functioned as a source of information

sharing, and continue to do so post-conference. A new INEB youth site has been set up

and is very active, along with new comments and discussion on the INEB site. A

database is also being developed consisting of all INEB’s members, including all those

who attended the conference, which will be used as an information-sharing platform.

Celebrational: In support of the Buddhist Art Gathering that took place prior to the

conference, the resulting artworks were displayed in the main meeting hall over the

duration of the conference. There was also a film night and photographic slideshow

with a talk given by Matteo Pistono, based upon his newly published book, In the

Shadow of the Buddha, which traces his pilgrimage to Tibet.7 A cultural celebration was

facilitated by the Youth Gathering participants on one evening, including cultural

sharing from Japan, Malaysia, America, Indonesia, India, and Ladakh, and culminating

with the entire audience participating in dancing led by the Myanmar group.

The closing of the conference took place on the final evening with a silent candle-lit

7 Pistono, Matteo. (2011). In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual Discovery in Tibet. (New York: Dutton Adult).

procession to the Mahabodhi temple led by Bhikkhuni Dhamananda and Ajarn Sulak

Sivaraksa. As a closing and moving farewell for the participants, it gave inspiration

through the connection of the learning experiences from the conference with the life and

teachings of the Buddha.

Morning Plenaries

Morning plenaries were organized on to stimulate in-depth and critical dialog on issues

of common concern to all Buddhist traditions. The sessions used a “fishbowl” format.

Eight key resource people with informed views on the selected topics sat at the round

table. All other conference participants were seated around them as observers. The

roundtable participants included lay and ordained men and women from different

Buddhist contexts with a wide range of experiences and perspectives. For the first 2

hours, the roundtable participants had an in-depth facilitated dialog on the themes. For

the final 1 hour, general participants had the opportunity to ask questions, share views

and engage in the dialog.

Dharma for the Future

Panelists: Ven. Sumati Sasana (India), Nigel Crawhall (South Africa), Naresh Mathur

(India), Mangesh Dahiwale (India), Joan Halifax Roshi (United States), Melva Yolla

(Indonesia), Minyong Lee (Korea). Moderator: Vidyananda (Malaysia)

This was quite a lively discussion with good interaction from the audience. The opening

question was: “How to prepare for a future we cannot predict?” Most of the responses

explored what we need to do as Buddhists now in order to create a better future as well

as what issues are important for Buddhists to engage in. Vidyananda then picked up

some points from this discussion, especially by panelists sharing on local issues. He

pointed out that we may need a bigger, more global response to these issues. Then he

asked, “Should or could Buddhism be ‘global’ in its response? Should the dharma be a

global social force for change?”

One important comment from the audience was on the need for the dharma to be

non-discriminatory and to accept diversity followed by the question of whether or not

an enlightened society is by virtue a Buddhist society. This discussion was within the

context of the experience of India’s scheduled caste Buddhists, Ambedkar’s work

towards a nation with no discrimination, and Gandhi and Ambedkar’s discussion around

the issue of “freedom of man” versus “freedom of land” during India’s independence

movement.8 Responses by the panelists explored the need to build a nation that

embraces the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity rather than a purely religious

society, and the need for Buddhists to not form a political party but rather create the

conditions for people to develop compassion, wisdom, and understanding of others,

allowing all voices to be heard.

Generational Sharing

Penlists: Bhikkhuni Dharmananda (Thailand), Dharmacari Lokamitra (United

Kingdom), Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke (United States), Hisashi Nakamura (Japan),

Venerable Tsering Palmo (Ladakh), Venerable Kalupahana (Sri Lanka), Hsiang-Chou

Yo (Taiwan). Moderator: Naresh Mathur (India)

This panel topic gave the opportunity for senior engaged Buddhist activists to explore

and share experiences from their life paths as well as the process of transmitting and

mentoring to the next generation within their institutions. The moderator further

prodded the panel about the transmission to the next generation and the concerns, issues,

and problems involved in this process. Many of the answers looked beyond

transmission as individuals to the core aim of their work.

8 Guha, Ramachandra. (2001). An Anthropologist Among The Marxists And Other Essays. (New Delhi: Permanent Black).

Sangha for the Future

Panelists: Richard Dixey (United Kingdom), Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (Bhutan),

Phra Thanomsing (Thailand), Dharmachari Maitreyanath (India), Bhikkhuni Jenkir

Shih (Taiwan), Anchalee Kurutach (Thailand). Moderator Jonathan Watts (United

States)

As moderator, I became a participant-researcher for this session focused on a critical

assessment of the ordained and lay sanghas. I opened the session by introducing the

notion of Sangha, which some people define as only monks, while others define Sangha

as the four assemblies of ordained monks and nuns, and lay men and women. For others,

Sangha means a community, which may also include non-Buddhists.

The first question I then posed was: “For your own Sangha, what is the key or

critical issue right now?” A common response that emerged was the problems with

education, especially monastic education. Among the panellists, many different

concepts of Sangha emerged from traditional lay and ordained to new forms, such as the

TBMSG Sangha based in the lay-ordained leadership of dharmachari.9 The next

question I posed was: “What is you future vision of Sangha; what should it look like?’

Some of the themese that emerged were: Today’s Sangha is facing many critical issues,

especially the ordained Sangha in terms of the need to maintain the vinaya as the

foundation of any monastic Sangha. Accountability for maintaining the Sangha was

discussed through the usage of dana in supporting or not supporting monastic Sangha

members, as well as a social reforms towards the role of the lay community in holding

the monastics accountable.

9 Sponberg, Alan. (1996). “TBMSG: A Dhamma Revolution in Contemporary India.” In Queen, Christopher S. and King, Sallie B. Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia. (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press). pp. 73-120.

Afternoon Workshops

Over the four days of the conference, workshops were held twice to give people the

opportunity to attend as many as possible. There was a wide range of topics, touching

on the overall theme of the Future of Buddhism. Each day ended with summaries shared

among the larger group. Many participants presented summaries rather than the

facilitators, showing the interactive process with everyone having valid experience to

share and the workshops as learning circles rather than led by one person.

Challenges of the (monastic) Sangha: This workshop was led by Venerable Bhikkhuni

Dhammananda of Thailand. Challenges discussed included: education – how to revive

the Sangha and focus content on the Tripitaka; attitudes – how to be more relevant to

society; gender – representation and equality; non-sectarianism – Buddhism as a core

focus rather than sectarian differences; consumerism – the monastic Sangha is now

becoming more affected and there is a pressing need to build awareness around this

issue. There was much discussion on patriarchy as practiced in Asian traditions and

reflected in Buddhist values and educational systems. The recommendations included

tackling this through analysis of texts in other languages in order to compare different

perspectives; for women to also challenge structures and attitudes; and for women to

think of themselves as capable. Changing male attitudes would also help.

Mediation, Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding: This workshop was led by

long-time practitioners Jill Jameson (Australia) and Alan Senauke (United States) as

well as Venerable Manjusri (Sri Lanka). They discussed three levels of conflict:

personal conflict, between individuals, and transpersonal. They shared tools and skills

for how to contemplate and map conflict. This included looking at the parties involved,

influences, and other areas that are party to the conflict. They explored this tool because

of its usefulness in helping to bring a view that is informed, rather than a reactive one.

Examples were shared among the group and analysed together, putting into practice the

tools and approaches learned.

New Media: This workshop was led by Lim Kooi Fong from Malaysia who facilitates

an international website specifically on Buddhist news called the Buddhist Channel. He

presented his experience and also explored right speech and free speech in the media.

More practically, he introduced web tools for increasing the access to information and

sharing among organisations, as well as marketing. It was recommended that many

organisations need to upgrade their websites with clearer homepages and links to basic

information.

Visiting Sacred Spaces of Bodhgaya: This workshop was actually a walking course led

by Richard Dixey (United Kingdom) who is a long term resident of Bodhgaya. He led

the groups to many places in Bodhgaya relating to the Buddha that included the famed

Mahabodhi temple and Bodhi tree where the Buddha gained enlightenment.

Dhammic Education for Children: This workshop was facilitated by Vidyananda10

(Malaysia), Venerable Sumati Sasana (India), and Naresh Mathur (India), all of whom

have experience in home schooling and dharmic education. Firstly, they led discussion

on how Buddhism can be integrated into existing educational systems. During the

second session they led a visit to a local school under the Alice Project, in order to see

an example of dharmic education in action. From the visit they were able to get a brief

overview of how they teach impermanence and reality as a projection of the mind.

Sustainable Communities: This workshop utilised participatory learning techniques to

explore four dimensions of sustainable communities. It was led by Narumon

Paiboonsittikun and Sunisa Jamviset (both from Thailand) who are involved in

ecovillage design education and the Global Ecovillage Network. They facilitated the

participants to share their personal experiences of social, economic, environmental, and

worldview dimensions within their communities. After this exploration, they led an

exercise whereby each participant either offered or asked for support in one aspect of

strengthening community. As they created linkages of support, this helped to affirm a

network among them to continue exploring after the conference.

Waste Management: This workshop, led by Matteo Pistono (United States) and

members of the Deer Park Institute (India), identified that INEB was not a zero waste

conference, so together they decided to address this through the following points: place

rubbish segregation bins in the dining room; ask participants to use cloth napkins rather

10 Chong, Wai Leng. (2008). Learning Beyond Schooling: Bringing Out Children’s True Potentials. (Selangor, Malaysia: Pelanduk Publications).

than paper ones; take only food you need to reduce waste; switch off fans and lights

when not in use; and request the organisers to include a zero waste perspective when

designing the conference, e.g., using non-plastic name tags and local products. For

carbon footprint offsets, a box for donations for tree planting was put at the registration

booth. The contributions were presented to the Sewalanka Foundation in Sri Lanka who

have a “Green Temple” project and will take participants of the upcoming 2012

Buddhism and Climate Change conference to see the campaign.

Death and Dying: As the workshop convener, I once again participated as

participant-researcher.11 This workshop evolved not only out of concerns within the

INEB network but my own research at the Jodo Shu Research Institute in Tokyo.

Through this research, I indentified four resources persons for the workshop: Rev. Joan

Halifax (United States), Venerable Bhikkhuni Tsung Tsuen (Taiwan), Venerable

Tsering Palmo (Ladkah, India) Poolchawee Ruangwichatorn representing Venerable

Phaisan Visalo (Thailand) – everyone except Ven. Tsung Tsuen has had long term

affiliations with INEB. One of the important aspects discussed was not only Buddhist

practices for death and dying but developing the structures and caregivers to support

people. We looked at methods and systems, especially cultivating chaplains and the

intensive training they need for caring for the dying as well as sustaining themselves.

The speakers also touched upon the connection between mind and body in the reaction

to grieving and how to get in touch with empathy and compassion in order to be with

others in difficult times.

11 Watts, Jonathan S. and Tomatsu, Yoshiharu. Eds. (2012). Buddhist Care for the Dying and Bereaved: Global Perspectives. (Boston: Wisdom Publications).

Emergency Response/Humanitarian Assistance: This workshop was led by Rev. Kobo

Inoue (Japan) and Lakshi Abeyasekara (Sri Lanka). They looked at examples of

humanitarian assistance and methods, especially in terms of the earthquake, tsunami and

nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 and the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004. 12

World Day of Prayer and Action for Children: This workshop was led by the Chair of

the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, Gul Chandra Gautum. They talked

about the future of Buddhism and humanity resting on how we nurture our children. The

workshop’s outcome consisted of recommendations for INEB to start a children’s

programme; for all representative organisations to enact prayers and actions for

children; for each person to treat children non-violently; and to influence others to

advocate for child-friendly policies.

Non-Violent Communication Skills: Practitioners Jeyanthy Siva (India) and Christiaan

Zandt facilitated a participatory workshop on Non Violent Communication Skills. Here

participants were able to learn and practice NVC skills relating to needs, feelings, and

requests.

Photography and Filmmaking: Angkit Pogula, an Indian filmmaker, led this workshop,

focusing on film as a medium for communication. The group explored together what is

being communicated and how to read a film. They also explored the more internalized

processes of what value or part of reality one communicates in filmmaking as well as

awareness of self in the process. The group explored these questions through watching

and analysing short films, and also practicing photography.

Nationality and Identity: This workshop was led by Thant Lwin Maung (Myanmar) and

Jacqui Chagnon. In the first session, they discussed identity, including recognition of

participant diversity through one nationality group represented by five ethnic groups

within the discussion group. They discussed the difficulties of ethnic minority groups

to link with majority ones, while also finding some successes of recognition of

multi-ethnicities within one country. Their recommendations were for INEB and

partners to focus on youth, interethnic, and national exchanges. Interestingly, a separate

12 Watts, Jonathan S. (2011). This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti-Nuclear Activism in Post 3/11 Japan. (Yokohama: International Buddhist Exchange Center).

discussion grew out of this workshop between Sri Lankan and Myanmar monks, who

shared experience and built up mutual understanding. They made a decision to develop

a program on Sri Lanka and Myanmar dialogue, building on their common values of

Buddhism. Their first goal is to start an exchange with Sri Lanka monks visiting

Myanmar for learning vipassana meditation and for Myanmar monks to visit Sri Lanka

for Pali language studies.13

Buddhist Economics: Jun

Nishikawa (Japan), Hans Van

Willenswaard (Netherlands),

Apichai Puntasen (Thailand), and

Hisashi Nakamura (Japan) are all

part of INEB’s working group on

Buddhist Economics. They

presented the workshop with the aim

to develop an action-research

framework to clarify, strengthen, and promote Buddhist Economics as well as to initiate

a long-term cooperative network. The key point resulting from the workshop was

discussion on changing from a “matter” economy to a “mind” economy. One theory in

economics is utility, but this was discussed as too narrow a concept to do justice to

human beings. They then moved on to explanations of how “happiness” can be a

foundation of economy, with a Buddhist economics based on sharing or serving. They

also discussed Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), where the

government has developed tools for screening actions based on balanced

socio-economic development, environment, culture, and good governance, whereby a

system of governance is in place to create an environment where people can pursue

happiness.

Empowerment of Marginalised Groups: This workshop was led by Monica Garry

(United States) and Mangesh Dahiwale (India). The group discussed in terms of needs:

quality education, outreach, human rights advocacy, revival of Buddhism, addressing

child labour, and improving economic wellbeing through right livelihood. The

13 Watts, Jonathan S. (2009). “The ‘Positive Disintegration’ of Buddhism: Reformation and Deformation in the Sri Lankan Sangha.” In Watts, Jonathan S. Ed. Rethinking Karma: The Dharma of Social Justice. (Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books). pp. 91-132.

recommendations from their discussions were that INEB should take up the issue of

marginalised people such as Dalits, bringing it to the international level to raise its

visibility. The INEB network should use its resources to empower marginalised people

through media, government contacts, solidarity, and other resources.

Organic Agriculture and Green Marketing: This group was facilitated by Thilak

Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka) and Wallapa van Willenswaard (Thailand), both experienced

organic marketers. They exchanged information on topics such as bio-dynamics, CSA,

marketing and product development, and shared success stories such as Organic Asia.

The group is considering networking between countries as well as more education and

awareness, especially on products in terms of value over cost. They also recommended

building a greater awareness among consumers as a point of social transformation.

Working with Rejected Populations: This workshop was led by Venerable Thanomsing

Sukosalo (Thailand) who works with prisoners in Thailand. The group defined who are

the rejected and how they become rejected. They found that rejection can happen in the

family, community, and through social constructions, but that it often starts from the

family and expands from there. For solutions, they explored working on unjust social

constructions of identity in education and the need to work from oneself by recognizing

commonalities rather than pitying. This group was able to share very deeply,

encouraging each other to start with our own practice.

Youth Awakening: This group was facilitated by Melva Yolla (Indonesia), Suresh

Baudhha (India) and Bobo Lwin (Myanmar), who are all youth working with youth

groups within their country contexts. The group explored issues facing youth and found

a common problems across countries such as: consumerism, lack of traditional culture,

fragmented families, dependency on technology, lack of personal vision, lack of self

knowledge and spiritual understanding. The solutions to deal with these issues focused

on three dimensions: spirituality, social responsibility, and livelihood. In terms of

spirituality, they found that reform is needed in how the dharma is being taught. It

should be applicable in daily life and easy to share with others as well as facilitating

free thinking. Regarding social responsibility, youth need critical and positive thinking

with exposure to social problems around them while getting involved in policy and

advocacy. Regarding livelihood, youth need to know how to balance needs and wants.

Youth should be encouraged to find or create jobs that don’t harm others or the

environment. They would also benefit from more vocational and professional skills.

Overall, one common issue was found within all problems: the lack of spirituality and

critical thinking in the current education system, which doesn’t help them to see what

they want to do in their life.

Gender Identity: Sathis de Mel facilitated this workshop, focusing on Buddhism and

gender. The group found that Buddhism often institutionalises social constructions of

women. Even though Buddhism, compared to other religions, treats women as equals,

the situation in the temple is very different. They explored also that Buddhism is gender

blind and doesn’t focus on inequalities, because of the assumption that people are equal.

Therefore, the practices in temples go against the main teachings of Buddhism. Lastly,

it was pointed out that most conference presenters at the workshops and on the panel

discussions were men, yet at least half participants were female. They recommended for

INEB to take a role and act as a forum to address this issue.

Buddhism and Climate Change:

This workshop was led by

“climatologists” John and Diane

Stanley (United Kingdom) and

Nigel Crawhall (South Afirca),

who presented an updated picture

of climate change caused by fossil

fuel usage. As it will further

marginalise vulnerable populations,

they suggested the need to integrate this theme into existing programmes for social

change. Social movements on this issue need to also focus on the quality of democracy

in terms of accountability. Recommendations from the group included informing the

monastic Sangha, so they can include it in their teachings; climate mitigation actions at

the village level to halt impacts; and for INEB to take a role in climate change education.

On the second day, Rev. Hidehito Okochi (Japan) also gave a presentation on nuclear

power in Japan and alternatives in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.14

14 Watts, Jonathan S. (2011). “A Futuristic Priest Whose Time Has Arrived: Rev. Hidehito Okochi.” In This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti-Nuclear Activism in Post 3/11 Japan. (Yokohama:

Buddhist Art Gathering and Workshop:

Preceding the conference was a workshop

which bought together 32 artists from

across the Asian region who specialize in

Buddhist art. The event was held at the

Thai temple in Bodhgaya and the artwork

created during the workshop was

auctioned at INEB’s New York City Gala

in November 2011 as part of the network’s fundraising initiatives. The artwork was

displayed over the duration of the conference and enriched opportunities for

contemplation and celebration.

The Young Bodhisattva Training Workshop

After a three-year hiatus in the INEB Young Bodhisattva Program, the workshop held

over 5 days at the Cambodian vihara in Bodhgaya yielded quite remarkable connections

and energy. This could largely be attributed to the maturation of the seeds first planted

in 2002 by the founder of the program, former INEB Executive Secretary, Lapapan

“Anne” Supamanta. Of the 30 participants coming from 8 countries, almost all came

from organizations created as extensions of the program by alumni (Buddhist Youth

Empowerment Program in Burma, Socially Engaged Buddhists of Ladakh in India,

Dharmajala in Indonesia) or from organizations active in the program since the

beginning (Youth Buddhist Society in India, Nagarjuna Training Institute in India, Deer

Park Institute in India, Spirit in Education Movement in Thailand). In this way, the

workshop did not have a beginner’s level atmosphere as most of the participants had

been involved in local training workshops in their own countries and had a familiarity in

looking at social issues through a Buddhist perspective. Very quickly the group

developed an intimate style of communication that grew more deeply during the

workshop and further on through the INEB Conference.

As I have been involved in the program since 2008 when I taught Buddhist social

analysis to that year’s group of young trainees, I again participated in this event as a

researcher-participant. I co-facilitated the workshop with Sunisa Jamwiset, an alumnus

of the first youth workshop in 2002 and long time member of Wongsanit Ashram in

Thailand, and Narumon Paiboonsittikun, an eco-village trainer from the Spirit in

International Buddhist Exchange Center). pp. 168-76.

Education Movement in Thailand. Through the whole program, we did our best to

provide frameworks for the young participants to discover what aspects of Buddha

Dharma and what aspects of society are important for them as they endeavor to develop

themselves as Dharma practitioners and social activists.

In this way, Sunisa and

Narumon spent the entire

first day of the workshop

doing experiential activities

for the participants to

develop a certain level of

intimacy needed for

meaningful communication

and to help them define the

ways that they would

communicate over the coming days. The second day was largely facilitated by myself as

the group plunged into Buddhist social analysis using the Four Noble Truths to examine

and analyze the issues in their respective communities. This day was devoted just the

first two Noble Truths, the direct experience of dukkha and the structural and cultural

causes behind it.

After two days of exhilarating and exhausting interpersonal work within the

confines of the Cambodian temple, Sunisa led the group out of the temple on a

mindfulness walk through the streets of Bodhgaya to see with the eyes of the Buddha

the dukkha of human existence by following his footsteps to the Maha Bodhi temple.

Anyone who has travelled in India and especially spent time in Bodhgaya, amidst its

wonders and sufferings, naturally develops a much deeper appreciation and

understanding of the social impact of the Buddha’s teaching. In the afternoon and

evening the participants spent time with the artists at the nearby Thai temple who were

part of the first INEB International Buddhist Art Gathering.

With energies recharged, I led the group on the fourth day through the third and

fourth Noble Truths, a process of envisioning dharmic community in their locales and

regions and the structural and cultural foundations of such a community. This work

flowed into the last day in which participants looked at action plans for the immediate

future and learned from INEB’s present Executive Secretary, Somboon Chungprempree,

about the overall structure of the INEB Young Bodhisattva program—3 levels of: 1)

local training, 2) international and specialized trainings, and 3) support for creative new

programs by individual young bodhisattvas. Vidyananda from Malaysia also gave a

presentation on INEB’s new Right Livelihood Fund, which is a social investment fund

aimed at supporting grassroots Buddhist based social projects.

The INEB Young Bodhisattva program is perhaps the most successful sustained

program coming out of the INEB Secretariat itself. Proof of this was clear in the very

conference in Bodhgaya this time, which was developed, coordinated, and executed on

the ground by Young Bodhisattva alumni and present participants from the three Indian

host organizations: Youth Buddhist Society, Nagarjuna Training Institute, Deer Park

Institute. In 2002, the need for a new generation of INEB leaders was apparent, and

INEB was in a critical state of reformation. Now, a decade later, INEB is thriving, and

much of it is due to the energy and leadership coming from the first generation of these

Young Bodhisattva alumni who occupy important positions within their own engaged

Buddhist organizations and also within INEB’s core leadership structures. The focused

enthusiasm of this present group of participants bodes very well for the future of not just

INEB but of the meaningful development of engaged Buddhism at the grassroots level

across Asia. With a new restructured Young Bodhisattva Program and the development

of other INEB programs like the Right Livelihood Fund, INEB hopes to be able to more

effectively nurture the vision and aims of these young Bodhisattvas.

However, besides the “important work” that lies ahead for these young participants,

the greatest impact of this past five day workshop was the incredible bonding that took

place amongst the participants outside of the official program; through early morning

walks to and meditation sessions at the Bodhi tree, afternoon gatherings at the Be

Happy Café, spontaneous evening gatherings to talk and play music, and unexpected

one-on-one interactions from sharing in a trip to the local store or sharing a personal

suffering. One participant remarked in the final reflection on the evening of the 5th day

that he had never been in a group that developed such intimacy in such a short time.

Perhaps it was due to the special, though not serene, energy of Bodhgaya itself; perhaps

it was the common connection in Buddha Dharma acting as a river for the participants

to immerse themselves in. Whatever the reason was, this particular workshop realized

INEB’s highest ideal of developing spiritual friendship, kalyanamitra, which is the bond

that empowers INEB members to transforms society as they transform themselves.

Special Research in Southern India:

Interview with Gauthama Prabhu of the Foundation of His Sacred Majesty

After attending the INEB Conference in Bodhgaya, I travelled together with Prof.

Hisashi Nakamura of Ryukoku University and BARC to the southern Indian capital of

Chennai in Tamil Nadu. After previous trips to India to examine Buddhism in the north,

central, and east, this was my first study in the south and the unique Buddhist revival

movement there. With Prof. Nakamura, an expert in the contemporary history of the

region, we learned from Mr. Gauthama Prabhu of the history of this Buddhist revival

movement and his own work to further develop it.

Southern India has a unique history and very different cultural outlay from other

areas of India. From the time of the great Buddhist monarch, Ashoka (r. 270-232 BC), it

became a thriving center of Buddhism, giving birth to probably three of the most

important figures in early Buddhism: Nagarjuna, the great developer of Madhyamika

from Andra Pradesh; Bodhidharma, the great developer of Zen who brought Buddhism

to China from Tamil Nadu; and Buddhaghosa, the great developer of Theravada also

from Tamil Nadu. Mr. Gauthama explained to us that when the Hindu based Chola

dynasty took control of the region in the 9th century that Buddhists loyal to the previous

regime were relegated to the underclass. Subsequently, when Brahmin Aryans from the

north invaded and took over the region in the late medieval period, they instituted the

Varna caste system, relegating the Chola to the level of Shudra (laborers) while the

Buddhists became further disenfranchised as an “untouchable class” or Dalits (“broken

people”). This is the largely the class composition as it exists today in Tamil Nadu and

southern India, without the other two classes of Kshatriya and Vaishya in the classical

Varna system and the Dalits having been labeled as nominally Hindu in 1947.

Mr. Gauthama pointed out that in fact 90% of the Dalit population of Tamil Nadu

(about 10.8 million) is actually Buddhist in its spirituality and cultural customs. They

have no culture of worshipping popular Hindu gods, such as Vishnu or Krishna, but

rather worship a variety of female deities derived from famous bhikkhuni of the

Buddhist period.

From this cultural base, Iyothee Thassar (1845-1914) led a Buddhist revival and

Dalit upliftment movement from the late 1800s until his untimely death in 1914.15 In his

youth, Thassar had come under the influence of the Theosophical Society established in

1875 in the United States and later moved by Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar near Chennai.

This movement, however, was short lived because of two wider, overarching

movements: the Dravidian cultural and political movement in South India (dominated

by Hindu Shudra) and the Indian national movement (dominated by northern Brahmins).

According to Mr. Gauthama, the rise of the latter in the 1800s forced upon the British

certain concessions that led to the increased marginalization and disenfranchisement of

Dalits. They were banned from the British Indian army and the universities and

educational systems set up in Southern India by the British for Dalit soldiers and their

families, from which they gained significant social standing and a source of livelihood.

The Dravidian Movement developed as a response to the Brahmanical hegemony in

the Indian national movement. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879-1973) is known as the

founder of this movement launched in 1935. However, its roots go back to Iyothee

Thassar’s work for the upliftment of the lower classes. While the movement began as an

alliance of all lower class peoples, Periyar made no mention of the influence of

Buddhism on his vision and work.

While the overarching national movement hindered the Dravidian movement, after

independence it regained its vigor with a major anti-Hindi language campaign in Tamil

Nadu in 1965, which continues even now. By this time, the Hindu Shudra had

completely taken over the Dravidian movement. They were able to force Brahmins out

of the political and bureaucratic sectors, pushing them into business where they thrive

today as the famous computer engineers from South India. The Shudra also further

marginalized Dalits, co-opting them as untouchable Hindus and forcing them off their

lands and into the cities as poor squatters. For Mr. Gauthama and his community, the

15 Aloysius, G. (2010). Dalit-Subaltern Self-Indetifications: Iyothee Thassar & Tamizhan. (New Delhi: Critical Quest).

Shudra rather than the Brahmin are now the greatest problem. The greatest number of

human rights atrocities against Dalits today are committed by Shudra.

This is where the work

began for Mr. Gauthama and

his father, a prominent regional

government minister who left

the Dravidian movement and

began his own Dr. Ambedkar

Movement in 1980. The first

level of their work is human

rights monitoring for the

incredible atrocities that are

still committed against Dalits in the region and all over the country. Through a network

called AMMAN (Academy for Meditation and Motivation for the Advancement of the

Needy), they do fact-finding of incidents, process the official reports, and then do the

legal advocacy in the courts. They also work to create awareness among the people of

their constitutional right and of strengthening their self-identity. Finally, they do policy

advocacy in the national parliament to ensure that previous programs for the upliftment

of Dalits are implemented.

The second level of their work is economic and livelihood development through the

Foundation of His Sacred Majesty, which refers to Empower Ashoka and his many

social development programs. A major focus of this work is regaining the lands that

were taken away from their community since independence. They have already

purchased two tracts of land of 40 acres and 10 acres. Their goal is to acquire 100 acres

where they can build a community based on natural farming and Buddhist economics in

the style of the nearby alternative town of Auroville. In the urban areas, they are also

training Dalits to enter the corporate sector. They have an agreement to send 600

workers per year from their institute into various local companies through corporate

affirmative action programs mandated by the national government.

The final level is their specifically Buddhist activities through the organization

called Vihara started in 2001 which now has 3,000 members. The main reason for

incorporating Buddhism into their work is the need to recreate identity within the Dalit

community and to revive its cultural heritage. They have developed a two-pronged

approach of promoting inter-caste marriage and conversion to Buddhism based on Dr.

B.R. Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste. However, Mr. Gauthama feels there is a need

to do more than convert people who actually need to internalize the teachings. In this

way, they have developed Buddhist education programs not only in teaching concepts

but also in the meditation practices of mindfulness-with-breathing (anapanasati) and

loving-kindness (metta-bhavana) as well as how to apply Buddhist teachings to daily

life and work.

In rebuilding the ancient Buddhist culture of Southern India, they have also

initiated archaeological projects to excavate and renovate the many Buddhist statues and

ruins in Tami Nadu and southern India. This work feeds into a larger aim to build a

major Buddha statue as the center of a new Buddhist community practicing right

livelihood in an environmentally friendly context.

Conclusion

Needless to say the research conducted over two weeks in India from October 19 to

November 4, 2011 was incredibly rich in depth and diversity. Follow up research was

conducted from February 28 to March 6, 2012 in Thailand that consisted largely of

charting the results of the INEB Conference into concrete actions by the INEB network.

Here at the end of 2012, a full year after the Bodhgaya conference, the following

concrete results can be observed:

Young Bodhisattva Program: 2011-2012 marks the fifth year that INEB and its

partners from four different countries have exchanged their members/volunteers as

part of an organic learning process for bringing about individual and social change.

This year’s batch consisted of 7 persons (4 males and 3 females) from 5 countries: Burma 2; Indonesia 2; Thailand 1; Bhutan 1; and Cambodia 1. From July 16 27,

2012, INEB organized another Young Bodhisattva Training in Thailand for

participants from the above exchange countries. Finally, from the Bodhgaya

conference, INEB and the Socially Engaged Buddhism of Ladakh (SEBoL) group ran a 10 day workshop on Training of Trainers for basic facilitation skills in

Ladakh, India.

Peace, Human Rights and Reconciliation: Right after the Bodhgaya conference,

Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke (United States) and Jill Jameson (Australia) from the

INEB Burma working group, visited Burma to facilitate workshops and trainings

through the INEB network. There was another round of these in February 2012

with the focus of three different training sessions being to more broadly introduce a culture of peace with peace building skills training. In November 2012, INEB

made a public statement on the conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Buddhist Economics & Right Livelihood Fund (RLF): The strategic plan of RLF

was finalized and shared with INEB’s Executive and Advisory Boards in January

2012. A business plan has been drafted which has been circulated to the

Governance and Investment Committees. Discussions with lawyers and specialists

in the social investment space have taken place and the trademark registration

process has been initiated.

Environment: The Inter-religious Dialogue on Climate Change and Biodiversity

Conservation was held in Sri Lanka from the September 23-27, 2012. Over 150

people representing 20 countries from Asia and across the planet from Buddhist,

Hindu, Baha’i, Christian, Asian animists/naturalists, and Islamic faith traditions,

gathered at Sewalanka’s Islander Center. The Inter-religious Climate and Ecology

Network (ICE Network) was created among participants, as well as their invited

contacts, and will provide a platform to develop concrete actions while also sharing

program and advocacy experiences, and relevant research and education resources.

Gender and Women’s Empowerment: INEB and the International Women’s

Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP) are organizing an Asian women’s interfaith gathering at Wongsanit Ashram, Thailand from January 18 20, 2013.

This gathering will bring together 40 women leaders and activists from diverse

faiths across Asia. They aim to build relationships, identify common needs and

challenges, draw lessons learned, and prioritize issues relating to gender and

spirituality from an Asian perspective.

Revival of Buddhism in India: On January 2, 2012, INEB organized a round table

meeting on reviving Buddhism in India at the INEB office in Bangkok. The first

round table meeting was successful in drawing together a small group of Buddhists

who have been involved in exploring this topic during the past decades and

forming a foundation for future collaboration and spiritual friendship (kalayanamitra) as a life long mission.

INEB Executive and Advisory Board Meeting in Japan: INEB with its partner

network the Japan Network of Engaged Buddhists (JNEB) successfully organized

a one week series of events from November 6-10, 2012 in Japan. The first two

days included study tours of: the areas in Fukushima affected by the nuclear

disaster, the situation of Buddhist temples in rural and urban areas, and the work of

Buddhist priests to help the suicidal and depressed. After the board meetings on the

8th and 9th, an all day public symposium and networking event with Japanese

engaged Buddhists was held on the 10th at the Kodo Kyodan Buddhist Fellowship

in Yokohama.

Inter-Religious Dialogue & the 2013 General INEB Conference: At the conclusion

of the Bodhgaya conference, Malaysia was selected as the next site of the INEB

General Conference. In response to the growing conflicts among ethnic Buddhists

and Muslims across the Asian region, it was decided that INEB and its Malaysian

partners will work with the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) to

co-host the INEB Conference in late October 2013 on the central theme of

Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue. This dialogue process was begun with a series of

meetings in the early 2000s by INEB founder Sulak Sivaraksa, JUST founder

Chandra Muzzafar, and the late President of Indonesia of Abdurahman Wahid.