Should Buddhists Be Activists? (A 2,500-Year-Old Debate)

Is the Buddhist Path one of political engagement and activism, or one of disengagement and quietism? We'll look at some proponents of both views, then turn to how the early texts frame the issue. 🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: https://www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma 🧡 You can also make donations through: https://paypal.me/dougsdharma 📙 Check out my book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: https://books2read.com/buddhisthandbook ☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org. 🎙Check out my podcast with Jon Aaron, Diggin' the Dharma: https://digginthedharma.com/ ✅ Sutta mentioned: https://suttacentral.net/dhp100-115/en/sujato ✅ Articles mentioned: Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Let's Stand Up Together -- http://www.lionsroar.com/lets-stand-up-together/ Ken McLeod, "A Crooked Tree in Changing Times -- https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/dont-practice-engaged-buddhism/ Amod Lele, "Disengaged Buddhism" -- https://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2019/11/Lele_19_FD-1-1.pdf Yeshe Choesang, Tibet Post International, 02 JANUARY 2017: "World peace can only be based on inner peace: Spiritual leader of Tibet" -- https://www.thetibetpost.com/tibet-facts/artefacts/world-peace-can-only-be-based-on-inner-peace-spiritual-leader-of-tibet ✅ Video mentioned: When Words Won't Work: Self-Defense in Early Buddhism -- https://youtu.be/3aXjrEdpIjY Webpage: https://www.dougsdharma.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlinedharmainstitute/ Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@dougsdharma Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougsdharma/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@dougsdharma Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dougsdharma.bsky.social Thumbnail images courtesy of Mohamed Hassan and Vilkasss from Pixabay. ❤️ Thanks to Patreon Patrons: Anonymous (6) Omar John Oborne Debbie Mattison Ron Peat Michae