Buddhist Social Principles

Abstract

Gotama Buddha has been called the world’s first psychotherapist, but he was also socially active and spent much of his teaching career on the road engaging all elements of society in dialogue and reform rather than remaining isolated in meditation. Buddhist practice is not primarily a solitary quest, and only at times did the Buddha wander lonely as a rhinoceros. We have heard about, and some may have tried, practicing alone, living in caves or as forest renunciants. This is a special vocation, or for special times, or for unusual people. Most Buddhists most of the time lived socially, as either monastics or laity (Ray, 1994). The institutionalized forms of Buddhism that spread across Asia were similar to Western psychotherapy in giving priority to the goal of achieving individual happiness through purity and meditation in the isolation of a monastery. Governments provided support to monastics as a symbol of social harmony as long as monastics avoided secular activities and did not constitute a danger to their political power. Even though the Mahayana Buddhist reform movement challenged monastic isolationism, it also became quickly co-opted by monastic elites. Today, however, with the increased protection of constitutional governments in Asia and the spread of Buddhism to the West, a new form of “socially engaged” Buddhism has arisen that affirms that happiness cannot be attained alone. The most satisfying and lasting happiness involves a life not only free of hatred and fear, but lived in compassion and action for others. Based on an earlier study in Buddhist Peacework: Creating Cultures of Peace, this article will explore the social principles of Buddhism as a dimension of Buddhist mindfulness practice. The inner dialogue taught by the Buddha to his disciples was also expressed in a social dialogue – not unlike that of Socrates and Confucius – and evolved into Chapter 12

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