Book Description
Engaged Buddhist leaders make some of the most important contributions in the Buddhist world to thinking about issues in political theory, human rights, nonviolence, and social justice. Being Benevolence provides for the first time a rich overview of the main ideas and arguments of prominent Engaged Buddhist thinkers and activists on a variety of questions: What kind of political system should modern Asian states have? What are the pros and cons of Western "liberalism"? Can Buddhism support the idea of human rights? Can there ever be a nonviolent nation-state? It identifies the roots of Engaged Buddhist social ethics in such traditional Buddhist concepts and practices as interdependence, compassion, and meditation, and shows how these are applied to particular social and political issues. It illuminates the movement’s metaphysical views on the individual and society and goes on to examine how Engaged Buddhists respond to fundamental questions in political theory concerning the proper balance between the individual and society. The second half of the volume focuses on applied social-political issues: human rights, nonviolence, and social justice.
Sallie King, one of the foremost authorities on the subject, conveys with sophistication and appreciation the vision and motivation behind the multiple inspiring examples of Engaged Buddhist action and draws a concrete picture of the kind of world that Engaged Buddhism is trying to build. She has written a book that will interest not only those who want a deeper understanding of contemporary activist Buddhism but also those seeking a fresh point of view as they contemplate the challenges of the contemporary world.
