Buddhism and Social Justice

For the last few days I've been pondering what my introductory post to this freshly blossoming blog should be like. Then I decided that given the auspicious circumstances of having no formal higher education to pursue at the moment, and with only part time work hours taking up my schedule, I can grant myself the great leisure of instituting my own academic syllabus for this Fall semester. Having graduated college over a year ago, and understandably needing some retreat from that intellectually intensive approach to growth and education, I feel I have been long enough away from the relative rigors of academia and the time is ripe to assign myself my own independent (though much less rigorous!) curriculum.

I recently revisited a book I began reading over the summer called An End to Suffering: the Buddha in the World, by Pankaj Mishra. Dr Lye had recommended it, and after reading the description I could see why. The back-cover blurb describes the book as, "A search to understand the Buddha's relevance in today's world, where religious violence, poverty, and terrorism prevail. [...] Pankaj Mishra explores the myths and places of the Buddha's life, examines the West's 'discovery' of Buddhism, and considers the impact of Buddhist ideas on modern politics."

By that description, I knew Mishra's book was just the kind of summer reading I was looking for - something that could address the seeming contradiction between a "spiritual" path such as Buddhism and the current "material" approach to political economy, and the materialistic interests of consumerism. This is perhaps a concern that might be one of several major focuses at the heart of an Urban Dharma group. Just what is the relationship between the teachings of the dharma and the practice of bodhicitta in action? Is it possible to transform society to better reflect Buddhist tenets of compassion, tolerance, loving kindness, selflessness and humility?

In my independent studies for this Fall, I plan to read and review a handful of books that I might discover myself or have recommended to me. The books and/or articles should reflect on the above questions and offer a way to better understand how Buddhism, which is all too often seen as being a deliberately removed "retreat" from a society that seems to represent so vividly the undesirable and afflicted nature of samsaric existence, can instead be seen as something that always has been socially engaged and even has important roots in early urbanization, by its role of aiding in the transition of society into early urban centers of commerce that provided the conditions for the rise of the concepts of the individual and the democratic society.

These concerns are the focus of Mishra's book, and they reflect the general course of reading I will compel myself to take up this semester. I encourage recommendations from any of you, and feel free to recommend any relevant writings even if their main focus is different or broader than what I have described here.

While reading each text, I may post reflections that hopefully will spark dialog here. After finishing each, I will offer an overall review of the work to help contribute to the formation of our group's vision and voice for Urban Dharma.

Here is a link where you can peruse Mishra's book through Google Books:

An End to Suffering: the Buddha in the World

Another link to a book of interest that will probably be next on my syllabus:

Rethinking Karma: the Dharma of Social Justice

Thanks for inviting me to this exciting new group.

Jeff