Being Benevolence: The Social Ethics of Engaged Buddhism

Sallie B. King

Published by University of Hawaii Press 2005

Being Benevolence

The Social Ethics of Engaged Buddhism

Sallie B. King

Volume 25 in the series Topics in Contemporary Buddhism

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824861629

Overview
Contents

About this book

Engaged Buddhism is the contemporary movement of nonviolent social and political activism found throughout the Buddhist world. Its ethical theory sees the world in terms of cause and effect, a view that discourages its practitioners from becoming adversaries, blaming or condemning the other. Its 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.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Series Editor’s Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Building from Tradition Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	12
3. Engaged Buddhist Ethical Theory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
4. Individual and Society Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
5. Human Rights Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	118
6. Nonviolence and Its Limits Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
7. Justice/Reconciliation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	202
8. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	277
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 314

eBook

Published: June 30, 2005
ISBN: 9780824861629