"THINK SANGHA" |
The "Think Sangha" is an engaged Buddhist Think Tank that uses a Buddhist Sangha model to explore pressing social issues and concerns. The group's methodology is one based in friendship and Buddhist practice as much as in theory and thought. The Think Sangha's core activities are networking with other scholar-activists, producing Buddhist critiques and models on social issues, and providing materials and resource persons for conferences on social issues and workshops with grassroots movements. The Think Sangha's first major project is a critical analysis of the crisis of consumption patterns in the modern capitalist world, both developing and developed. This project will be launched at our second international meeting in Japan from May 27 - 30.
In 1992, at the third annual INEB conference, a group of thinkers and theorists within INEB formed a small peer group called the "Buddhism & Social Analysis Group." We continued to meet every year at the INEB conference and to exchange papers and letters throughout the year on engaged Buddhist social theory. In 1995, this group organized a meeting called "The Dhammic Society: Towards a Vision of Engaged Buddhism." As this was the group's first formal meeting, the goals and results were of a general nature. The number of participants was quite large, around 50 people from 20 nations. We were able to map out some of the key social issues which engaged Buddhists feel need to be addressed. They were:
Since this meeting, a core group of participants has continued on with the activities of publishing the talks given at the meeting (e.g. by Sulak Sivaraksa, Rev. Maruyama Teruo, Santikaro Bhikkhu, and Robert Aitken Roshi), expanding the network of engaged Buddhist thinkers, and forming smaller discussion groups in particular countries (groups in Japan and Thailand now regularly meet). In preparing for the next International meeting to be held two years after the 1995 meeting, the group deepened its goal of bringing a mature engaged Buddhist social theory into mainstream social discourse within both Buddhist and Western countries. This vision is the "Think Sangha."
As our group has engaged in various social issues, we are continually confronted with the challenge of mainstream ideas which often go counter to Buddhist teachings; for example, that economic and material development must always expand, or that humankind should use natural resources for its own greater glory. It is clear that many of the mainstream values of today were not so in the past. They have become mainstream through the work of smaller groups of individuals to advance them, make them known and work for their acceptance. An example is a small group of conservatives in the United States in the 1960s. With other groups, they successfully defended capitalism against the attacks of 60s radicals and have worked to make capitalism an accepted value in our societies today. There proclamation that "Communism is dead" has been widely accepted, although vibrant socialist movements continue in many parts of the world.
Today, one of the most disturbing values of this modern, capitalist society which has spread throughout the world is that religious, moral and spiritual ideas are private matters and have no place in public dialogues over political problems, world trade, or social issues such as education. This value not only reminds religious groups to stay quiet but also belittles any attempts by such groups to enter public debate.
Typically, Buddhists have bought into this mainstream value system and tend to ignore all types of social problems. Buddhists tend to neglect the social forms of the sufferings (e.g. structural greed and theft in investment banking) which they feel are so important to confront on a personal level. In Buddhism, ideas may not be enough for wisdom, compassion, and liberation, but in the world they can have consequences and develop into societal values.
If we accept this proposition, then what can we do to generate and disseminate ideas that have consequences? How can we support, encourage, nurture, and promote Buddhist intellectuals? The focus of the Think Sangha is to realize this potential for the power of ideas while attempting to re-assert the role of moral, religious and spiritual ideas into the realm of public discourse. Traditionally, these ideas had always been part of the public realm in order to guide the political, economic, and social relations of humans and also the relations between humans and other life forms on the planet.
The platform and goals of the Think Sangha are:
While theory is important and necessary, it must be grounded in the personal and real. In our analytical-critical work, the Think Sangha seeks to avoid the linear, abstract, pseudo-objectivity of mainstream male academia. Instead, we seek to inter-weave history, politics, personal and family stories, theory, and spiritual insights into a holistic model of social analysis.
Further, in such theoretical work there is the danger of ideology. Many Buddhists make an inflexible ideology of their moral beliefs. Ideology sometimes appears in the form of a covert secularism. For example, in what is supposed to be Dhammically informed debate about abusive Buddhist teachers, it is not unusual to find secular feminist ideology being used rather than Buddhist feminist insight unraveling confrontation. Ideology needs to be "emptied" before Dhammic use, so that it becomes a playful concept. Our ideas should avoid taking on the sense of absolute truth, and we should learn that our differences can be fruitful, fraternal, and valuable personal practice.
With these ideas in mind, we are forming a "sangha" as our foundation. Our sense of "sangha" is a community of people who interact, challenge, and support one another in the spirit of transformation; rather than a "think tank". To be an engaged Buddhist Think Sangha, we must avoid certain pitfalls. Firstly, there must be no separation between theory and practice; the two are seamlessly inseparable. Secondly, abstraction and real life events must be interwoven in the work, again seamlessly. By building ourselves in such a way, we may better avoid the pitfalls of static, patriarchal social theory and ideology while developing a dynamic spiritual and moral vision that is meaningful and practical to individuals in reuniting the public and personal.
The program for the Think Sangha for this year will consist of two main parts. The first will be our second international meeting in Japan from May 27 - 30. At this meeting, we will form the procedures of our Sangha group. This process will involve some of the elements outlined above facilitated through the creation of an effective networking plan. Such a plan will explore how to better:
The second focus will be our first working topic as a Sangha. This will be the topic of "Right Consumption" to be pursued in the following six months to one year. Consumption is emerging as one of the most pressing issues in present society, one which effects the developed and undeveloped worlds and spans a range of concerns from economics to environment to community development to education to sex and gender issues. Further, we feel that Buddhism and other religions have a unique and very important contribution to make to this issue. As developed in our WORKING PAPER on Consumption, we see the critical role of moral and spiritual values as an antidote to consumer values. Buddhist values can offer not only a critique of Consumerism on a structural level, but can also offer a practical method which empowers individuals to leave consumerism behind. Finally, we also have a number of partner groups in both the developed (the New Economics Foundation, UK) and developing world with which to work on this issue and create a definite impact. The Think Sangha will spend much of the seminar working on Buddhist approaches to Consumerism. We will also draw up a plan of study and writing projects (the results to be published) and networking activities for the upcoming year.
For questions and comments concerning the Think Sangha contact Jonathan Watts.
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