ABSTRACT
These last three stories in the book tell of individuals, groups and movements who, in Thailand, India and Chile, have taken political action alongside persecuted, marginalized and outcast people, often seemingly against all odds and almost always at considerable risk to themselves. Their ‘solidarity’ has not merely been a slogan but a way of life that has both arisen from and transformed their Buddhist and Christian beliefs and practice. The stories highlight the theme of freedom: liberation from oppression both within and outside ourselves; they raise the issue of ‘realism’, showing on the one hand how carefully strategies are planned whilst on the other actions are taken on the basis of trust and hope; and they decry the notion that religion must be restricted to the private sphere.
