ABSTRACT
In any form, socially engaged Buddhism is an application of Buddhist values to the contemporary world, but it may also be considered, more specifically, as itself a form of Buddhist practice in pursuit of enlightenment. Socially engaged Buddhists sometimes suggest that engagement in social and political issues is a way, perhaps even the way, of pursuing the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Socially engaged Buddhism has been characterized in a variety of ways. Sometimes it is claimed that there are necessary conditions of socially engaged Buddhism such as non-violence. Socially engaged Buddhists often maintain that spiritual development and social activism go hand-in-hand and should be combined: pursuit of enlightenment without active compassion for others is misguided, but so is advocacy of social and political causes without the cultivation of wisdom and inner peace. Some Representative Proponents of Socially Engaged Buddhism Socially engaged Buddhism encompasses a wide variety of persons, organizations, traditions, perspectives and issues.
