Buddhist Spirituality and Social Activism in the 20th–21st Centuries *

Engaged Buddhism (also known as Socially Engaged Buddhism) embraces the values of universal benevolence, the good of all without exception and principled nonviolence. This chapter examines the spiritual foundations of contemporary Engaged Buddhism and surveys some of the major forms of social activism found in the Buddhist world today, focusing throughout upon the interface between spirituality and activism in these movements. The chapter includes discussions of poverty and development work, response to war, genocide and invasion, human rights and well-being across the contexts of India, Thailand, Japan, Tibet and China, Vietnam and Cambodia.