ABSTRACT
The expectation that merit can be achieved through good deeds underlies the Hindu and Buddhist practices of charitable giving and service, giving rise to a long history of social involvement and the establishment of many religious organisations (temples, monasteries, endowments, trusts, etc.), later influenced by colonialism and Christianity. Recent research on their social roles is reviewed, including their choice of activities; the ways in which religious values, beliefs and ways of doing things manifest themselves in their modes of operation; their economic and financial basis; their relations with the wider social, political and administrative contexts in which they operate; and available evidence on the outcomes of their activities. Despite the number (and size) of Hindu and Buddhist organisations with social programmes and the scale of the sector as a whole, such studies are remarkably scarce, rarely comparative and descriptive rather than evaluative. Only a few of the thousands of organisations are discussed in this chapter, which describes the evolution of some prominent Hindu philanthropic organisations associated with sects and guru-inspired movements, highlighting the fuzzy dividing line between social and political motivations. Even less research is available on Buddhist than Hindu organisations, although a case study of a development-oriented organisation inspired by socially engaged Buddhism is an exception.
