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 Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:35 pm
I see that a number of religions (such as Christianity) place large emphasis on helping the poor and needy.
Is there something similar that pracitcing Buddhists do? I am not sure if it is even mentioned in Buddhist texts but I think it does in a way as helping other beings and accumulating good karma (deeds, practice, etc)
There is also the Tzu Chi foundation that is run by a Buddhist nun and helps the poor and needy in many parts of the world.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:32 am
In a manner of speaking, yes. Monastics effectively live in poverty, and the laity support them. But beyond that, historically the monasteries were major places of learning where people went to learn to read, write, do basic math, as well as to receive the teachings.
Education seems to be the predominant way in which Buddhists try to help the world, and this makes sense to me. There are many movements out there that try to stop wars and end poverty, but unless we address the causes of these things then there will always be war and poverty. We have to look at the attachment to material wealth that creates poverty, as well as the anger and pride that creates war. Treating the cause rather than the symptom.
Shortly after the Boxing Day Tsunami in South-East Asia, monks went out and rescued as many animals as they could. The people were being helped by others, but the animals didn't have anyone to come to their rescue at first.
These actions stem from the general Buddhist principles of compassion and wisdom. It helps those of the Mahayana fulfill their Bodhisattva Vow, but mostly it's just the right thing to do, and anyone who has cultivated any degree of altruism would help. biggrin
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:20 am
Yes, education has been a staple of the Buddhist way, and has come to be the major source of Buddhist philanthropy. However, many modern Nichiren sects of Buddhism in Japan pride themselves on being "socially-involved" sects. While it is not direct philanthropy, like you were looking for, these sects are primarily activist, striving for social equality and a path of peace. Most notable among these are Soka Gakkai, which has grown into an international rights organization, and Nipponzan Miyohoji, a sect devoted entirely to pacifism in the face of war.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:44 pm
I'm not sure these new more socialy active buddhist are all that good. Christians have been trying to do good in the world some quite some time and most of its gone rather wrong. The world really dosent need one more group handing out cash just so that it can look good all while enabaling wrong behaviour in people.
People will raise themselves out of poverty if given the chance. Buddhist had the right method before. Teach those that wish to listen.
Now of course this is different from say an evil goverment that keep people in poverty. Then it should be opposed. Though what role buddhist should take in such action I do not know.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:50 am
I'm not a fan of most of the socially-involved sects, I just wanted to point out that they exist. Nipponzan Myohoji, however, is a fabulous group with an interesting story. You should read about them if you have the time, I'm not going to go into that here. But their focus is on complete pacifism, as well as activism, which is much more than most can claim. Their primary goal isn't to change the governments or politics of the world, but to spread peace. And, unlike many of the other sects, they're very forward about the Buddhist bias. Rather than try to make everyone agree and approach all objectors with religion-neutral philosophy, Nipponzan makes no argument about their Buddhist preference.
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