Buddhist Peacework -- Creating Cultures of Peace [Paperback]

David W. Chappell (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2000

Buddhism is famous for bringing inner peace, but what about social harmony, human rights, and environmental balance? We have a responsibility today to work directly with our own suffering and the suffering in our communities, the world, and the environment. Buddhist Peacework collects for the first time in one place first-person descriptions of the ideas and work of eminent Buddhist leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Maha Ghosananda, A.T. Ariyaratne, Daisaku Ikeda, Shih Cheng-yen, Sulak Sivaraksa, and Robert Aitken. These 18 essays are divided into three sections that explore the newest Buddhist social developments, the principles that guide Buddhist peacework, and the importance of ongoing inner peacework in developing a sense of kinship with all people. This book is not a theoretical work. The authors are actively involved in the struggle to create social harmony and justice in the face of incredible opposition. The voices and experiences collected here come from the cutting edge of new developments in the Buddhist community, providing new information for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, and revealing new models for Buddhist practice in the modern world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eighteen Buddhist leaders respond here to the recent United Nations document Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace. Peace, according to the collection's editor, is more than merely the inner tranquillity sometimes ascribed to Buddhism; it requires the recognition that all beings suffer, and that "we are not separate from others." The book's contributors include monks and laypersons from the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, speaking not just theoretically about peace, but from their personal experiences of life in war-ravaged or unjust societies. Vietnamese exile Thich Nhat Hahn writes of his efforts to rescue the "boat people" who fled his home country in the 1970s, while Dhammachari Lokamitra recounts the resurgence of Buddhism in India, its country of origin, where thousands of "Untouchables" seek a religion that will uproot the hierarchical foundations of the caste system. The various essays offer examples of Buddhist initiatives for peace all over the world, from Myanmar to Los Alamos; such "engaged Buddhists" agitate on issues such as the environment, nuclear arms, interreligious dialogue, homelessness, hunger and women's rights. The contributors' perspectives on peace are illuminating, but the most intriguing stories deal with the justice-oriented offshoots of the Buddhist tradition, such as the revival of Chontae Buddhism in Korea. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Buddhist Peacework is a fantastic book---with a fine mix of activists and academics. I’m both and I value both." -- Richard Johnson, Director of Peace and Conflict

"Buddhist Peacework is a superb contribution to Buddhist literature is excellent reading for students of comparative religion and peace activists." -- Internet Bookwatch

"Buddhist Peacework, along with Subverting Hatred, almost perfectly fit the bill for books that serve as supplementary texts for courses." -- Christopher Queen, Dean of Students and Director of Community Relations for the Harvard University Division of Continuing Education and author of Engaged Buddhism in the West

"Morally rich..." -- Spirituality & Health

"This book is a welcome and highly readable addition to the growing literature on religiously inspired efforts toward world peace." -- Harvey Cox, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School

"This diverse collection of essays will be useful for courses in peace studies." -- Paul Joseph, Professor of Sociology, Tufts University, and Chair, Peace Studies Association

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086171167X
• ISBN-13: 978-0861711673
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,222,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Putting world peace into practice., August 28, 2000

By 

G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buddhist Peacework -- Creating Cultures of Peace (Paperback)

The United Nations has designated this year (2000) as the International Year for the Culture of Peace. This collection of eighteen essays examines worldwide Buddhist peacemaking efforts, and addresses the question: what can Buddhists do to heal the social, economic, environmental, and political wounds of the world? The Buddha said we are all interdependent and share responsibility for the well being of the world.

In the book's Foreward, Joan Halifax sets forth the central theme of this collection: "We are called more than ever to realize the obvious, that we are not, nor were we ever, living in a world of isolation. We are completely and inescapably interconnected and interdependent" (p. 12). Other contributors return to this theme. In Chapter 14, Thich Nhat Hanh observes that listening "to the cries of the world . . . is the beginning of healing" (p. 157). In Chapter 16, "A Pure Land on Earth," Venerable Chan Master Sheng-Yen writes, "Buddhism teaches us that the causes of conflict and war lie within ourselves. It also teaches us how to constructively temper our own tendency to generate conflict. Underlying this is the Buddhist idea that peace in society begins with peace in oneself. This cultivated inner peace numerically expands from one person to the next until we can truly say that we act and think locally as well as globally. Simply by sharing our inner peace on a one-on-one basis, we can have a staggering effect on global peace" (p. 175). In Chapter 18, H. H. The Dalai Lama encourages "internal disarmament . . . you try to reduce negative emotions such as hatred, anger, jealousy, extremism, and greed, and promote compassion, human attention, tolerance, these things" (p. 190). Editor, David Chappell, concludes this excellent collection with a strong essay.

For anyone interested in putting world peace into practice, I recommend this engaging book of essays.

G. Merritt

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grass-roots Buddhist Peace Reports, May 31, 2000

By 

Richard Nelson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddhist Peacework -- Creating Cultures of Peace (Paperback)

The book provides "reports from the field" on grass-roots Buddhist peace activities around the world. Readers will gain a greater understanding of the new trends in Buddhist social engagement.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Insightful and Informative, June 10, 2002

By 

"carpenterkendra" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddhist Peacework -- Creating Cultures of Peace (Paperback)

This is an inspiring, insightful and informative collection of essays for anyone interested in social justice, Buddhism, spiritual activism or interreligious cooperation. The essays in this book are written by committed Buddhist practitioners and activists, who are putting Buddhist principles to work in the world - who are engaged Buddhists. Each is building peace in his or her own way, whether through education, the practice of nonviolent resistance, social justice and welfare, community building, environmental protection, meditation, interreligious cooperation, and other ways. And within each is the spiritual foundation of Buddhism - using "our religious heritage as a living resource" is the way that Venerable Somdech Preah maha Ghosananda states it.

Joan Halifax Roshi says in the foreword, "Peace...is a process, not a goal. It unfolds in the very details of our daily lives as well as in the broad brush strokes of the big picture."

This book is a testament to that process. There are a number of Buddhist inspired and rooted peace projects going on all over the world. One cannot help but feel positive about the countless people and organizations committed to peaceful transformation of societies, working on a daily basis, step-by-step. It is truly inspiring. Not only has it made me feel very good about Buddhist peacework and activism, but it has also educated me on sophisticated leaders and the Buddhist teachings that form the basis for their peacemaking and justice activities. This is a valuable resource for students of religious studies, peace studies, engaged Buddhism, social work, spiritually inspired activism, and ecological activism.