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Socially Engaged Buddhism’s Role in the Buddhist Revival in

India and in the Re-Articulation of Buddhism in the 21st Century


Jonathan S. WATTS
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 Research Center for Buddhist Cultures in Asia (BARC)

Socially Engaged Buddhism’s Role

in the Buddhist Revival in India and
in the Re-Articulation of Buddhism in the 21st Century

Jonathan S. Watts

Introduction
The original scope of this research project was entitled “Socially Engaged Buddhism’s
Role in the Buddhist Revival in India”. While the main scope of research work took
place in India, the topic widening greatly for two reasons:

1) As India is the birthplace of Buddhism, all other Asian Buddhist traditions share
direct linkages to Indian Buddhism. In the revival of Buddhism in India, these various
Asian, and now even western, Buddhist traditions are actively taking part. This fact was
strikingly seen at the main site of the research, Bodhgaya, where Buddhists from all
over the world are very actively involved in worship and the revival of the tradition at
this most sacred of Buddhist hold sites.
2) The research was conducted largely through the lens of the activities of the
International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). INEB has a very strong Indian
membership, as witnessed by their hosting of the INEB bi-annual general conference for
the second time in 6 years (first time, Nagpur in 2005). The scope and nature of the
Indian Buddhist revival has a very important socially engaged aspect as seen at the core
of this movement in the conversion of mass numbers of formerly “untouchable” (Dalit)
classes to Buddhism as articulated by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (1891-1956), famed civil
rights activists and drafter of the modern Indian constitution.1 As with the first general
point above, socially engaged Buddhism in India, especially within the context of INEB,
involves the influence and participation of Buddhists from the rest of the world.

In this way, this research report will begin within the Indian context of the INEB
general conference held in Bodhgaya from October 19-29, 2011 and extend outwards to


























1
Dahiwale, Mangesh. (2009). “An Awakened Vision: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Struggle to Re-ethicize
Indian Society.” In Watts, Jonathan S. Ed. Rethinking Karma: The Dharma of Social Justice. (Chiang Mai,
Thailand: Silkworm Books). pp. 67-90.




see how not only Asian Buddhism, but Buddhism throughout the world, is being
re-articulated and re-created by this growing movement called Socially Engaged
Buddhism.

Defining Socially Engaged Buddhism & Introducing INEB

Socially Engaged Buddhism, or simply Engaged Buddhism, can be defined as:

the practice of Buddhism not simply for individual enlightenment but for the
enlightenment of all sentient beings through the realization of social
transformation and social justice. As such, while Engaged Buddhism seeks to
relieve immediate suffering through social welfare activities, it goes deeper to
discover, examine, and root out the causes of suffering in structural violence
and cultural violence. This engagement takes place through critical
self-awareness and transformation on three levels: the personal or individual,
the relational or communal, and the social or systemic. Finally, the
understanding of Buddhism is as dharma, an inclusive and ecumenical way of
practice that rejects evangelical aims and serves all sentient beings.

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) began

in February 1989 in Siam (Thailand) at a conference of 36
concerned ordained and laypersons from 11 countries. From the
beginning, the network has been guided by leading founder
Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand. 2 He more than any other has
formed the foundation of INEB’s culture not only through his
strong personality but also through his incredible international
network of kalyanamitra (spiritual friends), which served as the
original base of the INEB network.
Three of Ajahn Sulak’s most important Buddhist kalyanamitra became INEB’s
original three patrons: His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Thich Nhat Hanh of
Vietnam, and Buddhadasa Bhikkhu of Thailand. INEB describes the role of these
patrons as “acting as guiding lights for the entire network through their lifelong

2
Swearer, Donald K. (1996). “Sulak Sivaraksa’s Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society.” In Queen,
Christopher S. and King, Sallie B. Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia. (Albany,
NY: State University of New York Press). pp. 195-235.   '%#
 !&
 " 2011 $




commitment to the Dharma”.3 As figureheads, in a positive sense, these three Buddhist
masters have established an approach and understanding of Buddha Dharma and
manifested it in a way of living and engaging in society that serves in many ways as an
ideal template for INEB work.
Over the years, the network has expanded to assemble Buddhists as well as
non-Buddhists from more than 20 countries from Asia, Europe, America and Oceana.
Out of this diversity, INEB has become the leading voice in articulating Socially
Engaged Buddhism in the world, while integrating the practice of Buddhism with social
action. This commitment to global community based on the universal truths of wisdom
and compassion is said to guide all of their activities.
INEB brings together Buddhist and non-Buddhist based organizations around the
world to share resources and to support each other’s work. The network also links
activists, spiritual leaders, academics, and young people in areas of common concern.
INEB speaks of how it roots itself in “the treasure of personal relationship that raises the
original spirit of sangha in a contemporary, multi-cultural context.”4 INEB participants
work in a decentralized manner, while the Secretariat in Thailand maintains a flow of
information, support, and cohesion, with programs and joint activities that build
participants’ capacities.
The general goals of INEB are to:

1. To promote understanding and cooperation among Buddhist countries,

Buddhist sects, and socially conscious Buddhist groups.
2. To identify and address the structural and personal suffering facing our
communities, societies, and the world.
3. To articulate the perspective of engaged Buddhism regarding this suffering,
and to train Buddhist activists to respond effectively.
4. To serve as a network of information and resources on engaged Buddhism.
5. To cooperate and collaborate with activists from other spiritual traditions and
social change organizations.5

From these general goals, INEB has developed key areas of concern and engagement
around which it is building sub-networks and specific programs:


























3
INEB Constitution, unpublished document, 2010.

4
INEB Concept. http://www.inebnetwork.org/ineb/concept

5
INEB Concept. http://www.inebnetwork.org/ineb/concept




• Alternative development and Buddhist economics (including the INEB Right
Livelihood Fund)
• Peace and reconciliation
• Environment (including the INEB Inter-Religious Dialogue on Climate
Change)
• Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (including the Buddhist
Education for Social Transformation (BEST) program)
• Alternative education
• Human rights and social justice
• Reform and revival of Buddhist institutions
• Youth and spiritual leadership development (including the INEB Young
Bodhisattva program)
• Inter-religious Dialogue (including INEB’s Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue)
• Dharmic culture and art

Participation in INEB is open to all, Buddhist and non-Buddhist, who share the same
interests and a fundamental commitment to non-harmful engagement. Their level of
participation and responsibility in INEB depends on the individual’s ability to devote
time and energy to communicate and cooperate with others.

Overview of the INEB 2011 Bi-annual Conference in Bodhgaya, India

The main platform for the development and intercultural exchange of INEB’s vision,
aims, objectives, and action is the general conference, held every two years on a rotating




country basis. The INEB 2011 Bi-annual Conference was held in Bodhgaya, India,
coinciding with the 2,600-year celebration of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The
conference was attended by over 250 people from the Asian region and beyond,
including, of course, a large representation from India The diversity of participants who
attended the conference from 31 countries illustrated the strong spirit of non-sectarian
Buddhism that INEB embodies.
The conference venue was located among the temple grounds of the new Thai
temple, Wat Pa Buddhagaya. The temple supported an atmosphere balanced between
the seriousness of discussion and dialogue on the conference theme - The Future of
Buddhism: From Personal Awakening to Global Transformation - with the core INEB
philosophy of building relationships among diverse participants. Being next to the
Mahabodhi temple where the Buddha attained enlightenment also helped participants to
connect with the Buddha’s teachings and their relevance in today’s world.
The space for dialogue and sharing also supported groups from marginalized areas,
who were able to utilize the conference as a platform for open dialogue. This was
especially relevant for the participants from countries, such as Myanmar, who were able
to meet and share among themselves in a way that is not possible in their country. The
diversity of participants at the conference also provided opportunities for them to
explore and expand connections of solidarity, learning, and exchange.
Conference themes on the Future of Buddhism that were explored were based on a
shared understanding of engaged Buddhism's perspective of critical engagement
through awareness of structural and cultural violence and its causes, and of a deepening
personal engagement with Buddhism through practicing the precepts and understanding
of the 4 Noble Truths. The conference events had spiritual, intellectual, relational,
practical, informational, and celebrational aspects as described below:

Spiritual: The context of Bodhgaya as the place where the Buddha attained
enlightenment naturally brought a spiritual element to the conference and participants,
with the Mahabodhi temple being an important site for both meditation and
contemplation. Daily meditations that took place early every morning at the Mahabodhi
temple were guided by groups from the various Buddhist traditions. Some days during
the conference the morning sessions also began with chanting and prayer from different
Buddhist sects. This supported an appreciation of the different traditions and
expressions of Buddhism represented within the INEB family.




Intellectual: Keynote
addresses were part of the first
morning session and given by
co-founder Ajarn Sulak
Sivaraksa, Venerable
Khyentse Rinpoche 6 , INEB
Executive Committee
Chairperson Harsha Navaratne,
and Phra Buddhaban, the
abbot of Wat Pa Buddhagaya.
While also attracting ‘walk-ins’ in addition to the registerd participants, these talks were
given in front of a packed audience. These speeches held within them key thoughts and
perspectives and personal reflections to stimulate new ways of intellectual thinking
among the audience.
The following three morning plenary sessions were held on the topics of: “Dharma
for the Future”, an intergenerational sharing session by elders on their personal
development and life experiences, and “Sangha for the Future”. These plenary sessions
helped to identify key issues for INEB and its members to explore further in relation to
the future of Buddhism.
A total of twenty workshops were offered twice over the four-day conference. With
the theme of the conference in mind, these workshops ranged from new media, to
dharmic education, climate change, conflict transformation, and sustainable
communities. Resource persons with expertise in these areas were invited to facilitate
the workshops. These workshops were grounded in social issues, and reflected many
varying approaches and strategies to engaged Buddhist practice.

Relational: One of the aims of the conference was provide a platform for sharing
learning experiences with one another. This was consistent with INEB’s philosophy that
embodies a culture of sharing and the spirit of kalyanamitra (spiritual frienship) across
generations, genders, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. This was specifically
explored in one of the plenary sessions on inter-generational sharing as well as amongst
the youth contingent in their pre-conference workshop.

6
Khyentse, Dzongsar Jamyang. (2008). What Makes You Not a Buddhist (Boston: Shambhala)




Practical: Some of the workshops offered practical skills for the participants. These
included non-violence and mediation skills, caring for the dying and bereaved, as well
as more diverse techniques, such as film making and website design, offered by a range
of experienced practitioners. The youth who attended the pre-conference youth
workshop were also involved in set-up and coordination of the conference. They were
able to utilize the skills developed during their workshop to work together in teams to
support the logistics and running of the conference, including organizing the cultural
exchange evening.

Informational: Space was given for organizations to share their work within the
conference; yet building connections person-to-person was the key means for spreading
information and building knowledge and relationships among each other and across
organizations. At the registration area, organizational information was displayed with
campaigns, pamphlets, as well as other tables set up where some organizations shared
information to the wider conference participants. During the youth workshop, each
organization represented presented an overview of their work in order to build networks
among areas of common interest.
The INEB website and Facebook sites also functioned as a source of information
sharing, and continue to do so post-conference. A new INEB youth site has been set up
and is very active, along with new comments and discussion on the INEB site. A
database is also being developed consisting of all INEB’s members, including all those
who attended the conference, which will be used as an information-sharing platform.

Celebrational: In support of the Buddhist Art Gathering that took place prior to the
conference, the resulting artworks were displayed in the main meeting hall over the
duration of the conference. There was also a film night and photographic slideshow
with a talk given by Matteo Pistono, based upon his newly published book, In the
Shadow of the Buddha, which traces his pilgrimage to Tibet.7 A cultural celebration was
facilitated by the Youth Gathering participants on one evening, including cultural
sharing from Japan, Malaysia, America, Indonesia, India, and Ladakh, and culminating
with the entire audience participating in dancing led by the Myanmar group.
The closing of the conference took place on the final evening with a silent candle-lit

7
Pistono, Matteo. (2011). In the Shadow of the Buddha: Secret Journeys, Sacred Histories, and Spiritual
Discovery in Tibet. (New York: Dutton Adult).




procession to the Mahabodhi temple led by Bhikkhuni Dhamananda and Ajarn Sulak
Sivaraksa. As a closing and moving farewell for the participants, it gave inspiration
through the connection of the learning experiences from the conference with the life and
teachings of the Buddha.

Morning Plenaries
Morning plenaries were organized on to stimulate in-depth and critical dialog on issues
of common concern to all Buddhist traditions. The sessions used a “fishbowl” format.
Eight key resource people with informed views on the selected topics sat at the round
table. All other conference participants were seated around them as observers. The
roundtable participants included lay and ordained men and women from different
Buddhist contexts with a wide range of experiences and perspectives. For the first 2
hours, the roundtable participants had an in-depth facilitated dialog on the themes. For
the final 1 hour, general participants had the opportunity to ask questions, share views
and engage in the dialog.

Dharma for the Future

Panelists: Ven. Sumati Sasana (India), Nigel Crawhall (South Africa), Naresh Mathur
(India), Mangesh Dahiwale (India), Joan Halifax Roshi (United States), Melva Yolla
(Indonesia), Minyong Lee (Korea). Moderator: Vidyananda (Malaysia)
This was quite a lively discussion with good interaction from the audience. The opening
question was: “How to prepare for a future we cannot predict?” Most of the responses
explored what we need to do as Buddhists now in order to create a better future as well
as what issues are important for Buddhists to engage in. Vidyananda then picked up
some points from this discussion, especially by panelists sharing on local issues. He




pointed out that we may need a bigger, more global response to these issues. Then he
asked, “Should or could Buddhism be ‘global’ in its response? Should the dharma be a
global social force for change?”
One important comment from the audience was on the need for the dharma to be
non-discriminatory and to accept diversity followed by the question of whether or not
an enlightened society is by virtue a Buddhist society. This discussion was within the
context of the experience of India’s scheduled caste Buddhists, Ambedkar’s work
towards a nation with no discrimination, and Gandhi and Ambedkar’s discussion around
the issue of “freedom of man” versus “freedom of land” during India’s independence
movement. 8 Responses by the panelists explored the need to build a nation that
embraces the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity rather than a purely religious
society, and the need for Buddhists to not form a political party but rather create the
conditions for people to develop compassion, wisdom, and understanding of others,
allowing all voices to be heard.

Generational Sharing
Penlists: Bhikkhuni Dharmananda (Thailand), Dharmacari Lokamitra (United
Kingdom), Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke (United States), Hisashi Nakamura (Japan),
Venerable Tsering Palmo (Ladakh), Venerable Kalupahana (Sri Lanka), Hsiang-Chou
Yo (Taiwan). Moderator: Naresh Mathur (India)
This panel topic gave the opportunity for senior engaged Buddhist activists to explore
and share experiences from their life paths as well as the process of transmitting and
mentoring to the next generation within their institutions. The moderator further
prodded the panel about the transmission to the next generation and the concerns, issues,
and problems involved in this process. Many of the answers looked beyond
transmission as individuals to the core aim of their work.

8
Guha, Ramachandra. (2001). An Anthropologist Among The Marxists And Other Essays. (New Delhi:
Permanent Black).




Sangha for the Future

Panelists: Richard Dixey (United Kingdom), Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (Bhutan),
Phra Thanomsing (Thailand), Dharmachari Maitreyanath (India), Bhikkhuni Jenkir
Shih (Taiwan), Anchalee Kurutach (Thailand). Moderator Jonathan Watts (United
States)
As moderator, I became a participant-researcher for this session focused on a critical
assessment of the ordained and lay sanghas. I opened the session by introducing the
notion of Sangha, which some people define as only monks, while others define Sangha
as the four assemblies of ordained monks and nuns, and lay men and women. For others,
Sangha means a community, which may also include non-Buddhists.
The first question I then posed was: “For your own Sangha, what is the key or
critical issue right now?” A common response that emerged was the problems with
education, especially monastic education. Among the panellists, many different
concepts of Sangha emerged from traditional lay and ordained to new forms, such as the
TBMSG Sangha based in the lay-ordained leadership of dharmachari. 9 The next
question I posed was: “What is you future vision of Sangha; what should it look like?’
Some of the themese that emerged were: Today’s Sangha is facing many critical issues,
especially the ordained Sangha in terms of the need to maintain the vinaya as the
foundation of any monastic Sangha. Accountability for maintaining the Sangha was
discussed through the usage of dana in supporting or not supporting monastic Sangha
members, as well as a social reforms towards the role of the lay community in holding
the monastics accountable.


























9
Sponberg, Alan. (1996). “TBMSG: A Dhamma Revolution in Contemporary India.” In Queen,
Christopher S. and King, Sallie B. Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia. (Albany,
NY: State University of New York Press). pp. 73-120.




Afternoon Workshops
Over the four days of the conference, workshops were held twice to give people the
opportunity to attend as many as possible. There was a wide range of topics, touching
on the overall theme of the Future of Buddhism. Each day ended with summaries shared
among the larger group. Many participants presented summaries rather than the
facilitators, showing the interactive process with everyone having valid experience to
share and the workshops as learning circles rather than led by one person.

Challenges of the (monastic) Sangha: This workshop was led by Venerable Bhikkhuni
Dhammananda of Thailand. Challenges discussed included: education – how to revive
the Sangha and focus content on the Tripitaka; attitudes – how to be more relevant to
society; gender – representation and equality; non-sectarianism – Buddhism as a core
focus rather than sectarian differences; consumerism – the monastic Sangha is now
becoming more affected and there is a pressing need to build awareness around this
issue. There was much discussion on patriarchy as practiced in Asian traditions and
reflected in Buddhist values and educational systems. The recommendations included
tackling this through analysis of texts in other languages in order to compare different
perspectives; for women to also challenge structures and attitudes; and for women to
think of themselves as capable. Changing male attitudes would also help.

Mediation, Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding: This workshop was led by

long-time practitioners Jill Jameson (Australia) and Alan Senauke (United States) as
well as Venerable Manjusri (Sri Lanka). They discussed three levels of conflict:
personal conflict, between individuals, and transpersonal. They shared tools and skills
for how to contemplate and map conflict. This included looking at the parties involved,
influences, and other areas that are party to the conflict. They explored this tool because
of its usefulness in helping to bring a view that is informed, rather than a reactive one.
Examples were shared among the group and analysed together, putting into practice the
tools and approaches learned.

New Media: This workshop was led by Lim Kooi Fong from Malaysia who facilitates
an international website specifically on Buddhist news called the Buddhist Channel. He
presented his experience and also explored right speech and free speech in the media.




More practically, he introduced web tools for increasing the access to information and
sharing among organisations, as well as marketing. It was recommended that many
organisations need to upgrade their websites with clearer homepages and links to basic
information.

Visiting Sacred Spaces of Bodhgaya: This workshop was actually a walking course led
by Richard Dixey (United Kingdom) who is a long term resident of Bodhgaya. He led
the groups to many places in Bodhgaya relating to the Buddha that included the famed
Mahabodhi temple and Bodhi tree where the Buddha gained enlightenment.

Dhammic Education for Children: This workshop was facilitated by Vidyananda 10

(Malaysia), Venerable Sumati Sasana (India), and Naresh Mathur (India), all of whom
have experience in home schooling and dharmic education. Firstly, they led discussion
on how Buddhism can be integrated into existing educational systems. During the
second session they led a visit to a local school under the Alice Project, in order to see
an example of dharmic education in action. From the visit they were able to get a brief
overview of how they teach impermanence and reality as a projection of the mind.

Sustainable Communities: This workshop utilised participatory learning techniques to

explore four dimensions of sustainable communities. It was led by Narumon
Paiboonsittikun and Sunisa Jamviset (both from Thailand) who are involved in
ecovillage design education and the Global Ecovillage Network. They facilitated the
participants to share their personal experiences of social, economic, environmental, and
worldview dimensions within their communities. After this exploration, they led an
exercise whereby each participant either offered or asked for support in one aspect of
strengthening community. As they created linkages of support, this helped to affirm a
network among them to continue exploring after the conference.

Waste Management: This workshop, led by Matteo Pistono (United States) and
members of the Deer Park Institute (India), identified that INEB was not a zero waste
conference, so together they decided to address this through the following points: place
rubbish segregation bins in the dining room; ask participants to use cloth napkins rather

10
Chong, Wai Leng. (2008). Learning Beyond Schooling: Bringing Out Children’s True Potentials.
(Selangor, Malaysia: Pelanduk Publications).




than paper ones; take only food you need to reduce waste; switch off fans and lights
when not in use; and request the organisers to include a zero waste perspective when
designing the conference, e.g., using non-plastic name tags and local products. For
carbon footprint offsets, a box for donations for tree planting was put at the registration
booth. The contributions were presented to the Sewalanka Foundation in Sri Lanka who
have a “Green Temple” project and will take participants of the upcoming 2012
Buddhism and Climate Change conference to see the campaign.

Death and Dying: As the workshop convener, I once again participated as

participant-researcher.11 This workshop evolved not only out of concerns within the
INEB network but my own research at the Jodo Shu Research Institute in Tokyo.
Through this research, I indentified four resources persons for the workshop: Rev. Joan
Halifax (United States), Venerable Bhikkhuni Tsung Tsuen (Taiwan), Venerable
Tsering Palmo (Ladkah, India) Poolchawee Ruangwichatorn representing Venerable
Phaisan Visalo (Thailand) – everyone except Ven. Tsung Tsuen has had long term
affiliations with INEB. One of the important aspects discussed was not only Buddhist
practices for death and dying but developing the structures and caregivers to support
people. We looked at methods and systems, especially cultivating chaplains and the
intensive training they need for caring for the dying as well as sustaining themselves.
The speakers also touched upon the connection between mind and body in the reaction
to grieving and how to get in touch with empathy and compassion in order to be with
others in difficult times.

11
Watts, Jonathan S. and Tomatsu, Yoshiharu. Eds. (2012). Buddhist Care for the Dying and Bereaved:
Global Perspectives. (Boston: Wisdom Publications).




Emergency Response/Humanitarian Assistance: This workshop was led by Rev. Kobo
Inoue (Japan) and Lakshi Abeyasekara (Sri Lanka). They looked at examples of
humanitarian assistance and methods, especially in terms of the earthquake, tsunami and
nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 and the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004. 12

World Day of Prayer and Action for Children: This workshop was led by the Chair of
the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, Gul Chandra Gautum. They talked
about the future of Buddhism and humanity resting on how we nurture our children. The
workshop’s outcome consisted of recommendations for INEB to start a children’s
programme; for all representative organisations to enact prayers and actions for
children; for each person to treat children non-violently; and to influence others to
advocate for child-friendly policies.

Non-Violent Communication Skills: Practitioners Jeyanthy Siva (India) and Christiaan

Zandt facilitated a participatory workshop on Non Violent Communication Skills. Here
participants were able to learn and practice NVC skills relating to needs, feelings, and
requests.

Photography and Filmmaking: Angkit Pogula, an Indian filmmaker, led this workshop,
focusing on film as a medium for communication. The group explored together what is
being communicated and how to read a film. They also explored the more internalized
processes of what value or part of reality one communicates in filmmaking as well as
awareness of self in the process. The group explored these questions through watching
and analysing short films, and also practicing photography.

Nationality and Identity: This workshop was led by Thant Lwin Maung (Myanmar) and
Jacqui Chagnon. In the first session, they discussed identity, including recognition of
participant diversity through one nationality group represented by five ethnic groups
within the discussion group. They discussed the difficulties of ethnic minority groups
to link with majority ones, while also finding some successes of recognition of
multi-ethnicities within one country. Their recommendations were for INEB and
partners to focus on youth, interethnic, and national exchanges. Interestingly, a separate

12
Watts, Jonathan S. (2011). This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti-Nuclear Activism in
Post 3/11 Japan. (Yokohama: International Buddhist Exchange Center).




discussion grew out of this workshop between Sri Lankan and Myanmar monks, who
shared experience and built up mutual understanding. They made a decision to develop
a program on Sri Lanka and Myanmar dialogue, building on their common values of
Buddhism. Their first goal is to start an exchange with Sri Lanka monks visiting
Myanmar for learning vipassana meditation and for Myanmar monks to visit Sri Lanka
for Pali language studies.13

Buddhist Economics: Jun

Nishikawa (Japan), Hans Van
Willenswaard (Netherlands),
Apichai Puntasen (Thailand), and
Hisashi Nakamura (Japan) are all
part of INEB’s working group on
Buddhist Economics. They
presented the workshop with the aim
to develop an action-research
framework to clarify, strengthen, and promote Buddhist Economics as well as to initiate
a long-term cooperative network. The key point resulting from the workshop was
discussion on changing from a “matter” economy to a “mind” economy. One theory in
economics is utility, but this was discussed as too narrow a concept to do justice to
human beings. They then moved on to explanations of how “happiness” can be a
foundation of economy, with a Buddhist economics based on sharing or serving. They
also discussed Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), where the
government has developed tools for screening actions based on balanced
socio-economic development, environment, culture, and good governance, whereby a
system of governance is in place to create an environment where people can pursue
happiness.

Empowerment of Marginalised Groups: This workshop was led by Monica Garry

(United States) and Mangesh Dahiwale (India). The group discussed in terms of needs:
quality education, outreach, human rights advocacy, revival of Buddhism, addressing
child labour, and improving economic wellbeing through right livelihood. The


























13
Watts, Jonathan S. (2009). “The ‘Positive Disintegration’ of Buddhism: Reformation and Deformation
in the Sri Lankan Sangha.” In Watts, Jonathan S. Ed. Rethinking Karma: The Dharma of Social Justice.
(Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books). pp. 91-132.




recommendations from their discussions were that INEB should take up the issue of
marginalised people such as Dalits, bringing it to the international level to raise its
visibility. The INEB network should use its resources to empower marginalised people
through media, government contacts, solidarity, and other resources.

Organic Agriculture and Green Marketing: This group was facilitated by Thilak
Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka) and Wallapa van Willenswaard (Thailand), both experienced
organic marketers. They exchanged information on topics such as bio-dynamics, CSA,
marketing and product development, and shared success stories such as Organic Asia.
The group is considering networking between countries as well as more education and
awareness, especially on products in terms of value over cost. They also recommended
building a greater awareness among consumers as a point of social transformation.

Working with Rejected Populations: This workshop was led by Venerable Thanomsing
Sukosalo (Thailand) who works with prisoners in Thailand. The group defined who are
the rejected and how they become rejected. They found that rejection can happen in the
family, community, and through social constructions, but that it often starts from the
family and expands from there. For solutions, they explored working on unjust social
constructions of identity in education and the need to work from oneself by recognizing
commonalities rather than pitying. This group was able to share very deeply,
encouraging each other to start with our own practice.

Youth Awakening: This group was facilitated by Melva Yolla (Indonesia), Suresh
Baudhha (India) and Bobo Lwin (Myanmar), who are all youth working with youth
groups within their country contexts. The group explored issues facing youth and found
a common problems across countries such as: consumerism, lack of traditional culture,
fragmented families, dependency on technology, lack of personal vision, lack of self
knowledge and spiritual understanding. The solutions to deal with these issues focused
on three dimensions: spirituality, social responsibility, and livelihood. In terms of
spirituality, they found that reform is needed in how the dharma is being taught. It
should be applicable in daily life and easy to share with others as well as facilitating
free thinking. Regarding social responsibility, youth need critical and positive thinking
with exposure to social problems around them while getting involved in policy and
advocacy. Regarding livelihood, youth need to know how to balance needs and wants.




Youth should be encouraged to find or create jobs that don’t harm others or the
environment. They would also benefit from more vocational and professional skills.
Overall, one common issue was found within all problems: the lack of spirituality and
critical thinking in the current education system, which doesn’t help them to see what
they want to do in their life.

Gender Identity: Sathis de Mel facilitated this workshop, focusing on Buddhism and
gender. The group found that Buddhism often institutionalises social constructions of
women. Even though Buddhism, compared to other religions, treats women as equals,
the situation in the temple is very different. They explored also that Buddhism is gender
blind and doesn’t focus on inequalities, because of the assumption that people are equal.
Therefore, the practices in temples go against the main teachings of Buddhism. Lastly,
it was pointed out that most conference presenters at the workshops and on the panel
discussions were men, yet at least half participants were female. They recommended for
INEB to take a role and act as a forum to address this issue.

Buddhism and Climate Change:

This workshop was led by
“climatologists” John and Diane
Stanley (United Kingdom) and
Nigel Crawhall (South Afirca),
who presented an updated picture
of climate change caused by fossil
fuel usage. As it will further
marginalise vulnerable populations,
they suggested the need to integrate this theme into existing programmes for social
change. Social movements on this issue need to also focus on the quality of democracy
in terms of accountability. Recommendations from the group included informing the
monastic Sangha, so they can include it in their teachings; climate mitigation actions at
the village level to halt impacts; and for INEB to take a role in climate change education.
On the second day, Rev. Hidehito Okochi (Japan) also gave a presentation on nuclear
power in Japan and alternatives in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.14

14
Watts, Jonathan S. (2011). “A Futuristic Priest Whose Time Has Arrived: Rev. Hidehito Okochi.” In
This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti-Nuclear Activism in Post 3/11 Japan. (Yokohama:




Buddhist Art Gathering and Workshop:
Preceding the conference was a workshop
which bought together 32 artists from
across the Asian region who specialize in
Buddhist art. The event was held at the
Thai temple in Bodhgaya and the artwork
created during the workshop was
auctioned at INEB’s New York City Gala
in November 2011 as part of the network’s fundraising initiatives. The artwork was
displayed over the duration of the conference and enriched opportunities for
contemplation and celebration.

The Young Bodhisattva Training Workshop

After a three-year hiatus in the INEB Young Bodhisattva Program, the workshop held
over 5 days at the Cambodian vihara in Bodhgaya yielded quite remarkable connections
and energy. This could largely be attributed to the maturation of the seeds first planted
in 2002 by the founder of the program, former INEB Executive Secretary, Lapapan
“Anne” Supamanta. Of the 30 participants coming from 8 countries, almost all came
from organizations created as extensions of the program by alumni (Buddhist Youth
Empowerment Program in Burma, Socially Engaged Buddhists of Ladakh in India,
Dharmajala in Indonesia) or from organizations active in the program since the
beginning (Youth Buddhist Society in India, Nagarjuna Training Institute in India, Deer
Park Institute in India, Spirit in Education Movement in Thailand). In this way, the
workshop did not have a beginner’s level atmosphere as most of the participants had
been involved in local training workshops in their own countries and had a familiarity in
looking at social issues through a Buddhist perspective. Very quickly the group
developed an intimate style of communication that grew more deeply during the
workshop and further on through the INEB Conference.
As I have been involved in the program since 2008 when I taught Buddhist social
analysis to that year’s group of young trainees, I again participated in this event as a
researcher-participant. I co-facilitated the workshop with Sunisa Jamwiset, an alumnus
of the first youth workshop in 2002 and long time member of Wongsanit Ashram in
Thailand, and Narumon Paiboonsittikun, an eco-village trainer from the Spirit in


























International Buddhist Exchange Center). pp. 168-76.




Education Movement in Thailand. Through the whole program, we did our best to
provide frameworks for the young participants to discover what aspects of Buddha
Dharma and what aspects of society are important for them as they endeavor to develop
themselves as Dharma practitioners and social activists.
In this way, Sunisa and
Narumon spent the entire
first day of the workshop
doing experiential activities
for the participants to
develop a certain level of
intimacy needed for
meaningful communication
and to help them define the
ways that they would
communicate over the coming days. The second day was largely facilitated by myself as
the group plunged into Buddhist social analysis using the Four Noble Truths to examine
and analyze the issues in their respective communities. This day was devoted just the
first two Noble Truths, the direct experience of dukkha and the structural and cultural
causes behind it.
After two days of exhilarating and exhausting interpersonal work within the
confines of the Cambodian temple, Sunisa led the group out of the temple on a
mindfulness walk through the streets of Bodhgaya to see with the eyes of the Buddha
the dukkha of human existence by following his footsteps to the Maha Bodhi temple.
Anyone who has travelled in India and especially spent time in Bodhgaya, amidst its
wonders and sufferings, naturally develops a much deeper appreciation and
understanding of the social impact of the Buddha’s teaching. In the afternoon and
evening the participants spent time with the artists at the nearby Thai temple who were
part of the first INEB International Buddhist Art Gathering.
With energies recharged, I led the group on the fourth day through the third and
fourth Noble Truths, a process of envisioning dharmic community in their locales and
regions and the structural and cultural foundations of such a community. This work
flowed into the last day in which participants looked at action plans for the immediate
future and learned from INEB’s present Executive Secretary, Somboon Chungprempree,
about the overall structure of the INEB Young Bodhisattva program—3 levels of: 1)




local training, 2) international and specialized trainings, and 3) support for creative new
programs by individual young bodhisattvas. Vidyananda from Malaysia also gave a
presentation on INEB’s new Right Livelihood Fund, which is a social investment fund
aimed at supporting grassroots Buddhist based social projects.
The INEB Young Bodhisattva program is perhaps the most successful sustained
program coming out of the INEB Secretariat itself. Proof of this was clear in the very
conference in Bodhgaya this time, which was developed, coordinated, and executed on
the ground by Young Bodhisattva alumni and present participants from the three Indian
host organizations: Youth Buddhist Society, Nagarjuna Training Institute, Deer Park
Institute. In 2002, the need for a new generation of INEB leaders was apparent, and
INEB was in a critical state of reformation. Now, a decade later, INEB is thriving, and
much of it is due to the energy and leadership coming from the first generation of these
Young Bodhisattva alumni who occupy important positions within their own engaged
Buddhist organizations and also within INEB’s core leadership structures. The focused
enthusiasm of this present group of participants bodes very well for the future of not just
INEB but of the meaningful development of engaged Buddhism at the grassroots level
across Asia. With a new restructured Young Bodhisattva Program and the development
of other INEB programs like the Right Livelihood Fund, INEB hopes to be able to more
effectively nurture the vision and aims of these young Bodhisattvas.

However, besides the “important work” that lies ahead for these young participants,
the greatest impact of this past five day workshop was the incredible bonding that took
place amongst the participants outside of the official program; through early morning




walks to and meditation sessions at the Bodhi tree, afternoon gatherings at the Be
Happy Café, spontaneous evening gatherings to talk and play music, and unexpected
one-on-one interactions from sharing in a trip to the local store or sharing a personal
suffering. One participant remarked in the final reflection on the evening of the 5th day
that he had never been in a group that developed such intimacy in such a short time.
Perhaps it was due to the special, though not serene, energy of Bodhgaya itself; perhaps
it was the common connection in Buddha Dharma acting as a river for the participants
to immerse themselves in. Whatever the reason was, this particular workshop realized
INEB’s highest ideal of developing spiritual friendship, kalyanamitra, which is the bond
that empowers INEB members to transforms society as they transform themselves.

Special Research in Southern India:

Interview with Gauthama Prabhu of the Foundation of His Sacred Majesty
After attending the INEB Conference in Bodhgaya, I travelled together with Prof.
Hisashi Nakamura of Ryukoku University and BARC to the southern Indian capital of
Chennai in Tamil Nadu. After previous trips to India to examine Buddhism in the north,
central, and east, this was my first study in the south and the unique Buddhist revival
movement there. With Prof. Nakamura, an expert in the contemporary history of the
region, we learned from Mr. Gauthama Prabhu of the history of this Buddhist revival
movement and his own work to further develop it.
Southern India has a unique history and very different cultural outlay from other
areas of India. From the time of the great Buddhist monarch, Ashoka (r. 270-232 BC), it
became a thriving center of Buddhism, giving birth to probably three of the most
important figures in early Buddhism: Nagarjuna, the great developer of Madhyamika
from Andra Pradesh; Bodhidharma, the great developer of Zen who brought Buddhism
to China from Tamil Nadu; and Buddhaghosa, the great developer of Theravada also
from Tamil Nadu. Mr. Gauthama explained to us that when the Hindu based Chola
dynasty took control of the region in the 9th century that Buddhists loyal to the previous
regime were relegated to the underclass. Subsequently, when Brahmin Aryans from the
north invaded and took over the region in the late medieval period, they instituted the
Varna caste system, relegating the Chola to the level of Shudra (laborers) while the
Buddhists became further disenfranchised as an “untouchable class” or Dalits (“broken
people”). This is the largely the class composition as it exists today in Tamil Nadu and
southern India, without the other two classes of Kshatriya and Vaishya in the classical




Varna system and the Dalits having been labeled as nominally Hindu in 1947.
Mr. Gauthama pointed out that in fact 90% of the Dalit population of Tamil Nadu
(about 10.8 million) is actually Buddhist in its spirituality and cultural customs. They
have no culture of worshipping popular Hindu gods, such as Vishnu or Krishna, but
rather worship a variety of female deities derived from famous bhikkhuni of the
Buddhist period.
From this cultural base, Iyothee Thassar (1845-1914) led a Buddhist revival and
Dalit upliftment movement from the late 1800s until his untimely death in 1914.15 In his
youth, Thassar had come under the influence of the Theosophical Society established in
1875 in the United States and later moved by Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar near Chennai.
This movement, however, was short lived because of two wider, overarching
movements: the Dravidian cultural and political movement in South India (dominated
by Hindu Shudra) and the Indian national movement (dominated by northern Brahmins).
According to Mr. Gauthama, the rise of the latter in the 1800s forced upon the British
certain concessions that led to the increased marginalization and disenfranchisement of
Dalits. They were banned from the British Indian army and the universities and
educational systems set up in Southern India by the British for Dalit soldiers and their
families, from which they gained significant social standing and a source of livelihood.
The Dravidian Movement developed as a response to the Brahmanical hegemony in
the Indian national movement. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879-1973) is known as the
founder of this movement launched in 1935. However, its roots go back to Iyothee
Thassar’s work for the upliftment of the lower classes. While the movement began as an
alliance of all lower class peoples, Periyar made no mention of the influence of
Buddhism on his vision and work.
While the overarching national movement hindered the Dravidian movement, after
independence it regained its vigor with a major anti-Hindi language campaign in Tamil
Nadu in 1965, which continues even now. By this time, the Hindu Shudra had
completely taken over the Dravidian movement. They were able to force Brahmins out
of the political and bureaucratic sectors, pushing them into business where they thrive
today as the famous computer engineers from South India. The Shudra also further
marginalized Dalits, co-opting them as untouchable Hindus and forcing them off their
lands and into the cities as poor squatters. For Mr. Gauthama and his community, the

15
Aloysius, G. (2010). Dalit-Subaltern Self-Indetifications: Iyothee Thassar & Tamizhan. (New Delhi:
Critical Quest).




Shudra rather than the Brahmin are now the greatest problem. The greatest number of
human rights atrocities against Dalits today are committed by Shudra.
This is where the work
began for Mr. Gauthama and
his father, a prominent regional
government minister who left
the Dravidian movement and
began his own Dr. Ambedkar
Movement in 1980. The first
level of their work is human
rights monitoring for the
incredible atrocities that are
still committed against Dalits in the region and all over the country. Through a network
called AMMAN (Academy for Meditation and Motivation for the Advancement of the
Needy), they do fact-finding of incidents, process the official reports, and then do the
legal advocacy in the courts. They also work to create awareness among the people of
their constitutional right and of strengthening their self-identity. Finally, they do policy
advocacy in the national parliament to ensure that previous programs for the upliftment
of Dalits are implemented.
The second level of their work is economic and livelihood development through the
Foundation of His Sacred Majesty, which refers to Empower Ashoka and his many
social development programs. A major focus of this work is regaining the lands that
were taken away from their community since independence. They have already
purchased two tracts of land of 40 acres and 10 acres. Their goal is to acquire 100 acres
where they can build a community based on natural farming and Buddhist economics in
the style of the nearby alternative town of Auroville. In the urban areas, they are also
training Dalits to enter the corporate sector. They have an agreement to send 600
workers per year from their institute into various local companies through corporate
affirmative action programs mandated by the national government.
The final level is their specifically Buddhist activities through the organization
called Vihara started in 2001 which now has 3,000 members. The main reason for
incorporating Buddhism into their work is the need to recreate identity within the Dalit
community and to revive its cultural heritage. They have developed a two-pronged
approach of promoting inter-caste marriage and conversion to Buddhism based on Dr.




B.R. Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste. However, Mr. Gauthama feels there is a need
to do more than convert people who actually need to internalize the teachings. In this
way, they have developed Buddhist education programs not only in teaching concepts
but also in the meditation practices of mindfulness-with-breathing (anapanasati) and
loving-kindness (metta-bhavana) as well as how to apply Buddhist teachings to daily
life and work.
In rebuilding the ancient Buddhist culture of Southern India, they have also
initiated archaeological projects to excavate and renovate the many Buddhist statues and
ruins in Tami Nadu and southern India. This work feeds into a larger aim to build a
major Buddha statue as the center of a new Buddhist community practicing right
livelihood in an environmentally friendly context.

Conclusion

Needless to say the research conducted over two weeks in India from October 19 to
November 4, 2011 was incredibly rich in depth and diversity. Follow up research was
conducted from February 28 to March 6, 2012 in Thailand that consisted largely of
charting the results of the INEB Conference into concrete actions by the INEB network.
Here at the end of 2012, a full year after the Bodhgaya conference, the following
concrete results can be observed:

Young Bodhisattva Program: 2011-2012 marks the fifth year that INEB and its
partners from four different countries have exchanged their members/volunteers as




part of an organic learning process for bringing about individual and social change.
This year’s batch consisted of 7 persons (4 males and 3 females) from 5 countries:
Burma 2; Indonesia 2; Thailand 1; Bhutan 1; and Cambodia 1. From July 16
27,
2012, INEB organized another Young Bodhisattva Training in Thailand for
participants from the above exchange countries. Finally, from the Bodhgaya
conference, INEB and the Socially Engaged Buddhism of Ladakh (SEBoL) group
ran a 10
day workshop on Training of Trainers for basic facilitation skills in
Ladakh, India.

Peace, Human Rights and Reconciliation: Right after the Bodhgaya conference,
Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke (United States) and Jill Jameson (Australia) from the
INEB Burma working group, visited Burma to facilitate workshops and trainings
through the INEB network. There was another round of these in February 2012
with the focus of three different training sessions being to more broadly introduce a
culture of peace with peace
building skills training. In November 2012, INEB
made a public statement on the conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Buddhist Economics & Right Livelihood Fund (RLF): The strategic plan of RLF
was finalized and shared with INEB’s Executive and Advisory Boards in January
2012. A business plan has been drafted which has been circulated to the
Governance and Investment Committees. Discussions with lawyers and specialists
in the social investment space have taken place and the trademark registration
process has been initiated.

Environment: The Inter-religious Dialogue on Climate Change and Biodiversity

Conservation was held in Sri Lanka from the September 23-27, 2012. Over 150
people representing 20 countries from Asia and across the planet from Buddhist,
Hindu, Baha’i, Christian, Asian animists/naturalists, and Islamic faith traditions,
gathered at Sewalanka’s Islander Center. The Inter-religious Climate and Ecology
Network (ICE Network) was created among participants, as well as their invited
contacts, and will provide a platform to develop concrete actions while also sharing
program and advocacy experiences, and relevant research and education resources.





Gender and Women’s Empowerment: INEB and the International Women’s
Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP) are organizing an Asian women’s
interfaith gathering at Wongsanit Ashram, Thailand from January 18
20, 2013.
This gathering will bring together 40 women leaders and activists from diverse
faiths across Asia. They aim to build relationships, identify common needs and
challenges, draw lessons learned, and prioritize issues relating to gender and
spirituality from an Asian perspective.

Revival of Buddhism in India: On January 2, 2012, INEB organized a round table

meeting on reviving Buddhism in India at the INEB office in Bangkok. The first
round table meeting was successful in drawing together a small group of Buddhists
who have been involved in exploring this topic during the past decades and
forming a foundation for future collaboration and spiritual friendship
(kalayanamitra) as a life
long mission.

INEB Executive and Advisory Board Meeting in Japan: INEB with its partner
network the Japan Network of Engaged Buddhists (JNEB) successfully organized
a one week series of events from November 6-10, 2012 in Japan. The first two
days included study tours of: the areas in Fukushima affected by the nuclear
disaster, the situation of Buddhist temples in rural and urban areas, and the work of
Buddhist priests to help the suicidal and depressed. After the board meetings on the
8th and 9th, an all day public symposium and networking event with Japanese
engaged Buddhists was held on the 10th at the Kodo Kyodan Buddhist Fellowship
in Yokohama.

Inter-Religious Dialogue & the 2013 General INEB Conference: At the conclusion
of the Bodhgaya conference, Malaysia was selected as the next site of the INEB
General Conference. In response to the growing conflicts among ethnic Buddhists
and Muslims across the Asian region, it was decided that INEB and its Malaysian
partners will work with the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) to
co-host the INEB Conference in late October 2013 on the central theme of
Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue. This dialogue process was begun with a series of
meetings in the early 2000s by INEB founder Sulak Sivaraksa, JUST founder
Chandra Muzzafar, and the late President of Indonesia of Abdurahman Wahid.