Buddhist Leaders’ ‘Call to Action’ Against Policies of the New Administration
- By Elisa Meyer --
- 04 Apr 2017 --
Stand Against Suffering: A Buddhist Call to Action
The foundation of Buddhism is based on compassion and peace, however, that doesn't mean that all the Buddhists will remain passive and non-engaged in the face of great suffering to the people, says some of the prominent and leading Buddhist teachers in the world.
Buddhist ‘Call to Action’ Against Policies of the New Administration[/tweetthis]
They believe that many of the Trump administration's policies will bring great suffering and hardships to the less privileged people in society, so they are calling all the American Buddhists and people from other faith to take a courageous, yet peaceful stand against those policies. The policies may also lead to international conflicts and can potentially harm the environment as well. The article, Stand Against Suffering: A Buddhist Call to Action, authored by thirteen prominent Buddhist teachers, will appear in the April-May edition of Lion’s Roar.
Buddhist's don't favor any particular party and they don't subscribe to any particular ideology; their commitment is towards the people. They follow bodhisattva Kwan Yin who hears the cries of the suffering people and does everything in her power to help them. The less privileged and oppressed communities in the United States have always been the victims of greed, indifference, and aggression. The new policies would only heighten their sufferings. While a lot of people think, Buddhists should not interfere in political and social issues, mainly because of the peaceful and non-violence tags attached to the religion, it is actually the responsibility of the Buddhists to get themselves involved in the suffering of the society and do everything in their power to ease the suffering of the people because their suffering is the Buddhists' suffering.
Now, all Buddhists are peace lovers, however, that doesn't mean all function in the same way or style. Some will go out there and get themselves involved in direct protests. Some will serve the people by providing medical aides, empowering the youth, seeking justice for the oppressed, and so on. The idea is for the Buddhist communities to become a refuge for the oppressed and downtrodden.
More than 100 Buddhist leaders sign unprecedented "call to action" over Trump administration. https://t.co/0tsXP9LCnt
— Joanna Piacenza (@jpiacenza) April 3, 2017
In order to be successful in their quest, it is essential that Buddhists hold on to their wisdom, compassion, love, and peace-loving nature. They should embrace bodhisattva and follow their dharma.
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