''If Buddhists do not perceive structural violence [e. g., of capitalism and capitalist relations] in both their knowledge and action, the mindfulness or inner peace that they are cultivating is merely a form of escapism. Many Buddhists often ask, Who are we to change the world? This mode of thinking is simply delusional. It shows a failure to grasp the Three Characteristics. That is, we must confront the state of suffering (dukkhata) and realize that things are transient (anniccata). Therefore, there’s ultimately a void or emptiness (annattata); being nothing is not the same as not-being.
Is this suffering merely an individual problem? Definitely not. It is also structural and institutional –hence the importance of politics. We may be participating in structural violence even if at the individual level we are peace-loving and compassionate. We must learn to develop ethical responsibility for structural violence.
[…]
There’s a ''revolutionary'' dimension in Buddhism that needs to be (re)-affirmed’’.
(from Rethinking Capitalism, Religion, and Alienation, by Sulak Sivaraksa, former Thai Buddhist monk and founder of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. Published in Dharma World, Jan.-Mar. 2010, vol. 37, p. 6)
more...
