After the election of Donald Trump as president of the U.S., members of the Secular Buddhist Network (SBN) began discussing the need to create a broad-based coalition of Buddhists to respond to the harms caused by the Trump administration.
These discussions and outreach to other Buddhist groups and individuals have led to the creation of the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy. On March 17, 90 people attended an online meeting of the group. In addition to SBN, there were representatives from Zen, Shambhala, Thich Nhat Hanh, Insight, and Reflective Meditation sanghas, as well as individual Buddhist practitioners.
In a short period of time, the group has created a Call for Action and Statement of Principles, and begun to set up a variety of committees.
The Call for Action lays out the composition and purpose of the group:
We are the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy, a newly formed alliance of Buddhist sanghas and individuals representing multiple traditions and lineages. We welcome alliances with other civic, religious, political and legal organizations who share our values. We feel called upon to respond collectively to the ongoing destruction of democratic principles, institutions, norms, and the rule of law, and to the demonization and persecution of vulnerable groups. As Buddhists, we are called to witness the suffering of the world and to mindfully, wisely, and compassionately respond to it. We represent a broad coalition of members with differing political philosophies—radical, progressive, liberal, centrist, and conservative—who share a common love for a thriving democracy and are committed to ensuring its survival.
The Buddhist Coalition for Democracy stands for the following principles:
- We believe in the structures, norms, and laws that enable free societies to flourish: free and fair elections; the separation of powers; a free press; freedom of speech, religion, and association; the rule of law; an impartial justice system; and a military committed to preserving and protecting the Constitution.
- We believe no one should be discriminated against or subjected to cruelty on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion, country of origin, political beliefs, age, gender, or sexual orientation.
- We believe in the inherent dignity and fundamental rights of every individual as affirmed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
- We believe everyone should have access to the necessities of food, shelter, clothing, a living wage, a decent education, and quality health care.
- We believe government officials should speak truthfully and transparently, avoid conflicts of interest, and not govern to enrich a selected few.
- We believe that society flourishes best when free inquiry and creativity are promoted and supported in medicine, science, the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts.
- We believe human flourishing is imperiled by climate change, ecological destruction, and biodiversity loss and that governments are responsible for protecting it.
To read the complete Call for Action and Statement of Principles, click here.
10 Replies to “The Buddhist Coalition for Democracy”
I am so happy to hear about the Coalition for Democracy! Your call to action and statement of principles articulate the values I’ve wanted to enact but have lacked a vehicle, an organized body of people. Thank you so much for bringing this together. I’d love to be notified of any planned meetings
Why now? Why not when the Gaza genocide started; when the US invaded Iran, pulped Libya, aided and abetted various coups, provoked the Ukrainian proxy war, etc.?
Your aims and objectives are laudable, I simply question the timing.
Because only today is democracy itself at stake in the US.
Why not now?
I many ways Trump represents the very opposite of Buddhist principles and practices, and I think this is why Buddhists often find him so unpalatable.
Although he has never been officially diagnosed, many people, some with advanced psychology qualifications, have been driven to say that he is demonstrative of someone with narcissistic personality disorder, or its close relative, megalomania. As such he is an example of a highly pronounced ego with its (Buddhist) Five Aggregates or Skandas, and thus what every Buddhist works with within their own search for the true self (or no self), intrinsic awareness, blue sky, mirror, witness, or one of the many other metaphors that describe the inner self we can encounter through calm abiding meditation and other mindfulness practices. He is therefore a perfect example of the ego we all have to work with presented in an exacerbated way.
While Trump is outwardly provoking horror in many people’s lives due to the same kinds of ignorance and delusion we all suffer from, I personally pity him since he can only but suffer enormously despite how he parades himself. Surprisingly narcissists quite often don’t really like much about themselves and so seek other forms of attention that are meant to replace genuine love from others, and even self-directed love. He is the likely product of childhood development that has installed a socialisation and subconscious within that is promoting his need for massive amounts of attention.
Although I do not particularly like to listen to such a man, I also find that he is appropriate for the position that the current USA finds itself in, a view I am sure many Americans would agree with and wonder where the country and the world is headed under his command. And while the US talks ‘freedom and democracy’ it is very far from any semblance of it in current times. I think capitalism and consumerism combined with enormous corporate and sometimes individual billionaire greed, is taking its toll. It is desire and clinging (or craving) on steroids. Consequently, many Americans are doing it tough.
I see life these days more as “this leads to that” and try not to trigger too much emotion within from what I observe in the world – all things are empty and impermanent, there are no truly permanent identities – nothing lasts forever. While Trump acts in ways that are very disconcerting and clearly devoid of wisdom and compassion, he is also having other impacts that are making the world change its position rapidly and not necessarily in his own favour. These can even be seen to be positive effects. I now see people in my own country (Australia) questioning our long and blind allegiance to the US (in defence terms) something that did not take place before under the previous equally belligerent administration. Trump has no special power over impermanence like the rest of us either.
As Buddhists we must always say what we think (even if it is unpopular) and prefer to promote a world motivated by peace, loving kindness, compassion, wisdom, and spaciousness. As such we have to speak out when we should, and make our opinions heard. At the same time we also need to remember the Buddha’s Sallatha Sutta (of the arrow, or two arrows). It may be painful like an arrow piercing the flesh to be aware of what Trump does and says, but we must also be very careful not to give ourselves a second arrow by succumbing to the trap of our own egos producing depression or sadness driven by the seemingly Kali Yuga-like times we live in. These are in turn pushed by a very fear-promoting news media of frequently negative opinions.
It is worth thinking however, that this is also a great opportunity to learn how to live under difficult times and realise that the only real source of peace, happiness, love, space, and joy, is located within.
For this reason I will say that Buddhism, when properly practiced, is one of the best medicines I know to heal many of the world’s problems we face today – one person at a time. Trump, may be difficult to endure, but he may also serve as an accidental teacher we can all learn from, and offer an opportunity for the world to choose something better that opposes his lack of wisdom.
I read the Call for Action and Statement of Principles document. It is right on point. Thank you for composing such a concise and clear statement. I had attended Buddhist Action Coalition brainstorming session online November 11 and it was awesome, there were many feasible, actionable ideas generated. And then it disappeared completely! I hope this new group can integrate the work done in that Zoom meetng. This has to be about action, not simply sitting in silence. I have started to learn about Insight Dialogue and it seems very right for this moment, I highly recommend. Looking forward to learning more and getting involved in NY metro area.
This entire idea, and getting involved with politics, and especially taking any side, is FIRMLY rooted in unsatisfactoriness and the Ego. This is not Buddhism, does not fit with the philosphy and roundly ignore interconnectedness and interdependence. This is clinging, nothing else. We are supposed to stand as observers of it, not participants in it. And definitely not having empathy and consideration for one side over another.
I recommend reading the Prajnaparamita Sutras. In this way, you will understand that Buddhism without compassion makes no sense and is merely a form of entertainment.
While true Buddhism rejects clinging to goodness as a foothold for the ego, rejecting criminal hate campaigns, genocidal policies, supremacist ideas, ultranationalism, and religious fanaticism is simply normal behavior for anyone with even a minimum of compassion toward other sentient beings. Therefore, it is the expected behavior of anyone who calls themselves a Buddhist.
Perhaps secular Buddhism and, in particular, this group isn’t a good fit for you.
Any statement that utilizes comments such as “we believe” involves some kind of creed. It is pretty clear that the three refuges were not a Buddhist creed. Creeds and statements of values are not bad or wrong, and it seems equally clear that Buddhist sanghas–along with other religious communities–were not democracies. It is encouraging that Buddhism might be united in opposing autocracy. But religion and politics, while not necessarily in conflict, are two distinct human activities with different purposes and goals.
For the purposes of politics it might be best if there were dialogues with other religious communities, dialogues of discernment of commonalities and social values suggesting goals goals humans need to pursue.