100 Buddhist teachers publish unprecedented 'Call to Action' in response to US political situation
More than 100 leading Buddhist teachers are calling on American Buddhists and other people of faith to take a stand against policies of the new administration that will create suffering for the most vulnerable in society. “Stand Against Suffering: A Buddhist Call to Action” appears in the April/May issue of Lion’s Roar, the largest-circulation Buddhist publication in the English language.
“This is the first time that so many leading teachers, from so many different traditions, have come together to offer a Buddhist view of the current political situation,” says Melvin McLeod, editor-in-chief of Lion’s Roar magazine. “It is based on Buddhists’ fundamental commitment to protect people against suffering, whatever the cause.”
Noting the crucial role that religious leaders and practitioners have played in movements for peace and social justice, the teachers call on Buddhists to join with all people of faith “to resist policies that will cause harm and offer a new and positive vision for our country.”
“Stand Against Suffering” is authored by a diverse group of 13 leading Buddhist teachers, including best-selling author Jack Kornfield, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Roshi Joan Halifax, and monk-activist Bhikkhu Bodhi. It is supported by more than 90 additional signatories, including well-known Buddhist figures such as Sylvia Boorstein, Joseph Goldstein, Robert Thurman, Tara Brach, Stephen Batchelor, Natalie Goldberg, Noah Levine, and Rev. Ronald Kobata of Buddhist Churches of America.
The full statement & list of signatories can be read here.
About the Lion’s Roar Foundation:
The Lion’s Roar Foundation is a non-profit independent media organization which publishes the bimonthly Lion’s Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly in print and digital editions, and on the web at www.LionsRoar.com.
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