Page 110 - Applied Buddhism

forces within society. Traditionally, religion is the most effective
middle ground for social cohesion and harmony; hence, Buddhist
organisations should give priority to maintaining this role.
However, to be involved in political and public affairs without
causing disintegration is almost impossible. This is because in a
civil society that emphasizes civil rights, practically every issue
involves politics, and one of the major characteristics of democratic
politics is “divisiveness”.
Hence, what Buddhist organisations can do is to see how to
engage in public and political affairs in an appropriate and skillful
manner so that they remain relevant to society at large and reduce
the disintegration to the minimum. This means there is a need for a
code of ethics for political engagement.
Ethics of Political Engagement
In 1966, Ven. Thich Nhant Hanh formulated the 14 precepts
of Socially Engaged Buddhism, in which the 10 precept provides
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ethical guidelines on political engagement. The 10 precept
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mentioned the following four aspects:
Do not use Buddhist organisations for personal gain or profit.
Do not transform your organisation into a political party.
Religious organisations should take a clear stand against
oppression and injustice.
Religious organisations should strive to transform situations
without engaging in partisan conflicts.
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The 1 rule: “Do not use Buddhist organisations for personal
st
gain or profit” is a rule based on conscience. Personal gain or
profit can be direct or indirect. When it is indirect, it is similar
to corruption when the parties involved will not announce their
corrupt practices. Though this rule cannot exert social pressure on
the persons involved, it can tickle their conscience.
Fame and awards may not be directly linked to profits, but
conscience should always not be forgotten. Conscience is important
as ethics are essentially conscience-based.
The 2 rule: “Do not transform your organisation into a
nd
political party” has more structure to it. As religious organisations
and political parties each have their own distinct roles, there is
no need for religious organisations to behave as political parties,
or vice versa. Instead, religious organisations should play their
role as the ‘middle ground”, or as an opinion-leader in society. If
religious leaders support certain political parties, either explicitly
or implicitly, they will be breaching the original objective of their
religious organisations.
This rule is also in compliance with the demand for separation
of religion and the state in civil society. If religious organisations
transform themselves into political parties, or political parties
making use of religious labels, it is unfair to citizens not belonging
to that particular religion. Besides, political parties today are
generally divisive in nature; thus, to incorporate a religious label
to political parties would make society even more divided, and this
could be disastrous to the nation.
Presently, there are Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist political
parties in some countries. Such practice of making use of religious
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