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

Religious organisations should strive to transform situations Presently, there are Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist political
without engaging in partisan conflicts. parties in some countries. Such practice of making use of religious

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