Page 8 - Applied Buddhism

movement itself. We do not exist in a vacuum. As Buddhists we This book, “Applied Buddhism” is my humble attempt to
live in a turbulent world in which Buddhism as an institution is throw some light on the numerous topics dealt with by Buddhist
encountering many serious challenges. Again many of these organisations over the years. In fact, almost all the topics covered
challenges were non-existence during the time of the Buddha. It is had previously been discussed at seminars and conferences
up to present day Buddhists to draw inspirations from the Dharma organised by various Buddhist organisations. This by itself is a
to deal with them. clear reflection of their importance and relevance for Buddhists in
the modern world today, and thus demands our keenest attention.
During the time of the Buddha and subsequent years, the
propagation of the Buddha Dharma was mainly spearheaded by
monks and monasteries, with support from kings and well-wishers. Ang Choo Hong 20-02-2020
After the Second World War, many Buddhist organisations led by
lay devotees emerged. They become part and parcel of the Buddhist
movement. A brief discussion on Lay Buddhism, especially the
World Fellowship of Buddhists, is presented in this book for readers
to get a better understanding of the present day Buddhist movement,
particularly on the role of lay Buddhists.

A significant part of the present day Buddhist movement is
Socially Engaged Buddhism (SEB). Perhaps a clarification of the
terms “Applied Buddhism” and “Socially Engaged Buddhism” is
needed here. The better known SEB is a social movement beginning
in the 1960s, characterised by mass engagement of the public,
non-violence, and radicalism with the objective of bringing about
structural changes to existing social institutions. Applied Buddhism,
as seen in the earlier discussion, covers a much wider spectrum. It
deals more with the application of Buddhism to every aspect of the
modern world we lived in today, from individual development, to
family lives, to community living, social engagement, and political
participation. Hence, it covers practically all contemporary issues
of the modern world. SEB can therefore be viewed as a subset of
Applied Buddhism.

iii Applied Buddhism Applied Buddhism iv