New Buddhism

In The New Buddhism, David Brazier makes the case for a Buddhism of social action and engagement, contrary to the commonly held view of it as a spiritual movement of passive acceptance. "The Buddha did not come into the world simply to pour oil on troubled waters. He went forth in order to point out greed, hatred, and delusion . . . so that something could be done about them and so that people could make choices with their eyes open", Brazier points out. As Brazier interprets it, the heart of the Buddhist message -- one greatly neglected in recent centuries -- is that people are what they do, and what they do has consequences. He sees enlightenment as a call to action -- "not waking up to the fact that everything is already fine but waking up to the fact that there is a job to do".The New Buddhism delves into the history of the various notions of enlightenment and the schism in the Buddhist revolution. The earliest Buddhists, with their rag robes and shaven heads, aligned themselves with the poorest and the downtrodden; only when Buddhism became allied with Asia's rulers and governments, Brazier explains, did its original radical impulse become corrupted and lost. Illuminating and inspiring, The New Buddhism is a manifesto for a more active and compassionate Buddhism to restore its spiritual teaching to its original vision of a peaceful revolution.Brazier, David K. is the author of 'New Buddhism', published 2001 under ISBN 9780880642729 and ISBN 0880642726.