How might a Buddhist most effectively respond to the many pressing (often scary) issues facing humanity today? It’s not very bodhisattva-like, for example, to merely cloak oneself in “non-attachment” when an “appropriate response” is to be helpful to all beings. So how might one best walk this tightrope? How might a practitioner of today most effectively regard the cries of the world while letting an ancient teaching inspire his or her actions?
Zen teacher, David Loy has some thoughts:
Unless you’re on long retreat in a Himalayan cave, it’s becoming more difficult to overlook the fact that our world is beset by interacting ecological, economic and social crises. Climate breakdown, species extinction, a dysfunctional economic system, corporate domination of government, overpopulation –it’s a critical time in human history, and the collective decisions we have to make during the next few years will set the course of events for generations to come.
