/r/AppliedBuddhism

Photograph via snooOG

“Applied Buddhism” is a continuation of Engaged Buddhism. Applied Buddhism means that Buddhism can be applied in every circumstance in order to bring understanding and solutions to problems in our world. Applied Buddhism offers concrete ways to relieve suffering and bring peace and happiness in every situation.

Applied Buddhism means that Buddhism can be applied in every circumstance in order to bring understanding and solutions to problems in our world. Applied Buddhism offers concrete ways to relieve suffering and bring peace and happiness in every situation.


First we had the term “Engaged Buddhism.” Engaged Buddhism means that you practice all day without interruption, in the midst of your family, your community, your city, and your society. The way you walk, the way you look, the way you sit inspires people to live in a way that peace, happiness, joy and brotherhood are possible in every moment.

The term Engaged Buddhism was born when the war in Vietnam was very intense. To meditate is to be aware of what is going on, and what was happening then was bombs falling, people being wounded and dying: suffering and the destruction of life. You want to help relieve the suffering, so you sit and walk in the midst of people running from bombs. You learn how to practice mindful breathing while you help care for a wounded child. If you don’t practice while you serve, you will lose yourself and you will burn out.

When you are alone, walking, sitting, drinking your tea or making breakfast, that is also Engaged Buddhism, because you are doing it not only for yourself, but in order to help preserve the world. This is interbeing. Engaged Buddhism is practice that penetrates into every aspect of our world.

 

Applied Buddhism” is a continuation of Engaged Buddhism. Applied Buddhism means that Buddhism can be applied in every circumstance in order to bring understanding and solutions to problems in our world. Applied Buddhism offers concrete ways to relieve suffering and bring peace and happiness in every situation.

When President Obama gave a talk at the University of Cairo, he used loving speech in order to ease tension between America and the Islamic world. He was using the Buddhist practice of loving speech: speaking humbly, recognizing the values of Islam, recognizing the good will on the part of Islamic people, and identifying terrorists as a small number of people who exploit tension and misunderstanding between people.

The practice of relieving tension in the body is Applied Buddhism because the tension accumulated in our body will bring about sickness and disease. The sutra on mindful breathing, Anapanasati, presented in sixteen exercises, is Applied Buddhism. We should be able to apply the teaching of mindful breathing everywhere—in our family, in our school, in the hospital, and so on. Buddhism is not just for Buddhists. Buddhism is made up of non-Buddhist elements.

 

~Thich Nhat Hanh on the Term From a Dharma Talk given June 21, 2009 in Plum Village


Related Subreddits:

r/Yogacara

r/Bodhisattva

r/Thien

r/TiepHien

r/Shamatha

r/Lojong

r/SilentIllumination

r/Mahasandhi

r/Dzogpachenpo

/r/AppliedBuddhism

221 Subscribers

6

Applied vs Engaged Buddhism

I've read the TNH quote on Applied Buddhism, but I don't really understand how it's different from Engaged Buddhism, or why there's a need for a new term.

4 Comments
2021/10/21
00:08 UTC

4

May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors

0 Comments
2021/05/05
22:53 UTC

3

The Diamond Cutting Through Fear | Dharma Talk by Sr Dang Nghiem, 2021 01 10, DPM

0 Comments
2021/04/19
12:59 UTC

5

The Five Spiritual Powers (Plus One) | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)

0 Comments
2021/04/18
13:35 UTC

4

Eleven Pieces of Important Advice Not to be Rejected by Gampopa.

• Don’t reject compassion, since it is the basis for helping others.

• Don’t reject experiences, since they are the natural radiance of your mind.

• Don’t reject thoughts, since they are the play of your innate nature.

• Don’t reject disturbing emotions, since they are the reminders of wisdom.

• Don’t reject sense-pleasures, since they are the water and fertilizer for experience and realization.

• Don’t reject sickness and suffering, since they are your spiritual friends.

• Don’t reject enemies and obstructors, since they are inspiration for realizing your basic nature.

• Don’t reject whatever comes naturally, since it is a sign of success.

• Don’t reject any type of path of means, since it is a stepping-stone for knowledge.

• Don’t reject the physical activities of a spiritual nature which you are capable of accomplishing.

• Don’t reject the intention to help others, even if your powers are feeble.

0 Comments
2021/04/17
22:04 UTC

2

Healing is Possible at Every Moment | Thich Nhat Hanh, 2013.03.10

0 Comments
2021/02/20
22:40 UTC

1

New Year's Day Opening Ceremony

0 Comments
2021/02/12
18:27 UTC

1

Ceremony to Welcome the Lunar New Year

0 Comments
2021/02/12
18:27 UTC

1

Thich Nhat Hanh on Tet 2021

0 Comments
2021/02/12
18:27 UTC

1

Continuation of Joanne Friday

0 Comments
2021/01/20
18:51 UTC

2

How to let anger out | Thich Nhat Hanh, Q & A

0 Comments
2020/08/25
19:50 UTC

2

Stillness and Mindfulness in Activism

0 Comments
2020/08/25
19:50 UTC

2

When we practice sitting or walking we should pay attention to the quality and not the quantity.

There is a story I would like to tell you about a woman who practices the invocation of the Buddha Amitabha's name. She is vert tough, and she practices the invocation three times daily, using a wooden drum and a bell, reciting "Namo Amitabha Buddha" for one hour each time. When she arrives at one thousand times, she invites the bell to sound. (In Vietnamese, we don't say "strike" or "hit" a bell.) Although she has been doing this for ten years, her personality has not changed. She is still quite mean, shouting at people all the time.

A friend wanted to teach her a lesson, so one afternoon when she had just lit the incense, invited the bell to sound three times, and was beginning to recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha," he came to her door, and said, "Mrs. Nguyen, Mrs. Nguyen!" She found it very annoying because this was her time of practice, but he just stood at the front gate shouting her name. She said to herself, "I have to struggle against my anger, so I will ignore that," and she went on, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha."

The gentleman continued to shout her name, and her anger became more and more oppressive. She struggled against it, wondering, "Should I stop my recitation and go and give him a piece of my mind?" But she continued chanting, and she struggled very hard. Fire mounted in her, but she still tried to chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha." The gentleman knew it, and he continued to shout, "Mrs. Nguyen! Mrs. Nguyen!"

She could not bear it any longer. She threw down the bell and the drum. She slammed the door, went out to the gate and said, "Why, why do you behave like that? Why do you call my name hundreds of times like that?" The gentleman smiled at her and said, "I just called your name for ten minutes, and you are so angry. You have been calling the Buddha's name for ten years. Think how angry he must be by now!"

The problem is not to do a lot, but to do it correctly. If you do it correctly, you become kinder, nicer, more understanding and loving. When we practice sitting or walking we should pay attention to the quality and not the quantity. If we practice only for the quantity, then we aren't very different from Mrs. Nguyen. I think she learned her lesson. I think she did better after that.

~Thich Nhat Hanh from Being Peace

0 Comments
2020/08/23
18:15 UTC

2

How can we keep mindfulness alive every day?

0 Comments
2020/08/23
14:09 UTC

2

Embracing just one hundred years, we see things very differently.

There are times when we feel angry at someone, and we think that if we do not confront him, our dignity will be lost. Perhaps that person challenged our authority, and we feel frustrated that we did not respond right away. We may go to bed unhappy and barely manage to get a good night’s sleep, but the next day, we feel completely different. We laugh and smile, and see the situation entirely differently. Suddenly, what happened yesterday is not important. Only one night separates us from the event, and already things are quite different. This is to think globally, in terms of time.

When we dwell in the historical dimension, we are tossed about by many waves. Perhaps we have a difficult time at work. Or we have to wait too long in line at the supermarket. Or we have a bad telephone connection with our friend. We feel tired, a little depressed, or angry. This is because we are caught in the present situation. But if we close our eyes and visualize the world one hundred years from now, we will see that these problems are not important. Embracing just one hundred years, we see things very differently. Imagine how drastic a change is brought about by touching the ultimate dimension!

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

0 Comments
2020/08/22
17:58 UTC

2

Touching Reality as It Is | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)

0 Comments
2020/08/18
17:41 UTC

2

How to Stay Calm in a Storm | Thich Nhat Hanh, Stonehill College, USA, 2007-08-16

0 Comments
2020/08/16
14:25 UTC

2

Taking Care of Anger | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video)

0 Comments
2020/08/16
14:22 UTC

2

Thich Nhat Hanh - Brief Commentary on the Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone

0 Comments
2020/08/16
14:22 UTC

1

Uncomfortable Spaces: Cultivating Love & Peace for Racial Healing | Sister Peace | 2020 08 02 BCM

0 Comments
2020/08/16
13:55 UTC

1

Walking Meditation in Nature with Sister Sinh Nghiem

0 Comments
2020/08/16
13:49 UTC

Back To Top