The objective of this thesis is to analyze the philosophical implications of Ambedkar’s approach to Buddhism. This approach created a new social philosophy based on Buddhist ideas and a political commitment to social justice, particularly for the Dalits of India. What was the purpose of this social philosophy? To transform Buddhist philosophy? Or rather, to oppose Brahmanism and empower the lower castes? After a twenty-year-long study of Indian society and history, and Indian philosophical and religious traditions, Ambedkar came to the conclusion that Buddhism could have the power to transform the situation of the Untouchables. Why did he think that Buddhism would have this radical transformative impact not only for Dalits, but for Indian society as a whole? In 1956, in what became a historical event, he led a movement of conversion of more than five hundred thousand Untouchables from Hinduism to Buddhism. Ambekdar saw Buddhism as a way and as a tool to empower the lower castes of India. But what type of Buddhism did he envision? In 1956, in that historical event, Ambedkar founded what he called Navayana Buddhism. He used the word Navayana to refer to the birth of a new school. Nava means “new,” Yana means “vehicle”. Was he indeed creating a new yana, or new vehicle? What type of Buddhist school was this? What innovations did he introduce? Is the result still Buddhism, given Ambedkar's vision? This thesis aims to address all these questions.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the key actors in the contemporary engaged Buddhist practice. With his understanding of the traditional Buddhist doctrine, tradition and practice he constructs a view of ecology that he thinks encourage both the individual and the collective to environmentalist action. His cosmology is based on an understanding the reality as a non-dual, interconnected, interdependent and impermanent and sees all beings and the nature equal in their nature. He also bases his ethical and moral views on this cosmology and is an advocate for traditional Buddhist ethical and moral principles such as non-violence and non-judgementalism. The traditional doctrine of the 4 noble truths and the dependent co-arising is the base for his thought of why we should practice mindfulness with the goal of raising awareness of the true nature of reality and the environmental issues. According to him it is possible to stop the global warming with the use of mindfulness and action that are based on on the traditional Buddhist perception of cosmology and moral and ethical principles.

Within the field of American religious studies, a growing area of scholarship has been that of "spirituality" as a category distinct from religion. Scholars have examined the sociological, cultural, and historical features that characterize Americans' use of the concept of spirituality. Within this field, one subject of study is the growth in the number of individuals who identify themselves as "spiritual, but not religious." This phrase is used to denote a rejection of organized or traditional religion and an interest in a variety of belief systems. Via ethnographic methods, this dissertation analyzes this self-styled identity in the context of two phenomena: the Protestant legacy in the United States and "engaged spirituality," in which individuals' spirituality is integrally linked to engagement with social activism. The early Protestant history of the United States and the "Protestant ethic," per Max Weber, have shaped how Americans define and perceive religion and how Protestant values persist as cultural norms. American "spiritual, but not religious" individuals who are also "engaged" reject organized religion and find activism necessary due to issues that originate in this Protestant legacy. Evidence for this can be found in cases in which these individuals participate in activism by collaborating with non-Protestant religious groups. In this dissertation, I present this finding through three case studies featuring two radical religious groups which are active in peace protests: Nipponzan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist monastic order, and the Catholic Worker, a lay movement that assists the poor and homeless. The case studies are: the 50th anniversary Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March; Catholic Worker protests in Washington, DC, on the anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings; and events at the Buddhist Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda. I argue that these individuals form these alliances because in working with a Catholic and/or Buddhist group, they find a venue for activism which both accommodates their spiritual motivations and includes a critique of the Protestant-based elements of American culture. / PHD / Beginning in the 1970s, the topic of spirituality as a distinct area of study has developed within the field of American religious studies. One subject within the study of spirituality is the growing number of individuals who identify themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” This dissertation is an effort to further explore what roles these individuals play in American society. To accomplish this, this study addresses the relationship of “spiritual, but not religious” individuals to religion in the context of social activism. Through ethnographic methods of interviewing and participant-observation, this dissertation presents cases of spiritual but not religious individuals who identify activism as a key part of their spirituality. Specifically, these individuals participate in activism by collaborating with two radical religious groups which are active in peace protests: Nipponzan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist monastic order, and the Catholic Worker, a lay movement that assists the poor and homeless. Although “spiritual but not religious” individuals are defined by their rejection of organized religion, they choose to ally with these religious groups for the purpose of activism. I argue that these individuals form these alliances because the underlying social problems and elements of organized religion that they reject originate in the Protestant legacy in American culture. Therefore, in working with a Catholic and/or Buddhist group, these individuals find a venue for their spiritually-based activism that includes a critique of mainstream American culture.

This thesis examines the political activism of Vietnamese Engaged Buddhism in the 1960s, particularly the Struggle Movement for social justice and democracy of 1963 and the Peace Movement of 1966. It explores the Buddhist leaders' motives and their political means to deal with Saigon military government and senior advisors to the White House. The thesis sets out to prove that socially and politically Engaged Buddhism is inherent in the Buddhist tradition and not alien to Buddha's teachings. It also proves that Vietnamese Buddhism has always been engaged since the dawn of Vietnamese history. The Buddhism Peace Movement is assessed in accordance with Buddhist principles such as non-violence and non-attachment to temporal power. Except a few minor incidents, it was found that the Buddhist leaders strictly adhered to the non-violent principle and Vietnamese Engaged Buddhism could have provided a political alternative, the Politics of Enlightenment, which could avert the unnecessary destruction of the Vietnam War / Master of Science (Hons) Social Ecology

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-09T10:13:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 kellycristinaferreiraalvim.pdf: 816322 bytes, checksum: 2bde83989f0422bfcc37d31e6e4e9214 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-09T13:47:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 kellycristinaferreiraalvim.pdf: 816322 bytes, checksum: 2bde83989f0422bfcc37d31e6e4e9214 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-09T13:47:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 kellycristinaferreiraalvim.pdf: 816322 bytes, checksum: 2bde83989f0422bfcc37d31e6e4e9214 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-24 / Este trabalho apresenta o resultado da pesquisa sobre a biografia e a base dos ensinamentos do monge vietnamita Thich Nath Hanh da tradição budista Zen, descrevendo sua trajetória desde sua formação como monge e sua luta política ativista pela paz durante a Guerra do Vietnã. Em sua extensa obra Thich Nath Hanh oferece subsídios para a implementação ou vivência da consciência plena, como contribuição ao movimento do budismo engajado e o diálogo interreligioso contemporâneo. A principal busca deste trabalho é descrever e analisar as possíveis contribuições de Thich Nath Hanh ao momento histórico em que vivemos e a aplicação de suas práticas ativistas para a melhora da relação entre os seres humanos e o planeta numa visão ecológica e de diálogo inter-religioso. Nesta busca apresenta-se sua aproximação de outros buscadores do Diálogo Inter-religioso, principalmente àqueles da tradição cristã, como Thomas Merton e Daniel Berrigan, em livros onde ele explora a temática da aproximação entre os ensinamentos de Buda e Cristo. Finalizando, destaca-se a situação contemporânea do Diálogo e a aplicabilidade das propostas deste autor e sua Ordem Interser como subsídio para a vivência pacífica entre as mais diversas tradições e culturas religiosas na atualidade. / This paper presents the results of research on the biography and the basis of the teachings of Thich Nath Hanh Vietnamese monk of Zen Buddhist tradition, describing its history since its formation as a monk and his political activist struggle for peace during the Vietnam War. In his extensive work Thich Nath Hanh provides grants for the implementation or experience of mindfulness as a contribution to the movement of engaged Buddhism and contemporary inter-religious dialogue. The main pursuit of this study is to describe and analyze the possible contributions of Thich Nath Hanh to the historical moment in which we live and the application of its activists practices for the improvement of the relationship between humans and the planet in a green vision and inter-religious dialogue . In this search presents its approach to other seekers of Interreligious Dialogue, particularly those of the Christian tradition, as Thomas Merton and Daniel Berrigan, in books where he explores the theme of rapprochement between the teachings of Buddha and Christ. Finally, there is the contemporary situation of the dialogue and the applicability of the proposals of this author and his Interbeing Order as support for the peaceful existence among the different religious traditions and cultures today.

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Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-06-01T18:04:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 transformacoes_historicas.pdf: 1011941 bytes, checksum: 37a0bc0e045ed1b52cceb172eb2e055b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-01T18:04:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 transformacoes_historicas.pdf: 1011941 bytes, checksum: 37a0bc0e045ed1b52cceb172eb2e055b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Nenhuma / O budismo, uma das grandes religiões mundiais, conheceu um processo de expansão para o Ocidente desde o século XIX, ao mesmo tempo em que, no Oriente, viu-se ameaçado pela redução do número de adeptos e pela proibição de sua prática por regimes ditatoriais instalados nos países asiáticos nos períodos do colonialismo e do pós-guerra. A partir de 1950, passou a manifestar uma nova característica, de engajamento social e político, expressa em projetos sociais budistas que surgiram em diferentes continentes e países. Essa nova configuração, entretanto, ainda se baliza em conteúdos típicos da tradição milenar asiática, tais como a meditação, a não-violência, a compaixão, a não-identidade e a ênfase na vida humana preciosa e na interdependência. Tais concepções entraram em contato com a cultura racional e individualista da modernidade ocidental. Nesse contexto, as ações de engajamento, sustentadas em uma teoria social budista própria, interpelaram a percepção sociológica clássica a respeito do budismo, no sentido de constituir uma religião introspectiva, de renúncia contemplativa do mundo. Diante dessas questões, esta tese buscou verificar como a evolução histórica do budismo, em particular o budismo engajado, tem acarretado alterações na natureza dessa religião e como, em contrapartida e dentro de novos termos, o budismo engajado tem preservado e promovido a cultura e os valores budistas no mundo moderno. Em paralelo ao estudo do budismo engajado no mundo e no Brasil, uma pesquisa em instituição budista brasileira, por intermédio da pesquisa participante, buscou caracterizar essas práticas, identificar seus efeitos sobre seu público-alvo e avaliar sua contribuição para as iniciativas de promoção social. Concluiu-se que, a partir dos efeitos da colonização, modernidade e globalização, as instituições budistas vêm manifestando maior envolvimento social. O budismo, caracterizado por Weber como uma religião de renúncia contemplativa do mundo, assumiu uma feição de engajamento no mundo. Os projetos sociais budistas conciliam os elementos gnósticos milenares típicos do budismo com a ação social budista, que seguem as orientações do dharma budista aplicado ao campo social. Esse encontro do gnóstico com o racional pode trazer contribuições e inovações ao campo das ciências sociais aplicadas e também promover a preservação e ampliação do budismo. / Buddhism, one of the world?s great religions, met an expansion to the West since the nineteenth century, while in the East was at risk by a reduction on the number of followers and the ban on its practices by dictatorial regimes installed in the Asian countries during the colonialism and postwar periods. From 1950, it began to manifest a new feature of social and political engagement, expressed in Buddhist social projects that have emerged in different continents and countries. This new configuration, however, is still based in typical ancient Asian tradition, such as meditation, nonviolence, compassion, non-identity and focus on precious human life and interdependence. These concepts came into contact with the rational and individualistic culture of Western modernity. In this context, the actions of engagement, sustained in a Buddhist social theory itself, have approached the classical sociological perception about Buddhism of an introspective, contemplative renunciation of the world religion. Given these issues, this thesis sought to determine how the historical development of Buddhism, particularly the engaged Buddhism, has caused changes in the nature of this religion and how, in new terms, the engaged Buddhism has preserved and promoted, by contrast, culture and Buddhist values in the modern world. In parallel with the study of engaged Buddhism in the world and in Brazil, a research in a Brazilian Buddhist institution, through participant research, sought to characterize these practices, identify their impact on your public and evaluate their contribution to the initiatives of social promotion. It was concluded that, from the effects of colonization, modernity and globalization, the Buddhist institutions are showing greater social involvement. Buddhism, characterized by Weber as a religion of contemplative renunciation of the world, assumed a face of engagement in the world. The Buddhist social projects concile the typical ancient gnostic elements of Buddhism with Buddhist social action, which follow the guidelines of the Buddhist dharma applied to the social field. This meeting of the gnostic with rational may bring contributions and innovations to the field of applied social sciences as well as promote the preservation and expansion of Buddhism.

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Not applicable. / The study “Water carved out the mountains. Policy communication of Engaged Buddhists related to international development cooperation” contributes to an understanding of development from perspectives of non-denominational action among so called Engaged Buddhists. Departing from qualitative interviews with nine leaders of socially engaged organizations from five Asian countries, the systemic programming resulting from their ideals are compared to key principles and programming of international development cooperation. Responding to the question:”What policy ideals shape the development programming, and can these be linked to forms of power and the rights-based approach?” this inter-disciplinary and multi-sited study feeds into the increased interest in faith-based expressions within the general public sphere, and specifically in the development industry. Guided by the ontology of critical realism, a mixed method is used shaped by qualitative interviews and participatory observations, enabling both analysis of meanings and development programming. Based on their views on Buddhist ethics and practices, the leaders address development topics common today. Policies expressed are placed within a communication culture for change, yet not necessarily by conventional confrontational advocacy modes. Diverse understandings are at play, such as how to convey meanings of “kindness”. Although not referring to concepts common within the social and cultural structures of contemporary international development cooperation, the actors develop methods based on principles of participation in particular and the work today can also be related to other principles of the Human Rights Based Approach. The policies and programming are linked to invisible, informal and formal forms of power although informants refer to interpretations of compassion, inter-relatedness and non-dualism, among other.From a perspective of development cooperation, a hypothetical argument is advanced suggesting that the informants do not differ at substantial level related to their understanding and practice of Buddhism or their general approaches to development topics, as much as they differ regarding their approach to programming aimed at influencing forms of power. The common criticism of Buddhists not addressing power can then for this group be nuanced, and indicatively suggested not to be valid regarding invisible and informal power, but rather regarding formal power.Academic fields: Communication for development with reference to sociology of religion, political science, global studies and multi-sited ethnography.Key words: Engaged Buddhism, Civil Society Organizations, Faith-Based Organizations, Human Right Based Approach, participation, complexity/systemic approaches, power, Thich Nhath Hanh, Sister Chan Khong, Sulak Sivaraksa, Bikkhuni Dhammananda, A.T. Ariyaratne, Sarvodaya.