Two forms of contemporary Buddhism

Abstract

Key terms and teachings Engaged Buddhism: A form of Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh and others that combines the meditative practices of the monastic life with the practical demands of compassionate action in the world. Its point and purpose is for its practitioners to realize that wisdom and knowledge must eventually lead to enlightened action and service. Mindfulness: The art of living mindfully is the practice of living in the present moment. It is the meditative technique of keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality in the present moment. In short, it is the process and activity of cultivating awareness and restoring the mind to its original undistracted state. Echoing the Buddha The primary purpose of this chapter is to complete our account of the “Development of the Dhamma/Dharma ” by considering some of the ideas and teachings of two of the most popular (at least in the West) contemporary teachers of Buddhism – the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. In this chapter I want to show how their teachings and interpretations of Buddhist ideas echo the historical Buddha's teaching that it is our mind and our uses of it that determine how we see and understand our self, the world, and other things. The secondary purpose of this chapter is to complete my case for the claim that the Buddha's most basic teaching is concerned with our minds and our uses of it.