Meeting, April 30th 7:00pm
On April 30th at 7:00pm, Princeton Insight Meditation will be hosting an online meeting to provide a space for members of our community to discuss how to relate our Buddhist practice to social action in the world. Scroll down for login details to the meeting.
Why we’re meeting
Immediately following the 2024 presidential election, monk, scholar, and teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi responded in a statement titled “It’s No Time to Be Neutral.” In it, he proposed answers to the question: “How are we, ordinary Americans pledged to Buddhist ethical and spiritual ideals, to respond to the array of interwoven crises we’re likely to face in the years ahead?” Members of the Princeton Insight Meditation sangha have expressed their anxiety about what’s happening in the world and have asked the same question posed by Ven. Bodhi: How are we to respond? How can we exercise wisdom and compassion in taking action in ways that are beneficial for ourselves and others?
In response to these questions, Princeton Insight Meditation is making a space to gather together those in the sangha who are interested in exploring Engaged Buddhism: using our understanding of suffering, compassion, and interconnectedness to bring about positive change in the world. Depending on the level of interest, this may become an ongoing group on the Princeton Insight calendar.
To help navigate our way, we will be using the framework of what Bhikkhu Bodhi has described as “four crucial steps we can take if we are to move in a direction that aligns with our highest ethical aspirations as Buddhist practitioners.”
- Turn inwards: Using our dharma tools of mindfulness, “pause, sit down, and process what we’re going through.”
- Cultivate our hearts: “embrace, in loving-kindness and compassion, all those at greatest risk under a second Trump presidency.”
- Take action: “find opportunities to express our moral convictions in action.”
- Understand: “use discernment and reflection to understand how we reached this terrible debacle and how we can emerge from it.”
Princeton Insight Meditation wants to make a space available for sangha members to help each other explore these four steps and connect our spiritual path to our response to the current conditions in the world. On April 30th, we’ll spend some time in reflection and discussion on Bhikkhu Bodhi’s teaching on Engaged Buddhism and we’ll share our own experiences and vision for how to move forward along this path, whether individually or collectively.
Details
When: Wednesday, 30 April, 7:00–8:30pm
Where: This will be an online meeting held via Zoom. You can join by following this link, or you can login using these credentials:
- Meeting ID: 818 0285 5488
- Passcode: 008186
Who: The meeting is open to anyone in the Princeton Insight Meditation community who is interested in attending. This is independent of our regular Sunday and Monday groups; you need not attend one of those to join this meeting.
Questions? Email us at engaged@princetoninsightmeditation.org
RSVP: We are trying to get an idea of how many people are planning to attend the meeting. If you are joining us, or if you are interested in getting future communications about Engaged Buddhism at Princeton Insight Meditation, please fill out the following form.