Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days
Tenth: Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community should, however, take a clear stand against oppression and injustice, and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.
Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh
I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one since I’m not really a member of a Buddhist community. However, I do think the admonition to strive to change a situation without engaging in partisan conflicts is particualry apt, and particularly difficult. Which is one way of saying that I’m still failing in my quest to send lovingkindness thoughts to Bush, Rumsfeld, etc. In fact, I still can’t watch them without without muting the television.
