John Dunne & Joan Halifax: Buddhist Visions of Leadership 2022 (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this multi-part series, Roshi Joan Halifax considers the qualities of a leader as modeled and taught by the Buddha. Roshi speaks of the Buddha as a social reformer, being one who disapproved of the caste system, ordained people of all classes and genders, recognized economic oppression, advocated for humanism in government, and most importantly, understood that true reform could only occur by going to the roots of human suffering in the human mind. Roshi cites some of the Buddha’s explicit teachings from the Pali Canon on how a good leader ought to act. She dives deeply into the Mahahamsa Jataka, which lists the “tenfold royal virtue” (dasa-rajadhamma) of a leader. Roshi also tells the story of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (r. c. 268–c. 232 BCE) who transformed from a cruel leader into a benevolent dharma-practicing leader, who implemented edicts concerning ahimsa, religious tolerance, animal welfare, vegetarianism, rest houses for travelers, free medical treatment, free education, infrastructure, and more. Roshi fast forwards in time to Eihei Dogen who offers The Four Embracing Actions of the Bodhissatva, or The Four Ways of Gathering. They include: being generous, kind speech, actions that benefit others, and the capacity to see ourselves in all others and to see all others as ourselves. Roshi and John Dunne conclude this part of the series by answering some questions from the participants on Zoom.

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