Revolutionary Buddhism
Often, while contemplating upon the woes of the world ,upon the wars, the famines, the social injustices and, especially, the extreme environmental degradation and annihilation perpetrated each and every day, one can feel bemused as to why the world is as it is. In so far as, why do humans habitually act in the ways that they do? Further, the question regarding what can be done to alleviate these problems is also just as pressing. In this article, I hope to elucidate my belief that by learning and applying Buddhist ethics and understandings to the state of the world, one can truly understand the cause and effects of this world’s problem and, accordingly, work to then make a positive difference.

To begin, I must firstly state my belief that the external disorders seen both socially and in respect to the contemporary environmental “ecocide” are due to the collective internal disorders of our mind. These internal disorders or, “poisons of the mind” as they are described in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition are broken down into three factors, namely: ignorance, desire and hatred. Ignorance to the true effects of one’s actions and desire for monetary wealth, further possessions and for the appeasement of the ego leads to the perpetration of countless wrong actions that only further the suffering of the individual. It has often been said that one can be blinded by desire and this, most certainly, is often the case in our world. Certainly, desire can cause people to self-deceive themselves into rationalizing their behaviours. Hatred leads one to act in various unskilful ways, as it tends to destroy rationality. It can be said that ignorance is the root cause of desire and hatred, for if people really did understand the consequences of their actions( this being the realization that actions made, due to the poisons of the mind ,can never bring true happiness) they would simply not let desire and hatred reign in their minds.

To witness the three poisons in action, let us, firstly, consider the Iraq War. All but the most naïve individuals can realize that it was waged with the acquisition of oil being, if not the sole raison d’etre, but, at the very least, an important factor. Our fellow human beings were, in their thousands, murdered to acquire a non-renewable resource so that profit could be made from the its utilization(which, rather ironically, is in no small way responsible for Gaia’s greatest threat to continuation , Global Warming) . Desire blinded the war-mongers into deceiving themselves as to what occurs in a war. Hatred, as in all wars, was a prominent feature in the war’s conduct and, finally, ignorance to the fact that only compassion can ever really cause a change for the better ultimately led to the bombing and the bloodshed.

Another example of contemporary ignorance, yet one that is much more widespread is that to the media imbalance, or propaganda system in place that many commentators and renowned intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman have delineated in many of their writings. By a complex process of non-conspiratorial but rather, self-deceptive actions, our media operates in a perverse manner so as to manufacture our consent to that of the dominant corporate agenda. We are always told about how balanced our media is but as Sharon Beder once wrote:

“Balance means ensuring that statements by those challenging the establishment are balanced with statements by those whom they are criticising, though not necessarily the other way round”

Often, certain stories are emphasized that in reality are trivial while more important or consequential stories are, if not omitted, then de-emphasised. We are told about the ruthlessness of Saddam Hussein’s regime in gory detail but on the fact that he was partly installed and then supported by the West for so long, we, sadly, don’t hear. "When truth is replaced by silence," as the Soviet dissident Yevgeny Yevtushenko said, "the silence is a lie."


These mental “poisons” are the fundamental problem of our world. No social initiatives or no amount of legislation can help us to foster real change unless we realize this concept. Noble philosophies such as Communism and Anarchy were created with great compassion as a method for creating a better world for all; and should be commended for these efforts. However, the reason that they have always practically failed is due to their lack of emphasis on personal revolution (by this I mean actions made against ones own mental “poisons”), instead, they see the problems of society as the “bourgeoisie”, or the state. Only by compassion, as the Buddha taught, can real change be achieved. There can be no permanent success with a violent revolution as, in the long run, it will only create more and more problems.

So what can we do to help to foster positive change in our world? As Chogyam Trungpa said:

“If we try and solve society’s problems without overcoming the confusion and aggression in our own state of mind, then our efforts will only contribute to the basic problems instead of solving them.”

However, we shouldn’t erroneously believe that we cannot do any good for the world until some distant time in the future when we are enlightened beings, as this, unfortunately, could take quite a while! We should, firstly, work upon ourselves, then - knowing that all the problems of the world are due to the three poisons, and that actions made by desire, hatred, and ignorance can only increase suffering for the individual- we should approach these worldly issues with compassion and empathy; all the time recognising that the same harmful factors exist in our own minds. Our battle for change should be as much internal as external. The process of demonizing the wrong doers, so beloved by many otherwise respectable commentators and organizations, has no place in a Buddhist approach to treating the world’s problems.

Recognizing the three poisons of the mind, we must now consider why we should always act with compassion in all situations even to those who fail to treat ourselves or others with compassion. The answer is remarkably simple, and Shantideva explains it as such in his marvellous work “Bodhicaryavatara”:

“Whatever joy there is in this world
All comes from desiring others to be happy
And whatever suffering there is in this world
All comes from desiring myself to be happy.”

Basically, by harbouring negative mental states and by treating people or the environment in a negative way or by concerning oneself solely with the acquisition of gain and pleasure for oneself, not only will no true happiness be gained, but, in actuality, suffering will result. Those who cause suffering to the planet and its inhabitants are also causing suffering to themselves. Thus, one who truly wishes to practice and express Buddhist ethics (or otherwise) must practice compassion and empathy to those people who commit wrongs. As David Edwards said, in his most remarkable book, “The Compassionate Revolution”:

“The rich then are as ignorant of the suffering they inflict on themselves as they are of the suffering they inflict on other people”

You cannot win over somebody by treating them with hatred and anger. In fact you are only causing suffering to yourself while achieving nothing but the reinforcement of the anger and hatred in that person whom you originally hoped to convince. This is why, in my opinion, so many noble organizations for positive change have failed to be effective in their campaigns. Yet, growing up in our world, this noble idea is incredibly hard to put into action, as it almost seems to go against all that is proper and noble(consider television, for example, where tales of “sweet” revenge and hatred directed to those who commit obvious wrongs are lauded-especially in the soap-operas!). This is why it is so revolutionary. In fact, compassion it is the only true revolutionary approach.

In conclusion, I would ask you, the reader, to investigate and challenge all that I have said and see whether or not you can find some truth in it. I must admit, that the process of dispelling the three poisons and also the act of putting compassion into action, in all situations, can be quite difficult(maybe, in fact, the most difficult task that there is!), and this I know only too well. Yet there are people who have done it.

I would now like to finish on a quote by H.H The Dalai Lama, a man who most effectively exemplifies what I believe to be the Buddhist approach to the world’s woes. A man who has practiced and promoted compassion and non-violence even throughout the Chinese invasion/genocide upon his homeland:
"If you want to change the world, first try to improve and bring about change within yourself. That will help change your family. From there it just gets bigger and bigger. Everything we do has some effect, some impact."