Buddhist institutions in the West are failing us on a massive scale. Buddhist organizations exploit their members for money, sex and power. Sanghas are designed to isolate and disempower members and turn them into passive consumers, and worse—naive victims. Because of these atrocities, Buddhist sanghas in the West are imploding and shedding members; most recently: Shambhala Int’l., Rigpa, NKT, FPMT, and Against the Stream.
One of the root causes of this exploitation is the organizational structure of Buddhist institutions. Lay sanghas are dominated by ordained and authorized teachers. These structures of domination deliberately silence and disempower sangha members. They prohibit sangha members from practicing autonomous governance and collective responsibility for the whole sangha.
WE DECLARE A BUDDHIST SPRING. WE THROW OFF THE SHACKLES OF HIERARCHY AND DOMINATION. WE TAKE BUDDHISM INTO OUR OWN HANDS.
In May 2020, we call upon practitioners of Buddhist dharma to embark on a month-long revolt against corrupt institutions and to initiate new models of sangha.
We call upon practitioners to engage in dialogue on the social structure of sangha, to investigate new forms of sangha that are autonomous, horizontal, decentralized and networked.
We call upon practitioners to organize sanghas where all members are empowered to learn, teach, share and mutually care for each other, without subjection to a hierarchy.
CALL TO ACTION: Organize a Buddhist Spring Action in your local area. Join us on KEYBASE secure network to get help with organizing your Buddhist Spring event.
To obtain an invitation to the secure KEYBASE planning group, please send an email request to engagedharma.net@gmail.com.
While I was never deeply committed to any particular sangha or teacher, I used to identify as being more-or-less Buddhist. Doing so no longer has any appeal. I see no need for such an identification. I still draw inspiration from “Buddhism” and “Buddhists” in my meditation practices. I still borrow some ideas and/or philosophy from “Buddhism”. But I’m content to just do that. Therefore, I have little need for the word “sangha”. I’m content to nurture “community” instead. I speak English, after all. Community is good enough. Heck, even a collection of friends is fine. I’m wanting to keep things as simple as possible here, for clarity’s sake.
I believe we can benefit from various meditation practices and by sharing about these in an ongoing way in community. There isn’t much need for authority or authoritarianism in such communities. Sounds more Taoist than Buddhist, no? And yet even Taoists often set themselves up as “Master” and adopt a stance atop an imaginary mountain. Sigh.