Hawaii Betsuin DIALOGUE Project:
Exploring Social Issues through a Buddhist Lens
“Dialogue… is the collective compassion for the common good. It is meeting with meaning, participation and purpose, speech in the service of others… we might not get the correct answers, but we get closer to asking the right questions…”
— from ‘What If’ by Amanda Gorman, 2019
YOU ARE INVITED to participate in the Hawaii Betsuin DIALOGUE Project! If you are interested in exploring social issues with others through a Buddhist lens, then the Hawaii Betsuin DIALOGUE Project is for you!
DIALOGUE meets periodically at Hawaii Betsuin, 1727 Pali Highway in person and/or Zoom. Look for announcements in the temple website Calendar, Betsuin e-Bulletin, and/or the temple newsletter (GOJI). All DIALOGUE topics are contributed by participants, all suggestions welcomed!
For information about the next DIALOGUE meeting, including a registration link, visit our web calendar. (The link will take you to a view of the calendar that is filtered to show only DIALOGUE events. Information is posted as topics and readings are selected.)
DIALOGUE is a Project of the Hawaii Betsuin Social Concerns Committee.
May 12, 2022: “Social Transformation” Author Charles Johnson: it’s not individual OR social transformation—the one drives the other, the other cannot happen without the one. What’s the role of Buddhists in Social Transformation?
March 10, 2022: “EcoDharma” We explore interfaith environmental perspectives and discuss a selection from David Loy’s EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis as we consider how Buddhism can help us respond to the greatest challenge that humanity has ever faced.
January 13, 2022: “No Justice, No Peace?” Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” Buddha said, “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”
November 11, 2021: “Buddhist Economics: Small is Beautiful”
Just in time for the holidays, the gift of a human economy based on generosity, compassion, and wisdom rather than greed, anger, and ignorance! Readings:
September 2021: “Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists”
Our September 2021 DIALOGUE explored the ideas in Chenxing Han’s book Be the Refuge. Author Han says, “The book is very much built on conversations, and my hope is that it will spark conversations on issues such as culture, history, representation, and race in American Buddhist communities.” See also https://readingreligion.org/books/be-refuge.