Abstract
Engaged Buddhism is a modern reformist movement. It stirs debate concerning the scriptural and philosophical origins of Buddhist social activism. Some scholars argue there is continuity between traditional Buddhism and a rationale for social activism in engaged Buddhism. Other scholars argue that while the origins of social activism may be latent in the traditional scriptures, this latency cannot be activated until Asian Buddhism interacts with Western sociopolitical theory. In this thesis I present an overview of Buddhist fundamentals that are common to both traditional and engaged Buddhism, and I conduct a critical overview of three seminal Buddhist texts – The Dhammapada, The Edicts of Asoka, and Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland. I provide critical reviews of contemporary Buddhist scholars representing both the traditional and modernist schools. I also provide overviews of exemplary Buddhist social leaders whose teachings do not sacrifice tradition and do not rely on the Western world for validation. I conclude that there is evidence for scriptural and philosophical continuity between traditional and engaged Buddhism. When scholars and activists insist that engaged Buddhism is a product of the twentieth and twenty-first century however, they deny the roots of a social theory in the Buddha’s original teachings.