“A Buddhist Perspective on Occupy Wall Street” by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

I have not yet met the Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, but I very much hope to do so soon. I have spent time with several of his students, collaborators, and friends, and I have been impressed by all of them. And I have listened to countless hours of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s podcasts and lectures and -needless to say- read countless pages of his writings and translations of the Buddha’s words.

In this video, Bhikkhu Bodhi lays out the US economy in clear terms we all can understand.  Usually, in my experience, these charts and graphs are limited to nerdy economists and leftists. It’s about time that a clear, Buddhist perspective can show these facts and describe the situation and the moral issues at hand.

The occupy movement – like the history of Buddhism in many of its historical phases – has much to teach us about the potential for nonviolent human communication, even in tense periods.  Interestingly, many of the same problems that beset Buddhism – from schisms to outside pressure and violence – also beset the occupy movement.

Part one is about economics and occupy. Part two (at the end of part one) discusses how Buddha’s social, economic, and political teachings can relate to the problems of our current age: