David R. Loy Asks, “What Would the Buddha Do?”

And what he comes up with makes for absolutely essential reading.

Here’s a snippet:

Interdependence is not merely an insight to be cultivated on our cushions. A suffering world calls upon us to realize interdependence–to make it real–in the ways we actually live. If Buddhists do not want to do this or cannot find ways to do this, then Buddhism is not the spiritual path that the world needs today.

Read the rest at the Huffington Post here.

Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher. He began Zen practice with Robert Aitken Roshi in 1971, and later undertook formal koan training with Yamada Koun Roshi.  Today, he is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism.

A very prolific author, his books include Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy, Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism, A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack, The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy, and Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution.

Dr. Loy is also the co-author with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi and Dr. John Stanley of the Buddhist Climate Declaration–the pan-Buddhist declaration on climate change that I was proud to sign with many other Buddhist clergy and teachers.  He also co-edited with Stanley and Gyurme Dorje the recent book A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency.

He’s definitely a guiding light for me in my work, and I look forward to meeting him and teaching with him at the upcoming Eco-Dharma Conference & Retreat 2014. (If you’re interested, you can register right here.)