Religion and social reforms/movements

In one of the best arguments on the matter, Brunton (1976, 338) shows how religion aims at improvement or change of social order.

Philosophy preaches self-control and advocates service of humanity because they are seen to be good for all! Its view of man is a view of society. Hence it teaches and proves that no individual man can attain other than illusory happiness so long as his fellows are unhappy. The old notion that a religious philosopher is impervious to current events has no weight. He is interested in them because he is interested in the welfare of his fellow men. But he will not permit them to swamp his judgment or menace his peace, for amid all else he holds to philosophic calm and impartial reason.

Religion is also used to generate reforms and revolutionary tendencies. Ken (1979) gives two examples of socio-political movements based on Buddhist principles. They are: Soka Gakkai of Japan; and Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka. The former has been an educational and cultural programme with large following though it also has a political party “The Clean Government Party”. The latter has been a village development program of somewhat radical nature (in the context of inequality in ownership of land). To Ken, Sarvodaya means awakening of all and Shramadana means sharing of labor or making a gift of time, thought and energy. With such ideas it has been possible to work for transformation of society in a religious framework. “In the West, individual Buddhists have been particularly attracted to pacifist, disarmament, and environmentalist movements and parties.”

According to Ken, Buddhism also has the concept of the social karma — the establishment of conditioned behavior patterns — of a particular culture. This is, however, not simply the sum of the karmas of the individuals. “Individuals share common institutions and belief systems, but these are the results of many different wills, both in the past and the present, rather than the consequence of any single individual action. It is, however, individual karmic action that links the individual to these institutions and belief systems. Each individual is a light-reflecting jewel in Indra's net, at the points where time and space intersect. Each reflects the light of all and all of each. This is the mysticism of sociology or the sociology of mysticism!” Moreover, if societies have social karma, they also “suffer the round of birth and rebirth, of revolution and stability.” It may be noted here that “Buddhist realism does not believe in the Golden Age of a perfect society, nor in the permanence of social conditions, yet Buddhism strongly believes that social imperfections can be reduced, by the reduction of greed, hatred and ignorance, and by compassionate action guided by wisdom.” The ultimate aim of a Buddhist is to achieve nirvana and social and political action, when and wherever suggested, is also a part of the process to attain nirvana.