In this session of Upaya’s Awareness in Action series, Bhikkhu Bodhi offers a penetrating teaching on discernment as the heart of engaged Buddhism in times of crisis. He reflects on his journey from 1960s activism, through decades of monastic practice in Sri Lanka, and back into the realm of social engagement, emphasizing that “Buddhism must not remain cloistered within meditation halls; it must speak to the burning issues of our age.” Drawing on his founding of Buddhist Global Relief, Bodhi critiques “a world where almost everything—land, water, even human relationships—has been turned into commodities for profit.” He exposes how “corporate, political, and media power weave together to entrench inequality and stifle compassion,” while urging practitioners to resist despair. Against this tide, he calls for “conscientious compassion,” an ethic of active responsibility for one another and the planet. “We have to discover what is true,” he says, “even at the cost of our comfort.”
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