Dharma Talk by Tom Redden

Wednesday July 28, Tom Redden will give a dharma Talk.

Start 5:30pm with 15 minutes of meditation

If you want to join the dharma talk send an email to info@breadloafmountainzen.org

Envisioning a “Politics of Compassion” for the 21^st Century

Many of us are asking ourselves how as a country and as individuals can we move on from the divisive, anguished politics of the day.  In reflecting on this question, political science professor and Zen Buddhist priest, Tom Redden, PhD, explores what a ‘Buddhist politics’ might look like in the United States and how a ‘politics of compassion’ can move the country in a more constructive direction in the years to come.  Tom will investigate some of the ways the Buddha was political in his day and how his teachings form the basis of Buddhist activists in modern times, especially the “Engaged Buddhism” today.  He will address the issues of political polarization, Trumpism, and how to reset the political discourse in an effort to honestly address the country’s challenges.

Tom Daijo Redden, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of History and Politics at Southern Vermont College.  He has practiced in the Bernie Glassman lineage since 1980 and is an ordained priest in the Zen Peacemaker Order. He also graduated from the Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy program under the supreme leadership of Sensei Joshin Byrnes and Petra Hubbeling.