Buddhism and Politics

Buddhism and Politics

From Ajahn Brahm Podcast by Everyday Dhamma Network

May 16, 2026 · 1h 12m · Episode 190

About this episode

Ajahn Brahm discusses the relationship between Buddhism and politics, emphasizing compassion and ethical responsibility.

This is a talk about Buddhism and politics, given by Ajahn Brahm after returning from a conference for the Australian Sanga Association. He talks about the perception that Buddhism is seen as non-challenging and irrelevant to politics, but believes that Buddhism has a lot to contribute to society and make a difference in political processes. However, he does not support monks getting directly involved in politics, but rather encourage responsibility and compassion from a distance. He also discusses the importance of sincerity and ethics in politics. Buddhism has a strong ethical code that emphasizes compassion and inner peace. The focus on compassion leads to strong friendships among Buddhist communities, and this compassion can also be applied to politics. Buddhist ethics are resilient and can last longer in the political world compared to other systems. Buddhism teaches to bend the faith to fit the truth, not the other way around, and this process-driven approach is beneficial in politics. Buddhist communities have a democratic structure, which some argue has influenced modern democracy. Buddhism has a long history of democratic values, stemming from the ancient tradition of…

People in this episode

Host: Ajahn Brahm

Topics covered

  • Buddhism
  • politics
  • ethics
  • compassion
  • democracy
  • social responsibility

Keywords

  • Buddhism
  • politics
  • compassion
  • ethics
  • democracy
  • social responsibility
  • Ajahn Brahm

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australian Sanga Association

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