Engaged Buddhism is a kind of Buddhism that is with you twenty-four hours a day, not just in temples. It is the practice of mindfulness in everything you do—walking, driving, or brushing your teeth—in order to nourish yourself, release tension, and not cause suffering. In relationships, it is the practice of deep listening and loving speech to understand the suffering in yourself and in the other person. Understanding suffering brings insight and relief, restoring communication and bringing reconciliation. This is also called applied Buddhism, which is best learned with the support of a Sangha, a community of practitioners.

The core of the practice is to generate insight, or Right View, which is the foundation for the Noble Eightfold Path. Right View is produced through Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Mindfulness is the beginning of the practice and can be cultivated through mindful breathing. The Buddha proposed several exercises, including bringing your mind back to your body, releasing tension and pain in your body, and generating a feeling of joy by recognizing the conditions of happiness that are already available. The practice is to live happily in the here and the now, dṛṣṭadharma-sukhavihāra. The most precious gift you can offer a loved one is your presence.

Social work and charity work must be based on Right View—the absence of discrimination and the understanding of no-self. The person you are helping is yourself. A social worker must first know how to take care of their own suffering, so that their work is motivated by true compassion and not a way to cover up their own suffering. The world’s difficulties are due to a collective karma created by living without mindfulness. What is needed is a collective awakening, which can be embodied by the practice of the five precepts. The five precepts, in their new version, represent a global ethic that can cultivate understanding and love, bringing peace and unity.