Socially Engaged Buddhism

«There Will Not Be a Dignified Life Without a Flock of Sheep»: Negotiating Religion in the Context of Socially Engaged Buddhism in Buryatia

The article looks at the Social Flock (sotsial’naia otara) project whereby the sangha gives sheep to laypeople and other locals as a kind of socially engaged Buddhism in Buryatia. It places the Social Flock project into a broader context of moral economy in the region, where through various acts of help, support and other kinds of giving the sangha establishes itself as a “pillar” of society. The article also critically discusses the very concept of socially engaged Buddhism.