The highest ideal of the Western tradition has been to restructure our societies so that they are more socially just. The most important goal for Buddhism is to awaken and put an end to dukkha “suffering” due to the delusion of a separate self. Today it has become obvious that we need both: not just because individual transformation and social transformation complement each other, but because each project needs the other.

This is an edited recording of a Public Talk given at the Sydney Zen Centre on 14th July 2017, when David Loy visited Australia from the United States. Professor Loy is known for his contribution to socially engaged Buddhist practice and his exploration of the relationships between Buddhism and social/ecological issues. He is a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy, a writer and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is the author of numerous books including the bestseller Money, Sex, War, Karma, and most recently A New Buddhist Path:  Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World.