Mission Statement

The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), founded in 1978, is to serve as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism. Our purpose is to help beings liberate themselves from the suffering that manifests in individuals, relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF's programs, publications, and practice groups link Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion with progressive social change.

We strive to:

  • Offer a public witness, through our practice, for peace and protection of all beings
  • Raise humanitarian, environmental, and social justice concerns among Buddhist communities
  • Bring a Buddhist perspective to contemporary peace, environmental, and social justice movements

Our practice of contemplation and social action is guided by our intentions to:

• Recognize the interdependence of all beings  
• Meet suffering directly and with compassion  
• Appreciate the importance of not clinging to views and outcomes  
• Work with Buddhists from all traditions  
• Connect individual and social transformation  
• Practice nonviolence  
• Use participatory decision-making techniques  
• Protect and extend human rights  
• Support gender and racial equality, and challenge all forms of unjust discrimination  
• Work for economic justice and the end of poverty  
• Work for a sustainable environment