Karma, Compassion, and Dharma: A Buddhist Perspective on Social Responsibility and Healthcare—A Reflection in Light of Buddhism

Ellen Ying ZHANG*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This essay addresses social responsibility regarding the issue of healthcare from a Buddhist perspective. Traditionally, Buddhism is viewed as a contemplative religion which focuses on a solitary quest for emancipation and spiritual advancement rather than active engagement in the world or a social movement. The question now is how to bring Buddhism into conversation with the current debate on social responsibility and healthcare based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. The discussion of the essay includes Buddhist concepts of karma, dharma, and compassion and the interpretation of these concepts to respond to relevant issues under the debate, particularly in terms of the Western ideas of human rights, equality, and social justice.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationReligious Perspectives on Social Responsibility in Health
Subtitle of host publicationTowards a Dialogical Approach
EditorsJoseph Tham, Chris Durante, Alberto García Gómez
PublisherSpringer Cham
Chapter2
Pages13-25
Number of pages13
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9783319718491
ISBN (Print)9783319718484, 9783030101237
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Dec 2018

Publication series

NameAdvancing Global Bioethics
PublisherSpringer
Volume9
ISSN (Print)2212-652X
ISSN (Electronic)2212-6538

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Issues, ethics and legal aspects
  • Health(social science)
  • Health Policy

User-Defined Keywords

  • Buddhism
  • Healthcare
  • Karma
  • Dharma
  • Social responsibility

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Karma, Compassion, and Dharma: A Buddhist Perspective on Social Responsibility and Healthcare—A Reflection in Light of Buddhism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this