Liberation: a Contemporary Approach towards Peacebuilding Christian Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism

Maria Arroyo

Although the term liberation might be defined differently within Christian Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism the inspiration for the parallels between the two is greater than we might initially think.  Both Christian Liberation Theology, birthed in Latin America, and Engaged Buddhism, arising from an array of movements in Asia have emerged as a renewed response to their respective sacred texts, doctrine and the evolving nature of our modern world.  A modern world afflicted by the many ‘isms’ that accompany development, the oppressive nature of many political regimes and the paralyzing destruction of war, all of which play a direct role in the suffering in our world. 

Both, Christian Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism, proclaim urgency for creating peace in our world by directly engaging in social issues and challenging the existing social structures to a new way of being in the world.  They call for action at a grassroots level being with, empowering and renewing hope in the hearts of the most poor and vulnerable in our societies.  This call to action from within and through the people is at the heart of both movements. 

Vital to these liberation movements is also the refocus of each of their respective doctrines to the modern world and its interdependent nature.  It is because of this interdependent nature that the movements proclaim critical the need for a collective over an individual liberation from suffering, which includes liberation from its root causes.  These movements have paved the path for creatively working towards peacebuilding within the reality of their particular environments affirming the idea that all peacebuilding efforts must be local, that is, they must take into account the time period, culture, religion and circumstances of the people.  

In this working paper, I attempt to weave Christian Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism as movements rooted in and arising from similar motivations, creatively and effectively working towards a common goal of peacebuilding.  I will first introduce each theory, giving background information on the principle characters and the motivation(s) for the theory’s development.  I will then present a comparative analysis of Christian Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism expounding several of the principles and elements they hold in common and inspiring them to engage in peacebuilding efforts within their respective and local realities.  I will then end with a closer look at some of the creative peacebuilding efforts born of Liberation Theology in Latin America, through the emergence of Christian Base Communities in El Salvador and of Engaged Buddhism in Asia, through the rise of the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement in Sri Lanka.