International Young Bodhisattva Program
What is a Bodhisattva? When you look up this question on Google the answer you get is that a Bodhisattva is someone who is on the path to Buddhahood, someone who seeks enlightenment. So far, so good but what does this mean in today’s world and what does a program look like that is centered around the idea of Bodhisattva?
The International Young Bodhisattva Program (IYBP) 2024 took place from October 22 to November 4 at the Buddhist Hongshi College in Taiwan. People from across Southeast Asia and beyond travelled there to be part of this experience. A principal factor of this program is recognizing the challenges that we are currently facing as humans. Too many countries have not yet achieved enduring peace and social justice, societies are still struggling due to predominant post-colonial and capitalist structures. “Structural and cultural violence is omnipresent, and we face the most serious environmental crisis in the history of humankind. At the same time, values such as compassion, forgiveness, sharing, and forming relationships are neglected and traditions throughout many societies are eroding.”
As one of this year’s guest speakers, Jon Watts pointed out, all these developments are interconnected. To single out one issue and try to fix it while ignoring others is impossible. The IYBP is structured accordingly. The participants take part in a variety of workshops, projects, and field trips where they learn about and discuss different topics. These activities are led by the organizers of the program, volunteers who agree to contribute their wisdom, as well as the participants themselves. Every day a new set of topics was covered. Participants learned about the power dynamics and inequality within societies and how oppressed people can fight for their rights and make their voices heard. They were introduced to the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and concepts of sexuality and gender, which go beyond heteronormativity. There were discussions on the environmental crisis and how more mindfulness and simplicity should be practised instead of mindlessly chasing material development. Furthermore, there were talks on sexuality and sexual health, the mechanisms behind today’s digital world that we have all become part of and every participant introduced the others to their respective culture and backgrounds. All these discussions were held against a Buddhist background since an important part of the IYBP is to find ways in which Buddhist concepts, practices and traditional knowledge can be used to solve the problems discussed.
Gaining and sharing knowledge, however, is only one part of the IYBP. While taking part of in this program, the participants also practice what they learn and discuss throughout the sessions. The program is a place where everyone is welcome regardless of background, gender, race, religion, sexuality etc. “It’s a safe space where different views and experiences can be shared, and participants listen to and learn from each other. This is extremely important since the goal of the IYBP is to help young people to realize their potential and contribute positively to society.” Finally, the participants immersed themselves in a Buddhist lifestyle during the two weeks of the program. Hongshi College is a Buddhist institution that is run by a group of bhikkhunis – Buddhist nuns. So, part of the program is to get up before 6 am in the morning for breakfast, taking part in Buddhist ceremonies, practicing meditation every day, and eating vegetarian food for the duration of the program.
Overall, this program enables the participants to be part of a unique intercultural experience, and to grow as people. The ones who took part in this program were activists, social workers, educators, and monks amongst other occupations. The IYBP’s goal is that everyone can take the lessons they learned back to their homes and apply them in their own lives. Furthermore, the participants have the opportunity to connect to each other and build a network of like-minded people across the world, with whom they can stay in contact and potentially collaborate with in the future. So, to come back to the question of “what is a Boddhisattva?”. After two weeks at Hongshi one might conclude that a Boddhisattva is someone who aspires to live by the different lessons that are taught in this program. “Someone who leads with love and compassion and who recognizes their part in addressing the dukkha – the suffering – in their society and throughout the world.”
Written by
Linus (Switzerland)
IYBP 2024 Alumnus
