Is the dharma nonpartisan?
While the teachings have no specific ideology, can you really claim the dharma as nonpartisan?
I highly respect Jack Kornfield and his work, his writings, his teachings, you name it. I don’t think it’s often I disagree with him, and perhaps I don’t, but after reading one of his blogs on Lion’s Roar, I wanted to explore something he said.
In a blog about activism and Buddhism, he wrote:
The dharma, the teachings of generosity, virtue, loving-kindness, and wisdom, are nonpartisan. The benefits of dharma teachings can be used by Republicans and Democrats, by members of the Green Party and Libertarians, by Iraqis and Israelis. The dharma welcomes everyone and encourages all to awaken together.
I have to ask, is the dharma nonpartisan? I don’t believe it is, and I would like to explore why I believe that. I will be clear, this is coming from an entirely US centric point of view, so when I use terms as left, right, Republican, or Democrat, I am speaking in terms of US politics only.
To avoid making this post eight times as long, I am only looking at two of the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path to examine this claim.
Right View
One of the first and most important steps in the Noble Eightfold Path is Right View.
Right View, in its simplest form, is seeing reality clearly enough to stop making things worse for yourself and others. It means understanding that our actions have consequences, that cruelty, greed, and hatred create suffering, while kindness, generosity, and compassion create the conditions for happiness. Right View recognizes that we are all interconnected, that clinging to rigid certainties and splitting the world into enemies and allies is a fundamental misunderstanding of how things actually work. It sees through the illusion that we are separate, permanent selves entitled to protect our interests at any cost, and instead recognizes the impermanent, interdependent nature of all beings. Most importantly, Right View isn’t just a belief system, it’s a practical orientation toward reality that asks us to take responsibility for how our choices, both personal and political, either reduce or increase suffering in the world.
So if we’re going to say that the dharma is teaching that one must be free of greed, selfishness, hatred, then there is no way Republicans or conservatives can fall in line with Right View. I would argue many Democrats can’t either.
The pro-capitalist, warmongering, racism, bigotry, sexism, and homophobia we see in our politics, but mainly from one particular ideology, already show that it is not aligned with this teaching.
Right Intention
Right Intention is the natural next step once you have Right View, if you see clearly that our actions shape reality and that we’re all interconnected, then your intentions shift accordingly. Right Intention means committing to three core orientations: letting go of greed and craving, acting from goodwill rather than ill will, and choosing compassion over cruelty. It’s the difference between asking “What can I get?” and “What can I give?” between approaching the world with suspicion and hostility versus approaching it with openness and care. In practical terms, Right Intention means your motivations are rooted in reducing suffering, not in feeding your own ego, securing your tribe’s dominance, or punishing those you see as enemies. It recognizes that intentions matter, that the quality of your mind before you act shapes the quality of the action itself and its consequences. Right Intention isn’t about being perfect or never having negative thoughts, it’s about consistently orienting your heart toward generosity, kindness, and harmlessness, even when it’s difficult, especially when it’s difficult.
Again, you’re going to be hard pressed to claim that the right wing in the US aligns at all with Right Intention. The nationalism that runs rampant in the party creates an us versus them mentality, the anti-immigration stance, anti-transgender legislation, all comes down to creating harm, and believing you are protecting what you feel is yours.
Now, to be clear, I don’t think Democrats fit this mold well either. In fact, I don’t think many political ideologies outside of anarchism or communism can and I know that is very polarizing statement to may, but these ideologies are rooted in the end of suffering, and to helping each other.
Understanding communism checkered history with Buddhism in the east should not be a deterrent to realizing it’s full potential, but this isn’t a blog about communism.
The dharma, however, doesn’t have a political ideology per se, but it does lend itself to be hostile to towards them.
The dharma can be practiced by anyone, so in this sense it’s nonpartisan, but it cannot be practiced wholly if one is committed to remaining stuck to their political ideologies. For a lack of a better term, if the dharma is turning you into a leftist, you’re not likely practicing the dharma, or at the very least, you’re not understanding it.
I believe what Jack gets wrong is that a normal character flaw I see in good people like him is that they see an innate good in everyone. He is likely to reach across any aisle and try to appeal to someone better angels.
It’s a laudable character trait, but I believe it can create blindspots from time to time. In this case, I believe he wants to reach as many people with Buddhist practice as possible, but one should caution about opening up too much space for those who only wish to then exploit this practice for their own gain, once again, violating Right View and Right Intention, moving away from the dharma.
This is the same level of concern I run into when I see meditation practitioners highlight the Fortune 500 companies and CEOs they work with. They are only getting business because these companies believe that exploiting mindfulness can lead to a competitive advantage over their competition.
In the end, I think we should think of the dharma, and Buddhism in general as a human rights belief, and those political parties or people who globally do not adhere to that kind of belief system won’t find the dharma useful in any meaningful way.
We should be creating a welcoming space for all who wish to learn about the path and practice it, but we should be honest with those same people about what the dharma is and what it isn’t. It’s not here to make your business stronger, but perhaps how to teach you to treat your employees and customers better. It’s not meant to help make you rich financially, but perhaps to show you that money isn’t the root of happiness. When we open our doors, we can help change lives, but those who walk through those doors must have genuine desire to better not just their lives, but everyone else’s too.