Elephant Group — Prospectus v2.1

This is a working document aiming to become an invitation to members of Bodhi College to join a new Community Group of Bodhi College. Here is a summary. Elephant summary

The Elephant Group has been meeting informally since January 2026 within the Bodhi College sangha. Its name comes from John Peacock’s article *The Elephant in the Dhamma Hall: What is the place of politics in Buddhism? (March 2024).

The background

We are a small group of Dhamma practitioners — currently, all white British men over 50 — who are concerned about, events locally and globally: war, structural violence, genocide; climate change, depletion of natural resources, collapse of biodiversity, ecological overshoot; inequality and poverty, suffering of migrants, far-Right populism and power; and more. Such issues evoke difficult feelings, and also prompt inquiry: what, for example, counts as right action, right speech and right livelihood in such a world?

We take much of our inspiration from the teachings of Early Buddhism, as is characteristic of Bodhi College, while also recognising the importance of later traditions. In particular, we understand that dukkha is not only the product of greed, hatred and delusion, but also arises from living in a society that is highly extractive, unequal, and unsustainable.

Our intention

We seek to explore:

1. How Dhamma teachings can inform our views and actions in relation to social, political and environmental upheaval and distress.
2. How engagement in a changing and often chaotic world can help us to reflect on our experiences with traditional teachings, as well as where we might feel the need to rethink them in world that has radically changed since the time of the Buddha
3. What personal training an engaged practitioner might wisely undertake — around equanimity, views (ditthi), right occupation, grief, privilege, the risk of turning sorrow into yet another form of dukkha; etc. How can we use Dhamma teachings to increase our personal resilience as well as our ability to engage in the world from a place of friendliness and compassion?

We acknowledge that we all hold views and cannot completely escape them; but that we can remain curious about the frameworks we take for granted, and be open to perspectives that differ from our own. Dialogue that brings these differences to the surface is often not comfortable, but we would like to find ways of exchanging in which discomfort is not confused with unsafety. We feel the health of a group like this depends on trust, and a commitment, as far as possible, to turn up, to be fully present, and to cultivate common ground, mutual regard and where appropriate, support for each other: which we could see as aspects of kalyāṇa-mittatā.

We also acknowledge that difficulty in life is not only about the Big Things: ‘politics’, so-called. It also exists in everyday relationship: family, livelihood, community. We regard these as counting as engagement — ’the personal is political too.’

Proposal

At this point we are reflecting on what this group might realistically contribute to the Bodhi College sangha and its secular Buddhist programme, and we warmly welcome others who feel drawn to explore these questions with us.

We have a specific proposal, at least to kick-off discussion, for a programme of exploration around the eightfold enobling path. Proposal - An eight-fold path of engagement

Risks and protocols

We recognise some risks and consider some protocols. Risks and Protocols 1.1.