Buddhist Politics with Pannobhasa & Brian Ruhe

In this conversation, Pannobhasa and Brian Ruhe engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the relationship between Buddhism and politics. They debate the role of Buddhist monks in politics, with Brian advocating for laypeople to take charge and Pannobhasa suggesting that monks should not be involved. They also discuss Buddhist teachings on poverty, crime, and social inequality, arguing that Buddhism can be interpreted to support either leftist or conservative political positions. Additionally, they share their views on the current political climate and the presidency of Donald Trump, with Pannobhasa acknowledging the potential dangers of Trump’s policies but emphasizing the importance of considering the party’s stance on issues like the environment and social justice. Brian adds that the government has always been a ’shark tank’ and that Trump is needed to deal with it. Pannobhasa’s YouTube channel is @pannobhasa . David Reynolds, alias Paññobhāsa, and formerly known as Paññobhāsa Mahathera, is an American-born Theravada Buddhist philosopher and teacher. He has a degree in Biology and up until recently he was a monk with thirty years seniority in the ordained Sangha, with most of that time spent in the forests of Burma, and about half of it spent living and meditating alone in caves. After a few years at a monastery in the declining state of California he has migrated across the USA and has set himself up in a new, freer lay life in Greenville, South Carolina where he continues to write and teach. He has long been pretty well fed up with political correctness, and is moved to make a stand. Paññobhāsa’s URL Links: current blog (mostly philosophy and caustic critiques of Marxism): Bitchute channel: SubscribeStar support page: Discord server (mainly for traditionalist Buddhist discussions and networking): Twitter (brand new): Paypal: NEW BOOK, “Essays in Theravada Buddhism”: ALSO, 2nd BOOK, “Philosophical Dharma”: 3rd BOOK, “Buddhist Ethics, Buddhist Practice”: Old Buddhist Blog: Page: Email: nippapanca@ For Alternative Buddhism see Reddit Please do download any of my videos and copy them to your own channels to spread the word. Join our Meetup and be in our Zoom videos. All video playlists: or click on “The Brian Ruhe Show“ and scroll down. Donate: Bitcoin: 15Ls63J21zzhAPE7ke4P2JhaHyAEhUrJVe Volunteer your time. Be part of a group. My website: MP3 audios and video at: My priorities: Flickr: @N07 My three books are available at Amazon. ruhe&crid=1ZU2U0DOIY0QG&sprefix=,aps,101&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent Phone into Brian Ruhe’s live radio show at 1-603-635-4946 any Tuesday from 6-8 pm EST at Studio B at