Bhikkhu Bodhi

Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza might well be the defining moral crisis of our time—a crisis that should sear the conscience of every person with a clear sense of right and wrong. Israel’s military assault has been erasing almost every trace of human life in Gaza, as we have seen with our own eyes on our TVs and computer screens. Buddhists sometimes think that the proper response to such catastrophes is to maintain a stance of detached neutrality, but that would be a terrible error. Bystanders No More reminds us that, in the face of such devastation, we cannot remain silently on the sidelines. It’s time to take a stand, to demand that the fighting ends. BNM provides us with the resources we need to understand this tragedy in depth and with guidelines to taking effective action. As Buddhists committed to the values of compassion, peace, and reconciliation, we must join hands with others in calling for an end to the destruction of so many precious human lives.