The Boston Chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship grew out of a series of monthly discussion groups about engaged Buddhism at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center in 2001. Attendance swelled in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan, and members increasingly felt the need to take action to advocate peace.

The first project of the group was a weekly meditation vigil in Copley Square, in the heart of Boston, which ran from September through December 2001.

Since then, we have applied for and been accepted as a chapter of the national Buddhist Peace Fellowship and the international Fellowship for Reconciliation. The Boston chapter is formed on a non-hierarchical model that relies on members to create projects linking Buddhist practice and social action. While it takes its mission from the national Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the chapter specifically focuses on three areas of practice —action, community, and service.

See the article A Lesson in Effective Political Action to get a better idea of what we're about.

See the article On My Butt For Peace, Finding a Buddhist Response to War to find out one person's perspective on Buddhist activism from participating in our Sit for Peace.

Members have taken direct action on social issues including peace, energy conservation, and poverty issues. We demonstrate our commitment to compassion through such activities as peaceful public protests, letter writing, and thoughtful study about how we live our own lives. Our goal is to educate others on the interdependence of all beings in a way that is not self-righteous or dogmatic.