A 1969 Philosophy graduate of Carleton, David R. Loy is one of the most prolific, original, and influential Buddhist thinkers in the world today. His writings, both scholarly and popular, run the gamut from considerations of the place of Buddhism in fantasy novels, to psycho-social analyses of Western culture through a Buddhist lens, to complex investigations of non-duality as a trope in Asian and Western philosophical literature.
He is best known, however, as a constructive Buddhist social theorist, at the forefront of those who are helping set the agenda for what often is called “Engaged Buddhism.” This distinctly modern Buddhist movement insists that Buddhism has much to contribute to our understanding of the social, political, and environmental problems that afflict the world today, and seeks both to articulate a Buddhist perspective on these problems and to work actively to help solve them.
Loy’s most influential work is his 2003 book, The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, which represents one of the first attempts, and probably the most successful, to formulate an overarching theory through which Buddhists can confront contemporary social ills. His essay, “A New Holy War Against Evil? A Buddhist Response,” is widely considered one of the most articulate Buddhist responses to the events of 9/11 and their aftermath. Much of his recent work—including his edited volume, A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency—has centered on articulating a Buddhist perspective on global warming and other environmental crises.
After declaring a Philosophy major at Carleton, Loy spent a year studying analytic philosophy at King’s College in London, which, he has said, had the effect of driving him toward the study of existentialism and Asian religions. At Carleton he also was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War and was one of three students who risked federal prison by publicly burning their draft cards in Great Hall in 1969. After graduation, Loy moved to the Bay Area, where he worked in the war-resistance movement. He eventually migrated to Hawai’i, where he began to practice Zen Buddhism. His teacher suggested he return to academia, so he did, receiving an M.A. in Asian Philosophy from the University of Hawai’i and, later, a Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore.
Most of Loy’s academic career has been spent in Asia, first as a senior tutor in Philosophy at the university in Singapore, and then as professor in the Faculty of International Studies at Bunkyo University in Chigasaki, Japan. Since leaving Japan in 2006, he has held a number of visiting positions, including stints at Xavier University in Cincinnati, the University of Cape Town, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Naropa University in Boulder.
No mere academic, Loy is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Zen, which he practiced intensively for many years in Hawai’i, Singapore, and Kamakura, Japan. He leads workshops and retreats based on the tradition around the U.S. and around the world.
During his distinguished career as an activist and social thinker, Loy has contributed greatly to bridging the divide between East and West, providing contemporary Buddhists with theoretical and practical tools to address social and political problems, while adding a modern Buddhist voice to worldwide conversations on various social and spiritual crises.
It is with great pleasure that Carleton College confer on David Loy the degree Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.