Relationships between Buddhism and disaster recovery

There is a positive link with recovery efforts and the “Buddhist cultural context”, for example: “The Buddhist cultural context with its emphasis on giving, sharing and selfless action on behalf of others has been significant in revitalizing community relationships”. They suggest that Hakka people, the second largest ethnic group in Taiwan, also have “several pertinent characteristics” that are hugely important in supporting resilience. Notable aspects of the “Hakka spirit” that “facilitate more effective coping capacity” include self-reliance, capacity to serve others, spirituality and well-established social support networks. They argue that in collectivist societies, social capital is the starting point for relief and recovery, because “collectivistic norms automatically facilitate neighbour helping neighbour to provide shelter, rebuild homes, and share food and medicines”. In Taiwan, the collectivist nature of society “predisposes people to undertake mutually beneficial collective action”.

Note: See source document for full reference.

Cultural Factors: Norms/values, Customs/traditions/rituals, Worldviews, Local knowledge, Ethnicity

Hazards: Natural hazards, Man-made non-intentional hazards or emergency situations, Man-made intentional hazards

Disaster Phases: Response, Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: Non-active citizens

Recommendations:

• Develop guidelines for disaster practitioners that take into consideration the different needs of and approaches to different ethnical groups
• Foster the adoption of a culture of disaster prevention and resilience by informing and motivating citizens to take action