Action and Force in Engaged Buddhism: Public Policy and the Koan of Engagement

Dr. Christopher Ford • February 1, 2010

Dr. Ford's monograph on the challenges presented by the use of force in Engaged Buddhist theory and practice ... which may also be found here on the Upaya Zen Institute website.



Action and Force in Engaged Buddhism: 
Public Policy and the Koan of Engagement

by

Christopher A. Ford

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisfaction of Requirements for Chaplaincy Ordination

Prajna Mountain Order of Soto Zen Buddhism

Upaya Institute and Zen Center Santa Fe, New Mexico

1st February 2010


Download Dissertation
September 6, 2026
Below is an edited version of the prepared text upon which Professor Ford based his remarks to a workshop on theater nuclear weaponry sponsored by the Sandia Security Studies Institute at the Sandia National Laboratory on August 31, 2026.
By Dr. Christopher Ford August 12, 2026
Below appears the text upon which Dr. Ford based his shorter oral remarks on August 6, 2026, to a professional offsite meeting of a team of engineers from a major defense contractor working on conventionally armed precision-strike technologies.
By Dr. Christopher Ford July 24, 2026
Dr. Ford's article on the conceptual challenges of "tailoring" nuclear deterrence -- and suggesting a more robust and muscular alternative approach -- was published in Missouri State University's journal Defense & Strategic Studies Online (DASSO) in July 2026. You can find DASSO's webpage here , and an online copy of Dr. Ford's article here -- or use the button below to download a PDF. (This paper was also published in the Journal of Policy and Strategy , vol. 6, no 2 (2026), pp. 19-38, and can be found here .)
By Dr. Christopher Ford July 10, 2026
INHR published Professor Ford's latest essay on Artificial Intelligence and nuclear weapons on July 7, 2026. You can find the essay on INHR's website here , or read the text of his comments below.
By Dr. Christopher Ford June 29, 2026
War on the Rocks published Dr. Ford's essay "A New Force Posture Concept for Europeanizing Extended Nuclear Deterrence" on June 29, 2026.
By Dr. Christopher Ford June 25, 2026
Below is the text upon which Dr. Ford based his shorter remarks to a meeting with the class of Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) Scholars for 2026.
By Dr. Christopher Ford June 19, 2026
Below is the text of Dr. Ford's remarks at a dinner event in London on June 16, 2026.
By Dr. Christopher Ford May 28, 2026
Below is the prepared text upon which Dr. Ford based his comments to a conference on May 28, 2026, sponsored by the Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
By Dr. Christopher Ford April 30, 2026
Below are the prepared remarks on which Dr. Ford based his comments at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 18, 2026, discussing U.S.-Russian relations after the expiration of the New START agreement.
By Dr. Christopher Ford April 25, 2026
Below are the remarks Dr. Ford delivered on a panel at the NATO Nuclear Policy Symposium in Istanbul , Türkiye, on April 21, 2026.