Words of Wisdom

The digital Journal of Buddhist Ethics (JBE), hosted by Dickinson since 2010, has just celebrated its 20th year. Now in the form of an open-access blog, JBE features articles about contemporary social issues viewed through the dual lens of ethics and Buddhism. 

Daniel Cozort, associate professor of religion and the journal’s editor since 2006, says that ethics is a fundamental component of Buddhist thought, and as a scholar with an interest in the intersectional relationship between ethics and Buddhism, editing the journal was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I had published an article in JBE in one of its early years because some of my research and translation involved ethical issues,” Cozort says. “When the founding editors approached me with the idea of taking over JBE, it was very appealing. As it turns out, I enjoy dealing with authors all over the world, shaping articles and collaborating with reviewers, sub-editors and copy-editors.”

Issues covered in the journal include human rights, medical ethics, consumerism, environmental protection and Buddhist economics, just to name a few, providing a multifaceted publication with varying perspectives.

In its 20 years, JBE has been a medium through which Buddhist researchers and followers have contextualized ethical issues in Buddhism and elucidated their research through a highly accessible platform.

Cozort credits Dickinson for embracing JBE and allowing the journal to become a Dickinson blog. For him, e-publishing is the only way to go: “Print journals are dinosaurs.”

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For a little more history on the journal, read Online Journal Finds New Home