[1][2] The non-profit BPF is an affiliate of the international Fellowship of Reconciliation[3][4] working toward global disarmament and peace, helping individuals suffering under governmental tyranny[5] in places such as Burma, Bangladesh, Tibet and Vietnam.
[7] Generally speaking, the BPF has a tendency to approach social issues from a left-wing perspective and, while the fellowship is nonsectarian, the majority of its members are practitioners of Zen Buddhism.
[9] Sitting around a table, the assembled group discussed nuclear weapons and militarism within the United States in the years following the Vietnam War, finding that these issues must be addressed with compassion from a Buddhist perspective in order to bring about peace.
To stay connected, the group formulated a newsletter spearheaded by Nelson Foster which evolved into Turning Wheel—the quarterly magazine published by the BPF.
[11] Today, Turning Wheel Media is an online home for activists and thinkers, writers and readers, a place to bring Buddhist teachings into conversation with the world.
During her three-year tenure, the BPF stabilised its finances, and considerable effort were made to bolster its nationwide outreach and include chapters in decision-making processes.
Since 2012, Co-Directors Katie Loncke and Dawn Haney have supported the organisation's "Radical Rebirth" as one focused on present-day issues of racial justice, climate change, and militarisation.
In 2014, The System Stinks reviewed the Buddha's core teachings on The Four Noble Truths, from seasoned practitioners like Mushim Ikeda, Maia Duerr, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, and Alan Senauke, as well as newcomers like Funie Hsu and Faith Adiele.
It has chapters in various cities in the United States, including Berkeley, California, and Boston, Massachusetts, aiming to help professionals integrate their work with Buddhist practice.
[15] The idea behind BASE was originally conceived of by Robert Baker Aitken during discussions at a BPF meeting held in Oakland, California, in 1992, although it was Diana Winston who ultimately saw this vision through.
"[16] BASE is meant to provide for lay American Buddhists the kind of institutional support for the cultivation of socially engaged Buddhism available to Asian monks and nuns who are part of a monastic sangha.
In 1993 the Buddhist AIDS Project (BAP), based in San Francisco, California, was founded, a non-profit affiliate of the BPF run entirely by volunteers, serving individuals with HIV/AIDS, those who are HIV positive, their families, and their caregivers.
"[22] In October 2007 the Milwaukee chapter of BPF organised a silent "lakefront demonstration" to lend their support to the Buddhists of Myanmar protesting the oppression of the military junta there.