Reflections on Sombath Somphone and Engaged Buddhism on the 13th Anniversary of his Enforced Disappearance

By Kearrin Sims, December 15th 2025

On the 13th anniversary of Sombath Somphone’s disappearance, I join others in calling on the international community to continue its appeals to the Government of Laos to resolve the case, reveal the truth of his disappearance, disclose his whereabouts and his fate, and return him safely to his family.

What is a bodhisattva? Or rather, “what does ‘bodhisattva’ mean to you?” This was the framing question for the 2025 International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) Young Bodhisattva Program (YBP), hosted by Buddhist Hongshi College in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Entering the program, I had a simple answer to this question that came from my rather shallow knowledge of Buddhist literature. A bodhisattva is a sentient being that has achieved spiritual enlightenment but chosen not to ascend to the higher realms of Nirvana and thus be freed from the suffering / discontent (Duḥkha) of the endless cycle of rebirth (Saṃsāra), until all sentient beings are enlightened. In short, a bodhisattva prioritises alleviating the suffering of others over the eradication of self-suffering. This may be inaccurate as I’m not a scholar of Buddhism but, regardless, this was my understanding.

Boddhisattva Tara Mural in Namdroling Monastery, India

Source: Angela z Jamison, Wikimedia Commons

Having now completed the INEB YBP my understanding has shifted. I haven’t changed my above (potentially incorrect) view that a bodhisattva is exceptional in their wisdom and loving-kindness and puts the wellbeing of others ahead of self-interest. But I have added to this understanding another, more achievable, interpretation. According to this new understanding, although the great majority of people are not bodhisattvas, any of us can practice bodhisattva action – the Eightfold Path, and when we repeatedly practice bodhisattva action, we enter the bodhisattva way of being. When we are following the bodhisattva way of being we are, temporarily, being a bodhisattva, and if we diligently spend enough time being a bodhisattva we can, eventually, become a bodhisattva.

In other words, being a bodhisattva and then becoming a bodhisattva begins with practicing bodhisattva action. For most of us, we only practice bodhisattva action when at our best, but the more that we practice, the closer we get to becoming a bodhisattva. 

Again, I am not a scholar of Buddhism, and the understanding that I have presented here may not align with Buddhist philosophy. This is only my personal answer to the question ‘what is a bodhisattva’, but I now see ‘bodhisattva action’ as something that we can all practice, regardless of whether we ever make it all the way to becoming a fully enlightened bodhisattva. I can wake up each day and try my best to practice right view, right speech, right conduct and the rest of the noble Eightfold Path while remaining far from being exceptional. I can try to make the world a fairer and more inclusive place, as well as to become more compassionate and selfless, while still making mistakes and falling short on my own ambitions. 

Jonathan Watts discussing the Four Noble Truths, 2025 IYB Program, Hongshi College.

Finding the Bodhisattva Path

A second, related, question that I reflected on while undertaking the YBP program was, how did I come to participate in the program, or in what ways had my life journey led me to know of, and apply for, the program?

Part of the answer to this question is that I have had a long intellectual interest in Buddhism. I started reading Buddhist books in my late teen years and during my undergraduate studies I volunteered as a mentor for Tibetan refugees to Australia and attended public lectures by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. My first conversations with INEB were back in 2017 when, as coordinating a Master’s degree in Global Development at an Australian university, I was exploring collaboration opportunities with INEB’s Young Leaders’ Program. But those conversations did not lead to ongoing partnerships, and I’ve never really been much of a practicing Buddhist.  I hold a deep appreciation of Buddhist philosophies, but I’m not entirely sure that I am Buddhist. Rather than personal interest, I think the primary force that led me to the IYB was my writing and activism related to the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a deeply inspiring individual who comes as close as anyone to being a bodhisattva.

Sombath Somphone as a Bodhisattva

For readers unfamiliar with Sombath and his work, he is an internationally esteemed Laotian community development worker who founded Laos’ first indigenous non-profit association (NPA) and spent his life working in service of others. Over the course of his career, Sombath established and supported projects ranging from education programs to organic farming and waste management initiatives, sustainable energy production, support schemes for small and medium enterprises, youth radio stations, and more – always fostering social cohesion and care for nature, and building bridges between teachers, parents, civil society organisations, the Sangha and the wider community. 

Reflecting on Sombath’s life and work, I come to see the many ways that he practiced bodhisattva action. Here are just three examples.

First, Sombath’s philosophies of “liveable communities” and “heart–mind education,” expressed through projects like youth leadership programs, organic farming, and participatory learning, prioritised the cultivation of inner values and of bodhicitta (the awakening mind) alongside the development of skills and sustainable social and economic development. 

Second, and relatedly, Sombath not only emphasized the need to pursue personal transformation alongside social transformation, but also that efforts to pursue economic growth and modernization must ‘consciously root’ youth ‘in their culture, traditions, and values.’ In other words, development must be pursued in culturally appropriate ways that ‘know and respect the past, understand the present, and value and protect the future.’ His approach to serving others was deeply relational, and his leadership exemplified what Thich Nhat Hanh has described as interbeing, that is, that one’s own wellbeing cannot be disentangled from that of others or the environment. Sombath spent his life working softly yet firmly to support justice, education, and sustainability, and he saw ecological degradation, moral decline, and economic exploitation as symptoms of spiritual disconnection.

Finally, alongside Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas about engaged Buddhism and collective action, Sombath was also heavily influenced by Sulak Sivaraksa’s notion of Dhammic socialism — or a society guided by dhamma (truth, righteousness) and sufficiency. For those familiar with Sombath’s work, we can see this poignantly in his rejection of consumerist and individualistic development, instead promoting ethical, self-reliant, communities. Sulak often speaks of “development with a human face,” and Sombath lived this ideal, focusing on empowerment, local participation, and moral education rather than mindless GDP growth. To see Sombath Somphone as a Bodhisattva is not to mythologise him, but to recognise his life as a manifestation of the Bodhisattva’s vow to act with courage and compassion in a world marked by greed, fear, and delusion.

Ajahn Sulak Sivaraksa (right) and Venerable Chao-Hwei

It was researching and writing about Sombath’s work, as well as the great respect that he held for the Spirit of Education Movement (SEM) and Ajahn Sulak Sivaraksa, that led me to seek INEB out. And it was also getting to know his wife, Shui Meng, who continues Sombath’s legacy through the Sombath Somphone Memorial Foundation and who also regularly practices bodhisattva action.

The need for answers

On December 15, 2012, Sombath Somphone was abducted at a police checkpoint in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Since then, his disappearance has been classified by many, including UNOHCR, as an enforced disappearance – whereby a person is abducted by or with the acquiescence of the state and there is a refusal to acknowledge the person’s whereabouts.

I have written previously about the many ways that the grave injustice of Sombath’s abduction was not only an immeasurable loss for those who loved him most but was also a loss for the people of Laos, and for all those around the world that care about justice and more sustainable and inclusive futures. I have also written elsewhere that, despite his disappearance, his life and work continue to provide guidance and inspiration. To return to the YPB central workshop question, ‘what is a bodhisattva?’ I believe that Sombath was a bodhisattva, and even in his absence the impact of his life work continues to guide others and help alleviate Duḥkha in the world. As Thich Nhat Hanh once wrote of the Buddha, “The Buddha is still alive because his teachings and his practice continue in us.” So too do Sombath’s teaching and guidance and I am grateful for the ways that he shaped my thinking and guided me to INEB. 

On the 13th anniversary of his disappearance, I join others in calling on the international community to continue its appeals to the Government of Laos to resolve the case, reveal the truth of his disappearance, disclose his whereabouts and his fate, and return him safely to his family.

Kearrin Sims

Bio – Kearrin Sims is a critical development scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at James Cook University. 

You can find more of his writings, including many pieces on Sombath Somphone, here.