Sulak Sivaraksa is one of the leading figures in the Engaged Buddhism movement. In 1963, he founded the publication Sangkhomsaat Paritat (Social Science Review). During the military dictatorship in Thailand, it was the most influential magazine in the country and played a central role in the student movement, which in 1973 led to the overthrow of the regime. The bloody military putsch of 1976 forced Sivaraksa into a two-year exile. Under the accusation of "lése-majesté," he has been arrested numerous times since his return to Thailand and imprisoned, the last time in 2008. But the troublesome thinker, speaker, and activist has not let this intimidate him.

Since the 1970s, Sulak has been involved in the development of many groups, networks, and organizations in the country, including the movement Spirit in Education - an alternative college which offers instruction based on spirituality and wholeness - as well as the International Network of Engaged Buddhism (INEB). Under the patronage of the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh, the INEB brings people and organizations from over 20 countries together - all committed to combining the teachings of Buddhism with social activism. Sivaraksa is one of the few religious leaders worldwide working to revive a socially engaged spirituality. For him, personal and spiritual transformation is a condition for radical social change. In the insights of Buddhism, he finds solutions for current political, social and economic problems.

Sulak Sivaraksa is author and co-author of hundreds of books and writings. In 2011, he was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize, and in 2001 he received the Millenium Gandhi Award.