Socio - economic perspectives of
Buddha’s teachings
rohan l. jayetilleke
At
the very sight of the phrase “Applied Buddhism’ you will
be curious. In examining the teachings of the Buddha,
the expression ‘Applied Buddhism’ is the right new
expression for interpreting the teachings of the Buddha
in the context of modern socio-political complexities,
which are basically based on attachment, enmity and
ignorance (lobha, dwesha and moha). the Tripitaka (Sutta,
Vinaya and Abhidhamma) consists of the Buddha’s
guidelines, most practical for the building of moral
character and awakening of human intellect. Although,
the modern society is supposed to be more civilized and
comparatively of a high standard of scientific
advancement, the dignity of mankind is not flourishing
with ‘terrorism’ being the order of the day in every
country so, at the present time of disorder and economic
calamity, the applicability of the Buddha’s teachings is
becoming and indispensable factor for the socio-economic
and political development.
The Buddha’s thoughts were influenced by the
socio-economic environment in the 6th century B.C.
Though the Buddha did not express theoretically an
economic system his discourses and advice led to the
development of human consciousness and the resultant
development of the socio-economic structure of society.
In the Kutadanta Sutta of the Digha-Nikaya, the Buddha
says that stealing, plundering, killing, harassment and
disorder would not be stopped fully by giving punishment
like imprisonment, fine and beheading. The ways and
means to bring about permanent peace in the kingdom. The
Buddha in this Sutta says by turning out regularly: (i)
To give seed paddy to the farmers for the benefit of
cultivation (ii) To assist by giving financial resources
to the men who are capable of trading and wish to engage
in business (iii) to appoint those who wish to serve in
the government service with proper remuneration for the
alleviation of unemployment.
Animal slaughtering
The Buddha further said, if every man is appointed to
his own work, there will be no unemployment in the
country, ; then peace, law and order will be revived.
The royal treasury will be filled at times by collecting
taxes. The Buddha also said that animal slaughtering is
not the real worship to gain help from gods but he
promoted animal husbandry. In the
Chakkavattisihanada-sutta the Buddha defined the duties
of the king. The duties are to protect the people with
justice and equality; not to promote people in the
kingdom to do injustice; to provide work to the poor for
earning a living; to acquire knowledge about duty or
non-duty from the honest Sramana or Brahman of the
kingdom and the king to perform his duties according to
these advice. It was on a proper study of the Buddha’s
teaching that the prominent Indian historian Damodar
Dharmananda Kosambi (1907 - 1966) wrote: “It is a modern
opinion likely to startle political economics. In the
time of the Vedic worship, society was starting to
conquer the ancient forest, it was the most highly
intellectual achievement to preach such a type of
opinion for that society. This new philosophy of the
Buddha gave self control power to the mankind”.
In order promote economic development and stability the
Buddha mentioned four factors in the Vyagghapajja Sutta.
The first, a man should be skilled, efficient, earnest
and energetic in whatever profession he is engaged in,
and he should master it effectively (Uttama-sampada) :
the second, he should protect his income which he has
thus earned righteously, with the sweat of his brow (Arakkha-sampada);
the third, he should associate with good friends. (Kalyana-mitta),
who are faithful, learned, virtuous, liberal and
intelligent, who will help him along the right path away
from evil; the fourth, he should spend reasonably in
proportion to his income, neither too much nor too
little, i.e., he should not heard wealth avariciously
nor should he be extravagant, in other words, he should
live within his means (sama-jivikata).
In applying these basic principles to the present day
economic collapse in the US and Europe, the only
justifiable explanation for it is that conspicuous
consumption, promotion and production of wherewithal not
conducive to economic growth and billions upon billions
of dollars being pressed into genocidal wars in the
Middle East by the US and European countries to
strengthen their bigeminy over these countries, in order
to orchestrate the oil markets of these oil rich Middle
East countries.
Economic theories
The economic theories of capitalism, Marxism-Leninism
centrally controlled economic theories of state
partnership of sources of production and distribution,
have totally failed, as they are not geared to equality
and humanity. The Buddha in Anguttara Nikaya, forbids
trades in weapon, animals, meat wine and poison. But the
world today is pursuing these forbidden trades. Ven.
late Madihe Pannasiha Maha Nayaka Thera, of the
Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha Gem of Buddhist Wisdom/ The
Buddhist Way to Economic Stability” says: “ In recent
times many books have been written on the subject of
economics and economic theory, all of them either from
the capitalist or socialist view point. Neither of these
systems pays attention to, nor considers the inner
development of man as an important factor in the growth
society”.
I would be seen from the teachings of the Buddha, the
world peace will be ushered in only on the development
of man’s latent potential of peace and harmony. In the
Sigalovada Sutta the Buddha says, “if a householder
expands his income into four apportionments, then he
will be happy. One-forth of his wealth for the earning
of his living, two fourths for investment in trade and
business, the rest one fourth for saving for any
emergency. Today the via media for progress is to
apportion all earnings for the multiplication of the
income and finally, in case of emergency, or in the fall
of a share market, the country or man becomes a
destitute.
However, the Buddha, propounded the basics of equality
and human dignity in the following manner. The Buddha in
his first year as a recluse having met with King
Bimbisara of Magadha, described his family background in
the following manner. “There is a prosperous country,
Sire, and vigorous, right up against the foothills of
Himslays, inhabited by Kosalans, whose race is named
after the Sun (Surya), whose lineage is ‘Sakyan’.
The royal dynasty of Sakyans was the most prestigious in
India then, and for a king to be consecrated he had to
be betrothed to a Sakyan princess. This was even
followed in Sri Lanka, during that time (6th century
B.C.). when Prince Panduvasdeva, who was a refuge in
Pandya, he being a Sakyan, during the last year of the
Buddha, when the enraged illegitimate son of King
Pasenadi of Kosala kingdom, off a slave-girl,
Vidhudhabha, was refused the hand of a Sakyan princess.
In his third and final attempt invaded Kapilavastu and
massacred the Sakyan totally. Those who escaped the
invasion fled to Sankass, (Uttar Pradesh), Pandya,
Kaling kingdoms, in the southern quarter in India as
well as Sri Lanka. Princess Bhaddhakaccayana who too was
a blood relation of the Buddha from Kapilavastu too had
taken refuge in Pandya and came over to Sri Lanka to be
the queen of Panduvasdeva, as the consecration tradition
demanded the betrothal of the new king to a Sakyan
princess.
The Buddha, formed the Sangha which included persons
from various sectors of society, race, language, caste
and even professions. However, in inculcating them a
deep sense of equality, the Buddha addressing the Sangha
said, “Just as all the great rivers, the Ganges, the
Yamuna, the Aciravati, the Sarabhu and the Mahi, give up
their former names and identities when they reach great
ocean, and they come to be reckoned one with the great
ocean itself, so there are these four castes, the
warrior-noble khattiyas, the brahaman priests, the
burgess vessas and the plebeian suddas, and when they
have gone forth from the house life into homelessness in
the Dhamma and Discipline (Vinaya) declared by the
Perfect One, they gave up their former name and clan to
be reckoned one with the bhikkhus who are sons of
Sakyans”.
In fact, King Asoka of India of the third century B.C.,
who embraced Buddhism repeats this Sakyan concept of
equality, in his Maski and Rupanath Minor Rock Edict
One, seven statements, in which the 1st and second
statements read as, “A proclamation of Devanampiya Asoka
: Two and a half years or somewhat more have passed
since I am a Buddha Sakya.
අමාවක
පුර අටවක
පසෙලාස්වක
අව
අටවක