Buddhism and Socio-Economic Development
Jarlath D'Souza
7/7/2005
The Setting
From the earliest days of history, when human beings began to organize themselves into society, there has been an inter-play of two powerful agents of control, namely, State and Capital. The State is the focus of politics and political organisations; and Capital in the focus of business or economics, and economic manipulation. In the pre-Christian era of the sub-continent, in the days of the Buddha, these factors exerted a great control over society. Prince Siddhartha himself was part of the group linked to the first-named factor, the State, hailing from the princely house of the Sakya. Similarly, the money factor, Capital, exerted an immense influence over the thinking of the masses, and brought about, that initially stirred the thinking of Gautama, and then led him on to discover of the Arya Satya, the Four Noble Truths.
However, as the Venerable Santikaro Bhikkhu of Thailand points out, there is always a third powerful player in the dynamics of cities and states, namely, religion, the reference is the organised religion, which has been playing a balancing role between the competing interests of state and capital. True, Buddhism is not a ''religion,'' as per the generally accepted notion of religion: God, sacrifice and intermediaries such as priests. Yet, in common parlance, Buddhism serves the role played by religion, especially in countries where the Buddhist population is dominant. Examples are Thailand, Burma [Myanmar], or even Sri Lanka or Tibet.
As a third factor, religion has in recent decades, had its role downplayed. People in today''s consumerist and industry-based societies tend to forget religion, though there is the inner existence for meditation and noble thinking (as per Buddhist parlance)- right thinking in the form of civil society. In a true sense, civil society - a term so strongly advocated even by the recent gathering of the Hague Appeal for Peace-embraces the practice of the major precepts of Buddhism: right thinking, right behaviour and the like.
Religion of the Market
In an excellent essay on the topic, David R. Loy asserts, "Discipline of economics is less a science than a theology," a theology of the new religion, the Market. If looked at from this angle, the market is in fact, "the first truly world religion, binding all corners of the globe more and more tightly into a world view and a set of values."
If the market is classified as a religion, then economics is the theology. Money controls man''s thinking and social policies and practices, not the concepts of living justly or planning for a better hereafter.
Just as the major religions of the world, such as Islam or Christianity which are active religions, so also the market has extraordinary effective and persuasive ''conversion techniques''. How else can one classify the attractive and often hypnotic advertising messages over the TV, radio, the billboards and magazines? Are these not also forms of preaching or even proselytizing, of a new ''religion,'' the Market? The message is incessantly flashed before our eyes, and dinned into our ears: "Buy me, use me, see me, etc., if you want to be happy!" and this message is far more persuasive and effectively convincing than what genuine preachers of any religion may offer.
The question naturally arises; "Does religion have any answer to the market, to consumerism, to the attraction offered by shortcut approaches to money-making? Specifically, does Buddhism provide any valid and effective response to the message of the market?
Buddhist Response
From the point of view of Buddhism, the problem with market capitalism and its values is two-fold: greed and delusion. Market, in its present form, is typified by unrestrained greed for profit. Tanha or desire assumes insatiable forms, and consumption becomes an immediate
necessity. From this greed emanates lobha and violence in its many forms.
Buddhism teaches that all such actions are by maya or delusion. Within a short time, one realizes that greed is part of a defective value system, a system based on the erroneous belief that the individual is supreme, and that one''s needs must always be met-no matter what the means used to achieve this. While in the system of market capitalism there is no distinction between artificial and dubiously manufactured desires. Buddhism teaches control of desires, even the sublimation of desires. Further more, Buddhism advocates renunciation and generosity, this even more strongly than Christianity. Dana, the act of giving, is a practice of the highest value in Buddhism. Give of whatever you have, give always- with a free mind, openly and willingly, not for any returns, either in this life time or in the next cycle of existence. The market capitalist wants a return; the Buddhist lives rather to give and to serve. Thus, both greed and delusion are kept in tether.
In the scheme of things in Buddhism, wealth is perceived to be evil if one has acquired it by deceptive ways. If one does have wealth, it is to be shared, even to be gifted freely to the needy, the poor and in general to the temple. One is not encouraged to be over rich and though in Buddhist society there is not really any institution similar to Muslim ummah, the spirit of Dana and karuna (mercy) among many other virtues, inspire the Buddhist to be generous in daily practices. Charity is the closest western term for this.
Can there be a Buddhist Form of Development?
Development implies an improvement of conditions, personal or social. Today, people of the Third World countries, seek development. Social workers in these countries attempt to help people to achieve development, and so many NGOs are formed. And so there are conferences, conventions and workshops on development. But always the stress is on material development, a development centered on money and financial improvement. Other people are used as a means to better one''s economic condition. In very general terms, this is development as understood by people of so-called developed countries. When money flows, there is said to be development.
In the Buddhist concept of the world, money is one of the least of all values. For Buddhism, the spiritual needs of humans take priority. The material requisites, such as food, clothing, shelter and medicine are definitely to be sought after, but only in terms of reaching the higher goals of existence. Human being need also to be satisfied on the spiritual and emotional levels. Development has to be integral, development of the whole being, not just the material and consumerist aspects of life. And, in the process, human beings'' intrinsic relationship with all beings is to be kept in tact. Development is not only of humans, but also of all living beings as well. That is why the preservation of the natural environment, that the good relationship between humans and their surroundings are always the prime concern in Buddhist practices. Destroying forest for instances, or the unnecessary damming of rivers, in the name of development is a practice that goes directly against the ethos of Buddhism.
In the Buddhist model of development, there is also the concept of interdependence (iddapaccayata). Good and evil are all interdependent on one''s actions and those of others. Wherever there is dukkha or any form of evil, there is always a social cause for it. And this dukkha comes often from a lack of application of metta or loving-kindness. Society can he healed and made all right if there is solidarity, samma-samadhi (the eighth element of the Noble Eightfold Path), which the Ven. Buddhadasa of Thailand interprets as right community or right solidarity.
Development, therefore, implies a sharing - not just of wealth, but also of power and the structures of power. If one envisages a future for humanity, there must be societies based on such Dhammic values, on the equality of peoples, on the interdependence of all living beings, on the sharing of wealth, and on the early cessation of wars and violence. May all living beings he happy!
Jarlath D''Souza
* The paper was presented at the Fifth Asian Theological Conference (ATC V) of EATWOT held in Sri Lanka from 9 - 16 Jan 2000. Subsequently it was published in the proceedings Sustaining Spiritualities With Living Faiths in Asia: in the Context of Globalization. The paper has been published in this volume with kind permission of the author. Editor.
** He is the Secretary of BICPAJ and involved in the Inter-faith Movement and Justice and Peace and Ecological issues. He can be reached at email: bicpaj@yahoo.com.
Source: Arakanese Research Journal - Volume (II) published by Arakanese Research Society of Bangladesh (ARSB).
Title: Buddhism and Socio-Economic Development
Author: Jarlath D'Souza
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Date: 7/7/2005
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