0.1. buddhist economics. introduction

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Venerable Ṭhitañāṇo Buddhist Economics

Ṭhitañāṇo Bhikkhu (Andrus Kahn)Education:

2012 – 2015 Buddhist Studies (MA), Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Bangkok

2004 – 2005 Interpersonal Communication and Motivation Skills Coach, Stern Institute, Tallinn

2006 – 2007 NLP Master, Estonian NLP Institute Ltd, Pärnu

2004 – 2005 NLP Practitioner, Estonian NLP Institute Ltd, Pärnu

2004 – 2006 Adult Education & Psychology, Stern Institute, Tartu

1997 – 2000 Hypno- & Psychotherapy, French Association of Hypnotherapy (AFHyp) Riga

1997 – 2004 Psychology (BA), University of Tartu, Tartu

1992 – 1993 Nurse, Health Care College, Tallinn

Experience:

2013 – Lecturer (Topics: Buddhist Economy, Buddhism and Contemporary World), Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Bangkok.

2005 – 2009 Coach-trainer (Topics: Self Management, Presentation Skills Training, Leadership Management, Customer Service Training, Negotiation Skills Training, Teamwork, Team Coaching and Team Management, Sales Process and Salesmanship, Training of Counselling, Training of Trainers), Stern Training and Development Company, Tartu

2007 – 2009 Lecturer (Topics: Interpersonal Communication and Motivation Skills Coach, Nonviolent Communication, Practical Psychology for Managers, Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Stern Institute, Tallinn

2000 – 2005 Chief Accountant / Financial Manager / Director, Haberst Ltd., Tallinn

What is Economics? Study of choice under conditions of scarcity (Lieberman & Hall)

Scarcity - situation in which the amount of something available is insufficient to satisfy the desire for it (scarce = limited). There are an unlimited variety of scarcities, however they are all based on two basic limitations:

• Scarce time

• Scarce spending power

Limitations force each of us to make choices. Economists study choices we make as individuals, and consequences of those choices

Economics - The branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth (Oxford Dictionaries)

Economics - The social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems (The Free Dictionary)

Economics - The study of how individuals, governments, businesses and other organizations make choices that effect the allocation and distribution of scarce resources

Economics is about values and making choices3

The Economic problem: Scarcity (limited) and Choice

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How the Economics Works?

Educational film, 20 min

Buddhist Economics

Buddhist Economics

• Buddhist economics is a spiritual approach to economics (Payutto)

• Buddhist economics = Right Livelihood (sammā-ājīva)

• The most important question of Buddhist Economics are:

• How can work become meaningful?

• How can it be a support, not a hindrance, to spiritual practice — a place to deepen our awareness and kindness?

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The Significance of Buddhist Economics (1)

Buddhist = refers to the Buddha dhamma = the law of nature + Economics = a subject studying human behavior related to the consumption of goods and services for survival as well as beyond that level (Economics is about values and making choices; Scarce = time & spending power)

7Buddhist Economics

Buddhist Economics

The Significance of Buddhist Economics (2)

Dukkha

• conflict, contradiction, alienation, worry, anxiety, pain, or suffering

• caused by a person living their life in conflict or in a way that is inconsistent with the law of nature

• the main reason is the lack of understanding of everything in its own nature

Buddhist Economics: Buddha Dhamma that we will be applying is the understanding of

1. the real nature of human beings and

2. the relationships between human beings and nature

Buddhist Economics

Buddhist Economics as an Academic Subject

Buddha = the one who knows, awakes, and is enlightened - It must be achieved by pañña

Pañña - intelligence, comprising all the higher faculties of cognition, "intellect as conversant with general truths" (Dial.II.68), reason, wisdom, insight, knowledge, recognition. (PTS : 887). It literally means the ability to understand a thing (everything) in its own nature

Buddha Dhamma is a teaching of Buddha emphasizing only one specific point: how to relieve human beings from dukkha, that is, pain or suffering

Buddha Dhamma is knowledge gained through actual practice and not a mere thinking - it is not philosophy!

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Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta

Anicca – everything in this world is impermanent. Things are changing all the time. This includes all of the things that each person holds on to as his/her own self, also called atta.

Dukkha – the cause of dukkha is attachment to atta. Such holding on world breed kilesa, which leads to all kind of mental defilements leading to anxiety resulted from lobha or greed and self-centeredness. Dosa or anger, hatred, and negative thoughts toward others and moha or ignorance and state of being misled.

Anatta – or the non-self means the appropriate understanding of the law of anicca and also living according to this natural law. Such practice would lead to no conflicts against the natural state which is the cause of pressure, unhappiness and troubles or dukkha.

The understanding of anicca and the acceptance of anicca, which is a law of nature, will eventually lead to peace and tranquility.

The final decision of each individual will depend on the pañña of each one toward the achievement of enlightenment on one’s own.

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Happiness in West and Sukha in East

West = pleasure from acquisition or sense pleasures, hedonism = sāmissukha, (sāmisa - material) also known as kāmasukha, (kāma - sensual desires) worldly pleasure or happiness arising from acquisition. This level of happiness is still in the realm of dukkha.

Buddha = The higher level of happiness is nirāmissukha, (nirāmisa - free from sensual desires) which is not require any acquisition. It is the condition of the more purified mind resulting from giving or contributing such as giving friendship or mettā, or helping others from dukkha or karunā, happiness from having a calm mind or having samādhi, happiness from being surrounded by natural beauty or suppaya. It is a mental condition of emancipation of the mind from all defilements or to understand everything at its own nature that covers the concept of jhāna sukha, including nibbāna sukha, happiness from the stage of nibbāna.

It is a common problem in a contemporary world and is result of racing for more material consumption beyond physiological needs. After kāmasukha, a person may be able to move up to nirāmissukha, happiness without any material acquisition. This level of happiness includes jhāna sukha and nibbāna sukha as well.


Buddhist Economics

Sīla, Samādhi, Pañña

Nibbāna sukha is the condition of complete elimination of dukkha and sukha.

Nibbāna is a specific condition of the mind consisting of

1. a clean mind that is free from all wrong doing resulting from the practice of sīla

2. a calm mind resulting from the development of a usual routine of concentration with samādhi

3. a clear mind, ready to understand everything in its own nature resulting from pañña

Sīla, Samādhi and Pañña - all must work together :

• Those who do not practice sīla will hardly be able to develop samādhi and pañña to a higher level.

• Those who practice sīla and samādhi but with insufficient level of pañña can develop false practice and false beliefs.

• Those who practice sīla but without the practice of samādhi or pañña, the quality of their mind will hardly allow the emergence of the ability to understand everything in its own nature.

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The Middle Way

Majjhima patipada or the middle way is not the way in the middle, but it is the way that does not involve the two extremes:

1. Kamasukkhallikanuyoga, the extreme of sensual indulgence or extreme hedonism

2. Attakilamathanuyoga, the extreme of self-mortification or extreme asceticism

Noble eightfold path (ariya aṭṭhaṇgika magga):

(1) sammādiṭṭhi or right view, (2) sammāsaṇkappa or right thought, (3) sammāvācā or right speech, (4) sammākammata or right action, (5) sammā-ājīva or right livelihood or right means of living, (6) sammāvāyāma or right effort, (7) sammāsati or right mindfulness, and (8) sammāsamādhi or right concentration.


Right Livelihood (sammā ājīva)

There are Four Kinds of Right Livelihood:

1. Duccarita micchājīva virati : In the case of laity, refraining from wrong livelihood by means of immoral physical and verbal actions [body, speech & mind].

2. Anesana micchājīva virati : In the case of monks and recluses, refraining from wrong livelihood, e.g. by means of giving fruits and flowers to laymen to win their affection.

3. Kuhanādi micchājīva virati : In the case of monks and recluses, refraining from trickery and deception by means of working wonders.

4. Tiracchāna vijjā micchājīva virati : In the case of monks and recluses, refraining from wrong livelihood, e.g. by means of performing base arts, such as reading signs and omens, which are against the rules and practices of the Order.

(Ledi Sayādaw, Maggaṇga Dīpanī. AN 5.117)


Vaṇijjā Sutta (AN 5.177) Business

Wrong livelihood for lay followers

1. Satthavaṇijjā - Business in weapons: trading in all kinds of weapons and instruments for killing.

2. Sattavaṇijjā - Business in human beings: slave trading, prostitution, or the buying and selling of children or adults.

3. Maṃsavaṇijjā - Business in meat: "meat" refers to the bodies of beings after they are killed. This includes breeding animals for slaughter.

4. Majjavaṇijjā - Business in intoxicants: manufacturing or selling intoxicating drinks or addictive drugs.

5. Visavaṇijjā - Business in poison: producing or trading in any kind of poison or a toxic product designed to kill.


Samaññaphala Sutta The Fruits of the Contemplative Life (DN.2.)

"Whereas some contemplatives & brahmans, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such "animal" arts as:*reading marks on the limbs [e.g., palmistry]; *reading omens and signs; *interpreting celestial events [falling stars, comets]; *interpreting dreams; *reading features of the body [e.g., phrenology]; *reading marks on cloth gnawed by mice;*offering fire oblations, oblations from a ladle, oblations of husks, rice powder, rice grains, ghee, and oil;


*offering oblations from the mouth; *offering blood-sacrifices; *making predictions based on the fingertips; geomancy; *making predictions for state officials; *laying demons in a cemetery; *placing spells on spirits; *earth-skills [divining water and gems?]; *snake-skills, poison-skills, scorpion-skills, rat-skills, bird-skills, crow-skills; *predicting life spans; *giving protective charms; *casting horoscopes — he abstains from wrong livelihood, from "animal" arts such as these.”

Buddhist Economics

Relation to the Other Factors of the Path

“One tries to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter into right livelihood: This is one's right effort.

One is mindful to abandon wrong livelihood & to enter & remain in right livelihood: This is one's right mindfulness.

Thus these three qualities — (1) right view, (2) right effort, & (3) right mindfulness — run & circle around right livelihood.”

(MN117)17

Buddhist Economics 18

Buddhist economics: 1. Minimize suffering

Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five 3.1 million children each year (8’500 per day) One out of six children -

roughly 100 000 000 - in developing countries is underweight

The vast majority of the world's hungry people live in developing countries, where 13.5 % of the population is undernourished

Karunā


Buddhist economics: 2. Simplifying desires

Amoha


Buddhist economics: 3. Practicing non-violence

Mettā


Buddhist economics: 4. Genuine Care

Upekkhā


Buddhist economics: 5. Minimize instrumental use

Muditā

Adosa


Buddhist economics: 6. Minimize Self-interest

Alobha

Buddhist Economics

Principles of Economics

• Profit-making

• Generating desires

• Introducing markets

• Instrumental use of all creatures

• Strategic philanthropy

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Characteristic of Western Economics and Buddhist Economics

Western economics Buddhist economics

Maximize profit Minimize suffering

Maximize desires Minimize desires

Maximize market Minimize violence

Maximize instrumental use Minimize instrumental use

Maximize Self-interest Minimize Self-interest

Bigger is better Small is beautiful

More is more Less is more

(Laszlo Zsolnai)


References(1) Primary Source: Buddhist Economics: Evolution, Theories and Its Application to Various Economic Subjects (3

rd

Ed.). Apichai Puntasen. Bangkok: Amarin Press, 2003.

(2) Readings

Alexandrin, Glen. Basic Buddhist Economics. Economics Department. Villanova University, 1996.

Ariyaratne, A.T. Schumacher Lectures on Buddhist Economics. Ratmalana: Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Publishers, 1999.

Georgescu Roegen, Nicholas. “Choice, Expectations and Measurability”. Quarterly Journal of Economic, 1954/68, pp.503-534.

Inoue, Shinichi. Putting Buddhism to Work: A New Approach to Management and Business. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd, 1997.

Loy, David R. The Spiritual Roots of Modernity: Buddhist Reflections on the Idolatry of the Nationstate, 1999. Sulak Sivaraksa, Pipob Udommittipong and Christ Walker (eds.), “Socially Engaged Buddhism for the New Millennium”, Essays in Honor of The Ven. Phra Dhammapitaka (Bhikku P.A. Payutto) on His 60th Birthday Anniversary. Bangkok : Sathirakoses Nagapradipa Foundation, the Foundation for Children, pp. 86-111.

P.A. Payutto. Buddhist Economics: A Middle Way for the Market Place. Bangkok, Buddhadhamma Foundation, 1994.

Priyanut Piboolsravut. “An Outline of Buddhist Economic Theory and System”. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University, December, 1997.

Schumacher, E.F. Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1973.

Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Indianapolis: Liberty Press, 1982.

Thurow, Lester C. The Future of Capitalism: How Today’s Economic Forces Shape Tomorrow’s World. New York: Penguin Books, 1996.

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5 min meditation

0.1. buddhist economics. introduction

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