Buddhist Economics

[Roland]

Interesting essay about a Buddhist perspective on economics. E. F. Schumacher: "Right Livelihood is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is clear, therefore, that there must be such a thing as Buddhist economics." About the issue of labor: "The Buddhist point of view takes the function of work to be at least threefold: to give a man a chance to utilize and develop his faculties; to enable him to overcome his ego-centeredness by joining with other people in a common task; and to bring forth the goods and services needed for a becoming existence. Again, the consequences that flow from this view are endless."

Gassho

Roland
#SatToday

[Byrne]

I take issue with some small details in this article. For one, right livelihood isn't so much a "requirement" as it is an expression of Buddhahood. Since none of us are Buddha's defining the requirement is a bit premature. Buddhism exists and has existed in many different societies with very different cultural perspectives on how things like work, money, and social structure. I'm not sure there is such a thing as Buddhist economics.

Gassho

Sat Today

[Byokan]

Hi Roland,

I found it interesting too. It was published in 1966 and has a mix of forward-thinking and outdated ideas. Forward thinking: people first, buy local, consider the long-term impacts of consumption. A little outdated:

"Women, on the whole, do not need an “outside” job, and the large-scale employment of women in offices or factories would be considered a sign of serious economic failure."

Yayyy! I'm quitting my jobs today! Would one of you kind gentlemen please send some cash.


Here is a past series Jundo did on Buddhanomics:

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?7836-SIT-A-LONG-with-JUNDO%C2%97Buddhanomics-The-Things-That-Are-Free

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?7961-SIT-A-LONG-with-JUNDO%C2%97Buddhanomics-Job-Search

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?7901-SIT-A-LONG-with-JUNDO%C2%97Buddhanomics-Let-Go-Don-t-Throw-Away

http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?7860-SIT-A-LONG-with-JUNDO%C2%97Buddhanomics-Live-Small

Gassho
Byōkan
sat today

[Byrne]

Here's a Buddhist economics story of sorts that I found in a commentary on the Diamond Sutra by Hsuan Hua. The spiritual economics of begging.

Gassho

Sat Today

The Buddha reprimanded his two disciples Subhåti and Great Kàsyapa for their manner of begging. First he scolded Subhåti for thinking, “Wealthy people have money because in former lives they fostered merit and virtue. If I don’t beg from
them and give them the opportunity to plant further blessings, then next life they will be poor. They will not continue to be wealthy and honored." So Subhåti only begged from the rich. However, wealthy people eat good food. Although he said it was to help them plant blessings so they could continue to be wealthy in future lives, I believe that in actuality Subhåti liked to eat good food and that is why he begged from the rich.
That is what I say, but perhaps Subhåti was not like the rest of us, who constantly think about eating well. It is true that he wanted to help them continue their blessings.

Second, the Buddha scolded Great Kàsyapa because, in his arduous practice of asceticism, he not only ate just one meal a day, but he begged only from the poor. His thought was, “These people are poor because in former lives they did not foster merit and virtue. They did not do good deeds when they had money, and so in this life they are poor. I will help them out of their predicament by enabling them to plant bless- ings before the Triple Jewel so next life they will be wealthy and honored." The poorer the house, the more he begged there, even to the point that the poor people took the food out of their own bowls in order to have an offering for him. I believe that because Patriarch Kàsyapa cultivated asceticism he wanted to undergo suffering, and did not want to eat good things. He knew how people with money eat, and did not want to eat well himself.

There is a Chinese proverb which says:

To be sparing with clothing increases life. To be sparing with food increases blessings.

Great Kàsyapa was one hundred and twenty years old when he took refuge with the Buddha. Life after life he had been frugal, and in this life, because he did not like to eat rich food, he only begged from the poor, just the opposite of Subhåti. Both of those methods are extreme, and not in accord with the Middle Way, and it is for this reason that the Surangama Sutra says that the Buddha scolded them and called them Arhats.
The Buddha was equitable in his begging and did not favor rich or poor.

[Meian]

I am really interested in this topic, for two reasons. When I've had to look for new employment, my primary criteria was that it had to be a non-profit or a company with a community focus. This mattered especially when I had banks and insurance corps recruiting me - focus on profit and data is not something i can abide. I currently work as a home health aide for a non-profit, and earn little from it, but my conscience regarding my work is clear. I have noticed that even the most destitute of my patients insist on sharing and giving something, no matter how small - they want to contribute in some way. I've learned to accept and allow this - a cup of coffee, a cookie, some fruit, one insisted on giving me tasbaha beads from Makkah (too precious in my eyes, but it made her happy).

Also, due to lifelong experiences, I had developed (sadly) a prejudice against wealthy people. I have been working on this for a while, trying to gain some perspective. This post and discussion is giving me new insight on the matter, as well as better understanding of the precept. Thank you.

Gassho,
Kim
#sattoday yay!!!

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[Rich]

Hi Kim
That's great that you enjoy your work at a non profit and are able to accept less pay. When I was young I felt uncomfortable around 'rich' people. My family was working middle-class. A friend told me some have more and some have less but inside all the same. In Buddhism they would say we have the same essence. The point I'd like to make is that the real problem is greed. Even some non profits spend too much benefiting those in power. Money as a medium of exchange and capitalism as a system of society works fairly well but is perverted by greed and politicians can't or won't fix it until the people demand it. Maybe that's why they have revolutions.-)

Sat. Today

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[Jundo]

Over the next year, I am considering to make a central facet of our "Engaged and Charitable Projects Center" a group to study and support various forms of "think small" and Buddhist Economics social reforms. It is wonderful that we all engage in personal projects to help individuals and make our towns and local areas a bit nicer. Small actions can have big impact.

However, big actions have big impact too. It may be time to become more vocal for some changes in our consumer driven, out of control industrial world (I am a little up in arms myself today as someone in my neighborhood decided to cut down a whole field of 50+ year old trees for no good reason that I can see ... plenty of empty land all around it. Feeling a bit of Bodhisattva Positive Wrath inspired by that) All things are impermanent in this world, but not need to hurry that along!

Many other good books on this topic that will become the centerpiece, such as much of the fine writing by Zen Teacher David Loy ...

A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World

A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency

Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution

The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory

A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack

http://www.davidloy.org/writing.html

Gassho, J

SatToday

[Ishin]

Thanks for collecting those Lisa

Gassho
Ishin

Sat Today

[Byokan]

Thanks for collecting those Lisa

Gassho
Ishin

Sat Today

Gassho
Byōkan
sat today