[Buddha-l] Buddhism, Economics, Social Welfare and Governance

[Mahinda Deegalle]

Dear Professor Hayes:
Thanks a lot for the useful and detailed guidance on the matter of Buddhism and Economics. I remember seeing David Loy's book while passing through a book store but I had only a glimpse at the book and now I can read it with more interest. I am going to look at your materials and your perception on lifestyles and collective capitalist values is an important one.

It looks like Buddhist values and lifestyles stand for simplicity. For example, when monks consume food they have to contemplate that it is just for survival and just to enhance their practice (Theravada and Zen, for example). These values, at one time, may have been the central aspect of Buddhist traditions but now Buddhists in all major Buddhist countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea, Japan, for example) are heavily engaged in enhancing the collective capitalist values. They cannot be blamed. But there is a challenge for the Buddhist. It is almost impossible for us to refuse the temptation!! The real challenge is how we can make Buddhism and its teaching meaningful for a generation that is caught up in credit crunch and financial crises where all economies whether Buddhist or not, are equally affected and collective karma enhances human suffering across the world? How can we make Buddhism meaningful in these difficult circumstances? How can we draw
 inspiration from Buddhist teachings and practices? How can we pursuade Buddhist societies that we can apply some of the Buddhist teachings in minimizing some of the suffering caused by economic crisis? This is what I am thinking now. All of you can help me.

Thanks a lot for fruitful guidance.
Sincerely
Mahinda Deegalle






________________________________
From: Richard Hayes <rhayes at unm.edu>
To: buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 3:12:20 AM
Subject: [Buddha-l] Buddhism, Economics, Social Welfare and Governance

On Tue Feb 10,2009 at 09:17:06 MST Mahinda Deegalle wrote: 


> I know a few books like Payutto, Schumacher and Ariyaratne on Buddhist
> economics but I want to know more and in particular the way Buddhism
> deals with contemporary economic and business crisis and problems.

It's good to see your name appearing here, Bhante! I hope you are well.
Have you looked into any of David Loy's writings? His most recent book,
Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution may have
material on the topics you mention. His older book, The Great Awakening:
Buddhist Social Theory also touches on the issues you mention.

One of my favorites, of course, is Bhikkhu Buddhadasa's reflections on
what he calls Dhammic socialism in Donald K. Swearer's Me and Mine.
Students, I find, love both Buddhadasa and Loy.

I have written a couple of articles on the topic, but my stuff is much
too superficial and glib for your needs. All the same, it's available on
the download page on my academic website.

I've been enjoying watching the economy fall to pieces. I think it might
force a lot of people to become more aware of the sheer madness of their
lifestyles and of collective capitalist values. My main fear is that the
planet is in for another round of unconscionable violence as everyone
begins grabbing what they think they need. Thieves are doing a brisk
trade in my neighborhood these days. 

-- 
Richard Hayes
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes

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