THE BUDDHIST AGRICULTURE FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF THE ECONOMY OF COMMUNITY

Abstract

The purposes of this research aimed at studying the concept of Buddhist agriculture in the Buddhist scripture, studying the development of Buddhist agriculture in Thai society and analytical study of Buddhist agriculture for solving the problems of the economy of community. This research is the qualitative research by studying from the Ti-pitaka, books, and research papers concerned and making report as the descriptive analysis.

The results of the study were found that Buddhism is the religion that has faith and enhances human beings to develop themselves to the highest perfectiveness by using Dhamma as the tool for training. The worldly benefits for householders are the successes in their owns duties in accordance with the middle way or the principles of middle path, not to persecute oneself and the others and not to conflict the morality and the laws of nation in compliance with the principles of virtues conducive to benefits in the present, which the householders should regard this principle for practice in working, that is, having the effort, diligence, not to be lazy, to be aware of keeping and protecting the activities that are performed to protect the securities. The temples and the Orders of Sangha are still the center of communities every era by trying to consider the social problems in the present and bring them to be the principles in solving the problems and developing the lives and people’s well-being and the communities. The essence of the Buddha’ teaching is applied with the time by bringing the principle of Dhamma for solving the problems of single agriculture to be the Buddhist agriculture in order to make the economy of community with the strength and be able to assist oneself as sustainable and permanent.

The Buddhist agriculturists from the past to the present try their best to adapt themselves all the time in order that the agricultural activities can be complied with the environment or agricultural residences sufficiently and mixed together with usage of the principle of Pathavĩkhana Sikkhãpata, especially the self-assistance in the economy, that is, producing for their use, consumption, balance with the nature and environment, with un-extravagant behavior, balance of economy, sufficient for living, not to lose the capital, not to be in debt, living with happiness, having time and not to destroy the environment. The success of Buddhist agriculture depends on the ecological condition and the social economy for each agriculturist and the limited products are controlled by the fundamental principle of nature in the variability of various elements in producing, which is harmonious with the fact of the nature, that is, the Three Characteristics of Existence. To understand the nature in the products of the Buddhist agriculturists will also reach the spiritual happiness. The agriculturists who comprise of wisdom and agricultural experience can analyze and find the answer by themselves, that is, the Buddhist agriculturists will be grown up and spread out their network continuously.

That Buddhist agriculture is to bring the principle of the orderliness of nature regarded as the physical laws that the new Buddhist agriculture is applied with the biological laws indicating the selection of the special species with the strength and a lot of products and is applied with the physical laws by considering earth, water, wind and fire and weather, whenever there are the appropriate causes and factors, the plants will be grown up without any element supporting and Phrathepratanamuni has the idea to bring the Buddhist mantra for chanting in order to enhance and fill up completely in the moment of planting, watering, and loosing the earth of the vegetables and trees to progress and to have good products because of advantage of the Buddhist mantra creating the economy of community in the sustainable balance by applying the principle of Dhamma for agricultural performance in their own regions such as 5 precepts, the four paths of accomplishment and the four bases of social solidarity etc., to be sufficient for consumption, not to lose the capital, not to be in debt, to reduce the payment, and to increase the income, to do with intention, to be industry, to live with calm and happiness with sufficiency, not to be infatuated in materialism and consumption, not to destroy the environment and to make the community happy pleasantly