Socio-Political Ideology according to Buddhism

Abstract

This research has three objectives: 1) to study the socio-political contexts as depicted in the Theravada Buddhist texts, 2) to analyze the socio-political ideology from the Theravada Buddhist perspective, and 3) to propose a socio-political ideology for Thai Theravada Buddhism. It is a documentary research mainly focused on the Tipitaka text and its related commentary works. The study revealed that in the socio-political context in the contemporary period of the Buddha, most people were dominated by the Caste System and lived their lives in accordance with it. For politics and governance, there were separate sovereign states with their own forms of governance, with most having adopted monarchy, and others, federalism. Prince Siddhattha realized the existence of problems in terms of individual and social aspects, which were collectively termed suffering. The individual suffering refers to birth, aging, sickness, and death, as well as sensual indulgences, whereas the social suffering means the Caste System that determined living according to birth and blood. The Prince left the homely life and became enlightened as the Buddha, who prescribed the way out of sufferings, that is, the Noble Eightfold Path for an individual, and abandoning the Caste System for society. He invented the community termed Sangha or Fourfold Buddhist Company, with the Dhammavinaya as the highest constitution.

As a result, Thai Buddhism should create a self-reliant organization or society without state power interference, that mainly depends on the Dhammavinaya. Further, it should seriously develop mindfulness and wisdom so as to liberate individuals and society from sufferings as a basis for applied Buddhism to suit rapidly changing world situations.