Sustainable Development in Buddhist Perspective

Abstract

This academic paper aims to present sustainable development in the Buddhist perspective. Sustainable development in general is considered as a balance of the three aspects of development: 1) Sustainable Economic Development; it is an economic development for quality growth, distributing income to the benefit of the majority of people in society, especially those with low incomes. 2) Sustainable Social Development; it develops people to have more knowledge, performance and higher quality, promoting a quality society and a learning society. Last, 3) Sustainable Environmental Development; it is an environmental development by ways of using ecological quantities of natural resources that can recover back to its original condition. That means releasing pollutants into the environment at a level that the ecosystem can absorb and pollute, and can substitute for the type of resource used.

For the sustainable development in the Buddhist perspective, it can be said that the behavioral, mental and intellectual development has particularly been implemented to integrate holistic relationship for the benefit and happiness of individuals, society, and the environment. This development must be split into two parts: human development and sustainable development. The sustainable development in the Buddhist perspective must be based on the Threefold Training (Ti-sikkhā) are morality (Sīla), concentration (Samādhi) and wisdom (PaÒÒā) to bring about wisdom and to solve problems until reaching the truth. In addition, three universal minds and intelligence have been created: 1) Universal humanity; no matter what gender, skin, race and religion they are. 2) Universal reality; the reality of universal rationality is based on natural law, which is not for a particular group. 3) Universal compassion; love and help are treated without persecution. Last but not least, the Buddhist economics concept, which is a middle-class economics or Majjhimā economics in Buddhism, has long been used in this regard. It is divided into 2 types: 1) Majjhimā economics for quality of life; quality of life and satisfaction are positively correlated with the needs of the body and mind, and 2) Majjhimā economics for non-persecution; it means not persecuting oneself, not persecuting others as well as animals, and not harming the ecosystem from the community level to the international level. It can be said that the sustainable development must mention the ability for human beings to live together with animals and all things in a more beneficial way. It also implied the balance of personal development and environmental development to the maximum benefit in lines with three benefits; to live happily in the present, to continue existence to the future person, and to make living together forever lasting.