Buddhadasa based his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To him, nature represents the state of balance for the survival and well- being of human beings, animals, plants, and the ecology of the world. In the state of nature, every being produces according to its capacity and consumes according to its needs; no being, whatever form it has, hoards surplus for its own sake. Buddhadasa calls this balanced state of nature socialistic. Problems arise, however, when human beings begin to hoard a surplus for the sake of their own profit; this leaves others facing scarcity and poverty. According to Buddhadasa, human beings can and should produce a surplus, but the surplus should be distributed for the well-being of everyone, and Buddhism provides the ethical tools for this fair distribution.