and today’s Thailand, however, developed over time as a consequence
of basic economic and social changes and as a by-product of the
government’s efforts to modernize the country. This modernization
has shattered the self-sufficient economy of local communities and
centralized the polity of the provinces. Ultimately, this process has
tied the country economically to the global market economy under
transnational capitalism and politically to the new international order.
These economic and structural changes have had a great impact on
all social and cultural aspects of Thai society and consequently have
affected the social values and well-being of Thai people.
In response to rapid social changes in Thailand, Bhikkhu Buddhadasa
(1906–1993), a leading Thai Buddhist thinker, has interpreted
Buddhism not only from a religious point of view but also from a
sociopolitical perspective. After devoting most of his life to reforming
Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhadasa found it necessary to address
sociopolitical issues from a Buddhist perspective. In the 1960s, he
articulated his sociopolitical position in terms of dhammocracy (dhamma-thipatai):
the social and political order should follow the law of
Dhamma—the teachings of the Buddha. Later on in the atmosphere
of the student-led revolution in Thailand from 1973 to 1976, Buddhadasa
presented his unique theory of dhammic socialism (dhammika
sangkhom-niyom).
Buddhadasa based his theory of dhammic socialism on nature. To
him, nature represents the state of balance for the survival and wellbeing
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.
Philosophically, dhammic socialism is based on this principle:
none of us should take more than we really need. We should share
whatever extra we have with those who have less. Social problems
are fundamentally a result of greed. In other words, greed is at the
heart of scarcity and poverty. Buddhadasa’s individualistic approach
to social and economic problems, solved by the personal practice of