Buddhadharma and Sustainable Development: An Integrated Framework of Analysis
Ching-yi Chiang
This paper explores the sustainable path for economic development in accordance with the essence of Buddhist doctrine. Firstly, we introduce the principle of the modern concept of sustainability, and showing the inherently damaging and unsustainable features in our economic system. We then reason that the principles in Buddhism are sustainable in nature. The paper also offers an integrated framework of sustainable development by combing material world and spiritual world together. The resulting model possess very desirable features that can simultaneously deal with human’s problems from the inside and outside of people and guarantee sustainability and higher well-being for “all”-every human and nonhuman species-“right now” and the future.