Thoughts on the Economic Life of the Tathagata Buddha

Thoughts on the Economic Life of the Tathagata Buddha

Rakshit Madan Bagde (1) , A Peer

1 Late. Mansaramji Padole Arts College, Ganeshpur Bhandara

The economic system is the cornerstone of social development. Its economic system has remained at the root of the progressive development of human civilization. A country, society or caste; Social, political and cultural upliftment is mainly based on the progress of its economic resources and facilities. In a country without these facilities, human society cannot develop its civilization and culture. Meaning has a special place in human life. That is why even now and in the past, meaning is sometimes considered indirectly more important than religion. Gautama Buddha was the first to know this weakness of human nature. While stating that the root of all sorrows is desire, Gautama Buddha has also included materialism in desire. In his first sermon to the Panchaparivrajakas after attaining enlightenment at Sarnath, the Buddha says that there are two poles of human life. The first is the life of luxury and the second is the life of physical suffering. One says eat and drink and have fun because tomorrow we will all die, another says put an end to lust because lust is the reason for rebirth. The Buddha rejected both ways of life because, according to him, both ways are unsuitable for human life. He believed in the middle way. This moderate path is neither for physical suffering nor for pleasure. The Buddha says, 'O Parivrajakas, understand that you should never imitate these two poles of life. Attempts to attain contentment through objects whose attraction is the desire for Kama Yoga are a despicable endeavor. They are unskilled. They are harmful. There is a way of life between these two poles, it is the middle way. I am a preacher of this middle way. The destruction of sorrow is the sole purpose of this Dhamma. 'This is the first Dhamma of Tathagata. Social misery is created out of a sense of superiority and inferiority. There are two extremes in the society: exploiter and exploited, rich and poor. Sorrow is created as soon as their ego of superiority is shaken. People who are stamped with inferiority complex are stuck in inferiority complex. So if the society wants to be happy, it is necessary to follow the middle way of life. Gautama Buddha conveys the message of 'equality' from the point of view of middle life, "Nekechi manussa settha na kechi manussa hina" that is, no man is superior or inferior. The beauty of human life is hidden in the Buddha's vision of equality.

Keywords: Buddha; decent livelihood; wealth; trade; labor; charity; hunger and poverty; socialism

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences

Rakshit Madan Bagde, A Peer. Thoughts on the Economic Life of the Tathagata Buddha. Acción Pedagógica (San Cristóbal), In press, ⟨10.17613/1etg-v631⟩. ⟨hprints-03534242⟩