In this innovative book, S. Niggol Seo investigates the intrinsic and intriguing relationship between the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the principles of economics and happiness. Offering a unique perspective on the topic, Seo delves deep into the theoretical foundations of economics and Buddhist teachings, highlighting how these seemingly polar opposite thought systems cross paths.

In this innovative book, S. Niggol Seo investigates the intrinsic and intriguing relationship between the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the principles of economics and happiness. Offering a unique perspective on the topic, Seo delves deep into the theoretical foundations of economics and Buddhist teachings, highlighting how these seemingly polar opposite thought systems cross paths. Seo argues that when it comes to markets, prices, interest rates, growth, poverty, and environmental protection, Buddhism and economics share a number of common economic ideas. Written in an accessible style, Seo presents both a succinct and encompassing description of Buddhism for economists, as well as a comprehensive overview of economics. Buddha, Wisdom and Economics brings together in a balanced and systematic way the common ground between both endeavours. It further examines important topics in the field in light of Buddhist teachings, including economic growth and happiness, poverty and environmental protection. This thought-provoking book will be an invigorating read for undergraduate and postgraduate economics students and to those with a particular interest in development economics, religion, welfare and happiness studies. It also offers ground-breaking insights for economic policy-makers looking to better understand the intersection between Buddhism and economics.

Illustrating an insightful contrast between modern scientific and economic approaches, and the Buddhist viewpoint, this book examines key environmental issues such as species protection, pollution, natural resource use and global climate change. Through a comprehensive explanation of the pertinent Buddhist philosophy and eleven Buddhist instruments, it unpacks the rich intellectual resources relating to modern environmental and nature studies that have been treasured in the Buddhist Canons and commentaries for thousands of years. This book provides a rare opportunity to reflect on the ongoing climate crisis using a time-tested thought system.

Living in a market-driven economy where short-term profit and economic growth appear to be the ultimate goal, this book explores how Buddhist teachings could bridge the divide between our spiritual and material needs and reconcile the tension between doing good for social interest and doing well for financial success. This book serves as a pioneering effort to systematically introduce Buddhist Economics as an interdisciplinary subject to audience with limited background in either Buddhism or economics. It elaborates some core concepts in Buddhist teachings, their relevance to economics, and means of achieving sustainability for individuals, society and the environment with the cultivation of ethical living and well-being. Through scholarly research from relevant fields including Buddhist studies, economics, behavioral finance, cognitive science, and psychology, this book illustrates the relevance of Buddhist values in the contemporary economy and society, as well as the efficacy of Buddhist perspectives on decision-making in daily life.

This book defends and articulates an “Engaged Buddhist” approach to economics as a response to the destructive effects of global capitalism. The author posits that Buddhist understandings of the distortions of greed, aversion, and ignorance can be read to apply not only to mental states but also to socio-political ones, and that such a reading suggests rational responses to current social and environmental challenges. The book proposes that we engage both “inner and outer” modes of transformation through which to free ourselves from our current human-made, dysfunctional systems: the former, by examining the workings of our own minds, the latter by criticizing and reforming our economic systems. Since traditional Buddhism provides few sources to build a Buddhist economic vision, this work brings together Buddhist notions of skillful practice, John Dewey’s pragmatic principles for social provisioning, and institutional economics. The author provides two case studies for experiments in Buddhist-based socioeconomic policies, Thailand and Bhutan. Of special interest is the implied parallel between worldviews emerging from modern socially-engaged Buddhism and Dewey’s notion of a human existential drive to shape the world in collectively beneficial ways.

This book confronts the failings of current global economics to deliver the equity, sustainability and community empowerment which humanity now needs to handle a troubled future. The volume proposes an economy built from our society, not the other way around. The Kyoto Manifesto was built, layer by layer, over a period of 4 years, based on broad-ranging international symposia held in Kyoto between 2014 and 2017, hosted by the Center for the Creative Economy, Doshisha University. Not stopping at theory and untested ideas however, the Manifesto proposes practical action that will make a difference, including in the problematic technological and ecological context of humanity’s immediate and long-term future. The book is unique and innovative for it moves adventurously across very broad territory. The Manifesto draws from world philosophic arguments, including, specifically, a critique of “liberalism”, further, exploring sociology, cultural anthropology, politics, primatology and early humanity, even quantum physics. Argument is set within mainstream post-1972 economics and political economics as well as direct practical experience working to empower disadvantaged communities through the United Nations. Most importantly, the book’s analysis is deeply informed by the practice of searching for what is “sacred”, the ultimate essence of our humanity, what we can be as a human race—empowered, fulfilled individuals, deeply sharing and caring for each other across our separate cultures and lives. Stomu Yamash’ta’s On Zen performances, set the context for the Symposia, bringing different religions and cultures together across their dividing boundaries into a coherent search for peace and harmony through sacred music. Informed by alternate cultural paradigms for economics, the book probes deeply into philosophies and practices that already exist within Eastern and Western societies, and offer lessons for our future. The result is an economics that stresses harmony with nature, and balance in social relations. It places an emphasis on community—human sharing and trust—as a platform for our future, not separate from the global economy but integrated into its very foundations. This is a book for all who care: a plan for our sustainable future built from the best of what our humanity is and can offer.

This book is a comparative analysis of the value orientations of Buddhist and Christian entrepreneurs and how these values impact business. The chapters review and analyze the concepts of Buddhist economics and the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The value orientations of Buddhist and Christian entrepreneurs are described by irreducible core values that correspond to the ontological conception, the procedural dimension, and the “other directedness” of a spiritual value commitment in business. The book includes the reflections of Buddhist and Christian entrepreneurs about business spirituality, profit, the temporal perspectives of business, and stakeholder management. The cases testify that a spiritual value orientation can contribute to creating genuine ethical commitment. The findings and the examples can encourage business scholars and practitioners to stop considering ethics as an instrument in the service of profit and serve as inspiration for integrating spirituality into business in a profound way. This book will be of interest to scholars studying business ethics, workplace spirituality and faith at work.

This book bridges the disciplines of micro-economics and social policy in general, and, in particular, behavioral/explanatory social policy and public choice theory, plus Leibenstein’s X-efficiency theory. Being trained as an economist and social policy scientist, the author leaps out of the comfort zone of most social policy scientists and experts, right into the exciting world of micro-economic theory, and then extending and connecting those theories to explain major social, political and economic conundrums of our time. In doing so, the book offers a new set of theoretical—and practical—explanations derived from the general proposition of micro-economic theory, of how government officers, policymakers, administrators and the people themselves alike are, by and large, motivated in their daily as well as strategic (long-term) decision-making. Using a meta-analytical approach (based on a number of grand theories), this book also explains systemic factors behind human behavior and the thereof resulting shortcomings in lifetime outcomes (health, wealth and happiness of a person) and at the same time societal, policy-making, and economic outcomes on societal level, and in global comparison. The outcomes thereof can be measured exactly (and hence validated), especially through the method of empirical comparative social science/economic research. Here, the author also (but not only) introduces the new method of using Aspalter's Standardized Relative Performance (SRP) Index in measuring exactly complex, aggregate performances of multiple governments, and that at the same time also across the entire world.