AN APPLICATION OF BHAVANA 4 PRINCIPLE IN ELDERS’ LIFE QUALITY DEVELOPMENT OF EIDERLY PEOPLE IN BAN NAI KHUAN COMMUNITY, KHLONG THOM TAI SUB – DISTRICT, DISTRICT, KRABI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of the study were 1) to study the concept of developing the elderly’s quality of life in Naikuan Village community, Klong Tomtai Subdistrict, Klong Tom District, Krabi Province; 2) to investigate the Bhāvanā principle in the Buddhist scriptures, and 3) to apply the principle of Bhāvanā to develop quality of life of the elderly in Naikuan Village community, Klong Tomtai Subdistrict, Klong Tom District, Krabi Province. The study was conducted employing qualitative research through in - depth interviews. Findings were as follows: The concept of improving quality of life is to have excellent quality in all aspects, whether physical, emotional, social, and intellectual. It is a happy life with a good body, good welfare, and good care. In emotional aspect, life is without mood swings, anger, suffering mind, but with happiness and joyfulness. The social aspect is to have a good environment with happy, fun, and calm conditions without trouble. Intelligence is the use of wisdom to solve problems in the community for the right reasons. The Bhavana principle can be applied to improve the quality of life in proper behavior and daily life. The Bhavana principle is a guide to make a good life physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually to become a perfect human being according to the Buddhist guidelines and to happily live together in a society. Improving the quality of life of the elderly according to the 4 principles of prayer are : 1) Kāya - bhāvanā: physical development, or physical training with a good relationship with the physical environment; 2) Sila bhāvanā : moral development or precept training with a good relationship with social development; 3) Citta -  bhāvanā: cultivation of the heart or emotional development with mental training to cultivate mind in virtue, goodness, strength, stability, and joyfulness; 4) Pannà - bhāvanā: cultivation of wisdom or intellectual development with intelligence training to enhance knowledge, thinking, understanding, and understanding of things as they really are.