Sustainable Development of Community Enterprises through Buddhist Peaceful Means

Abstract

Community enterprises serve as an approach to sustainable grassroots community development, arising from national development guided by the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. Their goal is to strengthen the local community economy, which forms a vital foundation for the nation, by addressing issues such as poverty, lack of employment, insufficient income, and reducing socioeconomic inequalities among rural and urban communities. Community enterprises have been established throughout all provinces nationwide, with continuous registration each year. However, due to existing challenges faced by community enterprises today, the principles of Buddhist Peaceful Methods have been applied to their development. These Buddhist peaceful means include the Seven Principles of Aparihāniyadhamma, which are ethical guidelines preventing decline and promote harmony: (1) frequent and regular meetings, (2) simultaneous commencement and adjournment of meetings and activities, (3) refraining from introducing new, disruptive practices or overturning established agreements, (4) mutual respect and honoring one another, (5) honoring and respecting women, (6) respecting what ought to be respected, including rules and regulations, and (7) preserving, maintaining, and further developing existing good practices. Additionally, the Fourfold Development (Bhāvana) principle is used as an evaluative framework, consisting of physical, behavioral, mental, and intellectual dimensions, which has been adapted to community enterprise development. The process of sustainably developing community enterprises through Buddhist peaceful means involves six key stages: (1) forming groups and establishing enterprises, (2) uniting management efforts, (3) coordinating networks, (4) expanding marketing, (5) intelligent public relations, and (6) sustaining the community enterprise organization. The development focuses on six critical areas: personnel development, group management, financial and accounting development, production development, marketing development, and communication and public relations development.