Urban Middle-Class Buddhist Reform Movements in Thailand: Economic Systems and Business Ethics

Abstract

Economic justice is a critical concern for many societies, frequently fostering debate on the nature of economic systems. Often religious revival contributes substantially to this discussion, because religion is a major source of ethics. This paper examines ‘Buddhist economics’ in modern urban reform Buddhism in Thailand. The three movements discussed here all seek high ethical standards, and stress ethical responsibility, but differ substantially in how much they feel behavior is conditioned by context, and thus, in how much the system needs to change to achieve a more moral society.

Keywords: Buddhist Economics, Buddhist Reform Movements, Thailand