SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt

More documents

Recommendations

Info

204 The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy International Conference shampoo, body cream, herbal medicine, mosquito repellant, herbal tea, snacks and clothing material can be produced using raw materials from the network. By using the local product, it can be expected that Inpaeng members can save a certain amount of money. In conclusion, several dimensions to describe the “survival” domain of social capital were investigated in the Inpaeng network. The competency to survive from financial threats, in that context, consists of having food security, establishing one’s welfare and the ability to produce household groceries. Sufficiency Sufficiency is the second domain of Inpaeng social capital, explored in this research. Sufficiency is the idea of promoting a balanced, moderate, wisdom-driven lifestyle. It is the counterpart of consumption based on greed and a money-driven way of life. The Inpaeng suggested that members change their points of view, aims of life, and values of living before changing their behaviour. An Inpaeng leader expressed the Inpaeng way of training their members as follows: “Plant the (ideas into the) man, before the trees.” Inpaeng members were given the big picture of how capitalism and consumerism leads to the collapse of communities. However, people cannot live in a primitive lifestyle that depends heavily on the fertility of soil and the abundance of natural resources. A new paradigm that appreciates the ancient wisdom of sharing, compassion and respect for Mother Nature, while adopting modern concepts of networking, empowering and resource managing is needed. The characteristics of the Sufficiency domain were explored in two aspects. The first aspect considered process in one’s mind. This aspect involved mindfulness and the five precepts of practicing. The outcome of those qualities of mind is expressed and explored in the second aspect which is the household financial management. Sufficiency, for the first aspect, is the consonant idea with the Buddhist sermons. The “unimpeachable path”, suggested in the Buddhist Canon, reveals three practices that will lead to a peaceful and useful stage of life. Those practices are 1. control of the senses (Pali: Indriya-samvara, Thai: อินทรียสังวร) 2.moderation in eating (Pali: Bhojane-mattannuta, Thai: โภชเนมัตตัญญุตา) and 3. practice of wakefulness (Pali: Jagriyanuyoga, Thai: ชาคริยานุโยค)(พระพรหมคุณาภรณ์ (ป.อ.ปยุตโต)). In short, to develop the sufficient lifestyle, one should “know” and “control” desires. It can be claimed that the notion of mindfulness is common and well-known for Thai rural farmers, particularly around Inpaeng network area; Sakonnakhon. The area is known by the Thai Buddhists as “the cradle of the enlighten monks”. Tropical forests surround the province of Sakonnakhon were the areas that Venerable AjaanMun (1870-1949), the monk who established the ascetic forest monk tradition,
The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy International Conference 205 wandered around to practice meditation a century ago. Hundreds of monasteries proceeding AjannMun’s Buddhist forest tradition, have been formed by his monk disciples all over this area. For this reason, it is not an overstatement to claim that people there know, with no need for further clarification, what mindfulness is. This study found that mindfulness is the fundamental quality of one’s mind to develop “Sufficiency”. Metaphorically, mindfulness is a gate keeper who watches over senses that pass six gates. Those gates are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch and mind. Mindful mind can separate the desires and physical needs apart. Consuming according to physical needs but not by desire, in the Buddhist point of view, is the wisdom-driven life. One’s level of mindfulness can be explored via money expenses. People with higher levels of mindfulness tend to buy things because of it is need, not by desires. Moreover, monitoring one’s expense list is believed to be the activity to gain the awareness of spending money. During the data collection, several government campaign programs promoting household expense recording were enacted. In order to adopt the Inpaeng concept efficiently, one needs a certain level of mindfulness or, in plain language, needs to have a strong-minded in order to overcome the money-driven lifestyle. The Inpaeng proposed the changing notion of “money as the core of everything” or “money leads wisdom” into “wisdom leads money”. They proposed the changing of “money as a goal of working” into “sufficiency and self-dependency as a goal of working”. During the data collection period, a project called “start jotting down to wipe out poverty” (Thai: พอเริ่มจด ก็เลิกจน), initiated by the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural cooperatives (BAAC), was launched. BAAC promoted expense recording behavior to farmers’ families. Recording family expenses might be the best way to monitor and control money spending. The family financial record activity has been observed in Inpaeng communities. The Inpaeng network has provided its members with some reinforcing structures to have a sufficient life, in term of money management. Many community saving groups or local banks have been established in Inpaeng villages. Despite the offering of lower interest rate loans, the main objective of these saving groups is promoting a monthly household saving scheme. Members are encouraged to give their word of honor for saving a certain amount of money each month. Unlike a bank, these saving groups work as hosts for group meetings for monthly deposits, rather than for individual financial inquiries. Once a month, all members meet in community halls and deposit money into their account. This research found the meetings were a chance for saving group members to meet and exchange their stories of money management. It is the best chance to evaluate one’s financial situation by comparing to neighbours living in the same village, and generally, ranking in the same socio-economic status. The meetings are a chance to exchange and learn from each other. Participating in merit (Pali: puñña, Thai: บุญ)ceremonies (Thai: งานบุญ); can also
Page 1: Group 2 Sufficiency Economy and Gr
Page 5 and 6: The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy
Page 11 and 12: As the national network grew, maint
Page 23: Sufficiency Economy and Grassroots
Page 26 and 27: 180 The Meaning of Sufficiency Econ
Page 49: The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy
Page 59: Sufficiency Economy and Grassroots
Page 89: The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy
Page 101 and 102:
The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
8 The Meaning of Sufficiency Econom
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
show all

SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?