SUFFiciENcy EcONOMy ANd GRASSROOtS DEvElOPMENt

The Meaning of Sufficiency Economy
International Conference
233
Bunniyom Buddhist Economics of the Asoke Group
ABSTRACT
The Asoke group has presented its own version of ‘sufficiency economy’,
which can be studied in their rural centers in Thailand. The Asoke Buddhist group
has well-established villages in several provinces in Thailand; Nakhon Pathom,
Nakhon Racthasima, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani.
Santi Asoke in Bangkok is mainly the administrative centre which coordinates
between the various villages and activities. Besides the more established centres
with monks, nuns, schools, rice fields, gardens and various other activities, there are
new centres which are starting to practice same kind of activities albeit with smaller
numbers of lay people. There is a new centre in Trang in the South and a small plot
of land also in Phanggna, where Asoke practitioners are trying to start growing food.
There are Asoke villages in Chaiyaphum, Loei and Chiang Rai. Altogether there are
over twenty Asoke villages in Thailand.
The Asoke villages have rice mills and after milling, the rice is usually sent to
the Asoke shops and supermarkets in Bangkok and other towns. Same applies to the
fruits and organically grown vegetables. The villages also produce herbal shampoos,
detergents and medicine. All products in the shops are sold on very low prices as the
group does not aim to make profit but aims to make spiritual merit. The economic
system behind the Asoke activities in called bunniyom – meritism. Earning spiritual
merit in the Buddhist sense is for Asoke people more important than making money
and profit. With these principles the group goes entirely against capitalism,
consumerism, globalisation and commercialisation of human life. During Thailand’s
economic ‘boom’ years in the 1980s and 1990s, the Asoke group’s slogan was ‘Dare
to be poor!”.
Keywords: sufficiency economy, Buddhist economics, bunniyom, samma ajiva