The Wisdom of Sustainability: Buddist Economics for the 21st Century
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3.74 · Rating details · 66 ratings · 9 reviews
Sulak Sivaraksa, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and winner of the Right Livelihood Award (called the alternative Nobel Peace Prize), is one of Asia's leading intellectuals and social critics. This book is his evaluation of the global economy, structural violence, the war on terror, and the power of corporations from a Buddhist perspective. Sivaraksa is founder of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists and many other prominent organizations. This is his magnum opus. Sulak sees Buddhism as a questioning process. Question everything, including oneself, look deeply, and then act from that insight. He is among a handful of leaders worldwide working to a revive the socially engaged aspects of spirituality. Born in 1933, Sulak Sivaraksa is a prominent and outspoken Thai intellectual and social critic. He is a teacher, scholar, publisher, activist, founder of many organizations, and author of 100 books in Thai and English. Educated in England, Sulak returned to Thailand at the age of 28 and founded his country's foremost intellectual magazine, In 1984 he was arrested on charges of criticizing the King, but international protest led to his release. In 1991 another warrant was issued for his arrest and Sulak was forced into exile. He came back to fight the case in the court and won. His life has been a series of confrontations with authority, always coming back to the basic belief in inner peace as the way to bring about world peace. (less)
Paperback, 101 pages
Published May 15th 2009 by Koa Books
Showing 1-30
Dec 16, 2010Justin Douglas rated it liked it
I've been infatuated with the idea of "Buddhist economics" ever since I stumbled upon "Small Is Beautiful" a few years ago. In this short treatise, Sivaraksa talks about how "development" has played out in poor countries like his homeland, Thailand, and how it could play out if the puppet masters weren't so focused on GDP and material standards of living. The sections on Buddhist government and social-change-as-individual-change are thoughtful and inspiring.
Now, I understand that Sivaraksa's focus is poor countries, and I certainly agree that "development," as it is currently understood and implemented, destroys traditional cultures, harmonious societies and dignified, self-reliant ways of life. But I wonder what he thinks us Westerners ought to do about our own countries, beset by social problems, which "developed" long enough ago that we have no collective memory of any "traditional" way of life to return to. And though many Americans may not be materially deprived to the same extent as rural Southeast Asian families, I think that American consumer/college debt slavery is not that much different than the debt slavery of farmers who need to lease equipment.
My biggest gripe about this book is that it's not exactly clear who he's writing to. There are a lot of "We need to..."-type declarations that are typical of left-leaning political writing. His English is clear and plain enough that anyone could read it, but as a Westerner with no special political power, I got the feeling that there was nothing I could really do about the situation. ...except meditate and cultivate loving-kindness for all sentient beings (sigh). (less)
Now, I understand that Sivaraksa's focus is poor countries, and I certainly agree that "development," as it is currently understood and implemented, destroys traditional cultures, harmonious societies and dignified, self-reliant ways of life. But I wonder what he thinks us Westerners ought to do about our own countries, beset by social problems, which "developed" long enough ago that we have no collective memory of any "traditional" way of life to return to. And though many Americans may not be materially deprived to the same extent as rural Southeast Asian families, I think that American consumer/college debt slavery is not that much different than the debt slavery of farmers who need to lease equipment.
My biggest gripe about this book is that it's not exactly clear who he's writing to. There are a lot of "We need to..."-type declarations that are typical of left-leaning political writing. His English is clear and plain enough that anyone could read it, but as a Westerner with no special political power, I got the feeling that there was nothing I could really do about the situation. ...except meditate and cultivate loving-kindness for all sentient beings (sigh). (less)
Mar 18, 2017Chris rated it really liked it
Coming of age by thinking global and acting local
As a young boy of ten, perhaps eleven years old, while visiting primary school I saw a film about India. The film made a huge impression, the colourful elephants, the castles, the overwhelming nature, the yogi’s a real fairy tale version of India. But the interest in the country and its culture never left me and some ten years later I visited India and Nepal for the first time.
By then the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi had become important for me. Not only his ideas about nonviolent civil disobedience that led to an independence India interested me. A free India for Gandhi meant the flourishing of thousands of self-sufficient small communities who rule themselves without hindering others. Gandhian economics focused on the need for economic self-sufficiency at the village level. His policy of called for ending poverty through improved agriculture and small-scale cottage industries in every village. Gandhi challenged Nehru and the modernizers in the late 1930s who called for rapid industrialisation on the Soviet model; Gandhi denounced that as dehumanising and contrary to the needs of the villages where the great majority of the people lived. According to Gandhi, "Poverty is the worst form of violence."
Some years later I read ‘Small is beautiful by the German economist E.F. (Frits) Schumacher. In my opinion Schumacher’s main focus is also to act on a small/ human scale. Later translated in the slogan ‘think global, act local’. Together with the report ‘The Limits to Growth’ by the global think tank The Club of Rome, these became my most important nonfiction reads of the 1970’s. (for fiction it was of course Hermann Hesse (less)
As a young boy of ten, perhaps eleven years old, while visiting primary school I saw a film about India. The film made a huge impression, the colourful elephants, the castles, the overwhelming nature, the yogi’s a real fairy tale version of India. But the interest in the country and its culture never left me and some ten years later I visited India and Nepal for the first time.
By then the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi had become important for me. Not only his ideas about nonviolent civil disobedience that led to an independence India interested me. A free India for Gandhi meant the flourishing of thousands of self-sufficient small communities who rule themselves without hindering others. Gandhian economics focused on the need for economic self-sufficiency at the village level. His policy of called for ending poverty through improved agriculture and small-scale cottage industries in every village. Gandhi challenged Nehru and the modernizers in the late 1930s who called for rapid industrialisation on the Soviet model; Gandhi denounced that as dehumanising and contrary to the needs of the villages where the great majority of the people lived. According to Gandhi, "Poverty is the worst form of violence."
Some years later I read ‘Small is beautiful by the German economist E.F. (Frits) Schumacher. In my opinion Schumacher’s main focus is also to act on a small/ human scale. Later translated in the slogan ‘think global, act local’. Together with the report ‘The Limits to Growth’ by the global think tank The Club of Rome, these became my most important nonfiction reads of the 1970’s. (for fiction it was of course Hermann Hesse (less)
possibly one of the most important messages of this decade.
Sivarasa's explanation of Structural Violence, his candid observations of the impact of Globalization and Agribusiness on "developing" countries, and his summation of Nonviolent Practice are succinct, courageous, and skillfully written.
The reader could have no prior knowledge of Buddhist philosophy; Sivarasa introduces the key principles (wisdom, compassion, nonviolence, the 4 Noble Truths, and the 8 Fold Path) and sensibly applies them to our current world situation. Anyone interested in True Sustainability will benefit from reading this book. (less)
Sivarasa's explanation of Structural Violence, his candid observations of the impact of Globalization and Agribusiness on "developing" countries, and his summation of Nonviolent Practice are succinct, courageous, and skillfully written.
The reader could have no prior knowledge of Buddhist philosophy; Sivarasa introduces the key principles (wisdom, compassion, nonviolence, the 4 Noble Truths, and the 8 Fold Path) and sensibly applies them to our current world situation. Anyone interested in True Sustainability will benefit from reading this book. (less)
Jun 22, 2018Yngve Skogstad rated it liked it
As I have grown increasingly tired with the materialistic growth ideology that permeates nearly all contemporary Western political thought, I picked up this book in hopes of getting an alternative perspective. What emerges is a critique of globalized capitalism that is quite reminiscent of what you get from several indigenous movements, de-growthers, localists, eco-socialists, etc., fused with a sort of cultural conservativism that I must admit I take issue with. In that sense Sivaraksa’s contribution isn’t unique, but it adds another layer to the critique of global capitalism through its greater emphasis on the social and spiritual dimensions.
In terms of proposed solutions, I find this book quite weak. Though not explicitly, it seems he speaks mostly to “the global South”, at least that’s the context where the author’s proposals seem the most relevant. All the while criticising Westerners for being individualistic, I find it ironic that it is Sivaraksa who ends up proposing individual solutions to structural problems, like looking inside oneself to understand the other, realizing that we all carry both good and bad within ourselves. I find the belief that any problem can be solved if we just understand each other really naïve. Oppressing structures are maintained because groups of people benefit from them, not because these people haven’t meditated properly.
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In terms of proposed solutions, I find this book quite weak. Though not explicitly, it seems he speaks mostly to “the global South”, at least that’s the context where the author’s proposals seem the most relevant. All the while criticising Westerners for being individualistic, I find it ironic that it is Sivaraksa who ends up proposing individual solutions to structural problems, like looking inside oneself to understand the other, realizing that we all carry both good and bad within ourselves. I find the belief that any problem can be solved if we just understand each other really naïve. Oppressing structures are maintained because groups of people benefit from them, not because these people haven’t meditated properly.
(less)
Dec 08, 2018Tom Peek rated it it was amazing
Anyone interested in economic and environmental sustainability will gain much from The Wisdom of Sustainability by Sulak Sivaraksa, one of Asia’s leading social thinkers and activists. Having just reread it for a second time, I think it’s the best guide to sustainability since E.F. Schumacher’s 1973 international bestseller, Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered.
Sivaraksa offers a clear, concise enunciation of the guiding principles that underlie any real solution to our economic and environmental problems. The book also illuminates the reasons why Westerners, neoliberals and the World Bank find it so difficult to approach these problems in any effective way.
And Sivaraksa does all this—fine writer and thinker that he is—in a scant 100 pages. Sivaraksa’s tough, no-nonsense analysis—and his enunciation of a clear vision for action—actually made me feel somewhat optimistic.
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Sivaraksa offers a clear, concise enunciation of the guiding principles that underlie any real solution to our economic and environmental problems. The book also illuminates the reasons why Westerners, neoliberals and the World Bank find it so difficult to approach these problems in any effective way.
And Sivaraksa does all this—fine writer and thinker that he is—in a scant 100 pages. Sivaraksa’s tough, no-nonsense analysis—and his enunciation of a clear vision for action—actually made me feel somewhat optimistic.
(less)
Jul 26, 2016Chris Carlisle rated it really liked it
I would highly recommend this book for its advanced humanistic and ecological perspectives. The ideals expressed by the author should not be prejudiced by any ideas about Buddhism in comparison with other true religions or spiritual teachings; for the ideals are simply based on the common sense that one should also allow unto others what one wants for oneself, and that greed will only destroy everything for everyone, even for those who claim most of the wealth of the planet for themselves.
E F Schumacher ('Small is Beautiful'), who was a Catholic, expressed similar recommendations in the previous century after having seen the benevolence of Buddhist economic practices.
The chapters in this book are:
1. Heavenly Messengers
2. Creating a Culture of Peace
3. Development from the Bottom Up
4. Re-envisioning Education
5. Moral Governance
6. Real Security
7. Buddhism in a World of Change
8. The Breath of Peace
I gave it only a 4-star rating for the following reason: There are some serious flaws in the author's understanding and reasoning, which is astonishing in light of the author's clarity of thinking. Two of the flaws are -
(a) The author does not appear to understand the true purpose of money (tokens for exchange of goods and services) and how it should be created and used. This lack of understanding can be seen from his belief that the World Bank could still perform a worthwhile function (as described at the end of chapter 3), not realizing that the World Bank applies the principles of neoliberal banking that force nations to accept extortionate loans created by the fraudulent fractional reserve system. The Euro crisis is proof of the failure of neoliberal banking. The World Bank is a global arm of the world's private banking plutocracy, so the people it employs maintain its system of money creation and utilisation. Reformation of its corrupt banking system would require a radical revolution in attitude and behavior of its employees. Moreover, democratically elected governments, not private banks, can and should create money for local use.
(b) He writes about the (practical) wisdom of sustainability, yet he says (to quote from chapter 4): 'One type of knowledge is to get men to the moon, another to foster environmental sustainability. Certain forms of knowledge are needed to build super-bombs; other forms are needed to make peace.'
I ask: What need is there for going to the moon or having super-bombs if we create and maintain sustainable and spiritual economics?
What redeems the book from losing yet another star is the highly useful vocabulary created and used by the author throughout the book. For example, with regards to our industrialized Western education system in Universities, he says (to quote from chapter 4): 'Language (of education) becomes so perfectly attuned to the agendas of the powerful (industrial elite) that the concepts and connotations with which resistance could be formulated are eliminated, making protest appear irrational and naïve.' (less)
E F Schumacher ('Small is Beautiful'), who was a Catholic, expressed similar recommendations in the previous century after having seen the benevolence of Buddhist economic practices.
The chapters in this book are:
1. Heavenly Messengers
2. Creating a Culture of Peace
3. Development from the Bottom Up
4. Re-envisioning Education
5. Moral Governance
6. Real Security
7. Buddhism in a World of Change
8. The Breath of Peace
I gave it only a 4-star rating for the following reason: There are some serious flaws in the author's understanding and reasoning, which is astonishing in light of the author's clarity of thinking. Two of the flaws are -
(a) The author does not appear to understand the true purpose of money (tokens for exchange of goods and services) and how it should be created and used. This lack of understanding can be seen from his belief that the World Bank could still perform a worthwhile function (as described at the end of chapter 3), not realizing that the World Bank applies the principles of neoliberal banking that force nations to accept extortionate loans created by the fraudulent fractional reserve system. The Euro crisis is proof of the failure of neoliberal banking. The World Bank is a global arm of the world's private banking plutocracy, so the people it employs maintain its system of money creation and utilisation. Reformation of its corrupt banking system would require a radical revolution in attitude and behavior of its employees. Moreover, democratically elected governments, not private banks, can and should create money for local use.
(b) He writes about the (practical) wisdom of sustainability, yet he says (to quote from chapter 4): 'One type of knowledge is to get men to the moon, another to foster environmental sustainability. Certain forms of knowledge are needed to build super-bombs; other forms are needed to make peace.'
I ask: What need is there for going to the moon or having super-bombs if we create and maintain sustainable and spiritual economics?
What redeems the book from losing yet another star is the highly useful vocabulary created and used by the author throughout the book. For example, with regards to our industrialized Western education system in Universities, he says (to quote from chapter 4): 'Language (of education) becomes so perfectly attuned to the agendas of the powerful (industrial elite) that the concepts and connotations with which resistance could be formulated are eliminated, making protest appear irrational and naïve.' (less)
Jan 11, 2011Paula Margulies rated it it was amazing
A great treatise on the benefits of a small-scale, self-sufficient economy as an alternative to globalization. The author, Sulak Sivaraksa, describes the changes in Thailand's culture after the country's shift from an agrarian to an urban business model and how the Buddhist principles of inner strength, compassion, and mindfulness, when applied to economics, offer the potential for a more just and peaceful world. (less)
This was well-written however I don't feel like it added much academic content to the discourse on sustainability. In other words, it states the obvious in a way. It's an okay read if you ask me. But I do recommend his other book: Conflict, Culture, Change: Engaged Buddhism in a Globalizing World (less)
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Muse
4.0 out of 5 stars Benevolent Economics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 2012
Verified Purchase
I would highly recommend this book for its advanced humanistic and ecological perspectives. The ideals expressed by the author should not be prejudiced by any ideas about Buddhism in comparison with other true religions or spiritual teachings, for the ideals are simply based on the common sense that one should also allow unto others what one wants for oneself, and that greed will only destroy everything for everyone, even for those who claim most of the wealth of the planet for themselves.
E F Schumacher ("Small is Beautiful"), who was a Catholic, expressed similar recommendations in the previous century after having seen the benevolence of Buddhist economic practices.
The chapters in this book are:
1. Heavenly Messengers
2. Creating a Culture of Peace
3. Development from the Bottom Up
4. Re-envisioning Education
5. Moral Governance
6. Real Security
7. Buddhism in a World of Change
8. The Breath of Peace
I gave it only a 4-star rating for the following reason: There are some serious flaws in the author's understanding and reasoning, which is astonishing in light of the author's clarity of thinking. Two of the flaws are -
(a) The author does not appear to understand the true purpose of money (tokens for exchange of goods and services) and how it should be created and used. This lack of understanding can be seen from his belief that the World Bank could still perform a worthwhile function (as described at the end of chapter 3), not realising that the World Bank applies the principles of neoliberal banking that force nations to accept extortionate loans created by the fraudulent fractional reserve system. The Euro crisis is proof of the failure of neoliberal banking. The World Bank is a global arm of the world's private banking plutocracy, so the people it employs maintain its system of money creation and utilisation. Reformation of its corrupt banking system would require a radical revolution in attitude and behaviour of its employees. Moreover, democratically elected governments, not private banks, can and should create money for local use.
(b) He writes about the (practical) wisdom of sustainability, yet he says (to quote from chapter 4): "One type of knowledge is to get men to the moon, another to foster environmental sustainability. Certain forms of knowledge are needed to build super-bombs; other forms are needed to make peace."
I ask: What need is there for going to the moon or having super-bombs if we create and maintain sustainable and spiritual economics?
What redeems the book from losing yet another star is the highly useful vocabulary created and used by the author throughout the book. For example, with regards to our industrialised Western education system in Universities, he says (to quote from chapter 4): "Language (of education) becomes so perfectly attuned to the agendas of the powerful (industrial elite) that the concepts and connotations with which resistance could be formulated are eliminated, making protest appear irrational and naïve."
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Derek Stephen McPhail
5.0 out of 5 stars Thai peace activist, Sulak Sivaraksa
Reviewed in Canada on 6 March 2014
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Focusing on small-scale, indigenous and sustainable alternatives to globalization, Ajarn Sulak offers practical and constructive suggestions for restructuring our economies, based on Buddhist principles, in a way that promotes personal development. Not only a critique of consumerism and the current economic model, this book is an urgent and essential outline of the viable options that can begin to heal our planet on both the individual and global levels. In the wake of the economic crash no author is as topical, challenging and far-sighted in offering a way towards a sane and just society.
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bizint
5.0 out of 5 stars Top
Reviewed in Germany on 25 December 2017
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Sehr gut, intelligente Weltsicht. Lesenswert. Nicht in sein Heimatland mitnehmen und dort am Strand lesen, ist dort angeblich verboten. Schade.
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william paul holt
4.0 out of 5 stars Titillating
Reviewed in the United States on 19 January 2017
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This is a good beginning to diving into activism with Buddhist thoughts in mind. I really liked it and read it for a class
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