A Critical Study of The Socialist Thoughts in Theravada Buddhist Philosophy

Abstract

The socialthoughtsin Theravada Buddhist philosophystemed from therejection ofthe caste socialsystemwhich consists of two confl icting or opposing groups: the elite groupsoccupying the factor of productionand the lowcasted people who arewithoutthe factors of production. Thus, the Buddha built up the monk’s society to be a socialchoice andto liberate with hisway: the ordination, the Buddhist lent, the system of preceptorsorteachers, and the centralizedecclesiasticalproperty system etc. Themonk’s societyhasbecomea socialistsociety with 6 some uniqueidentities: the peacefulmethods, the fairdictatorshipor Dhammarãja, the disciplineisthemoststatute, the central ecclesiasticalproperty, the social being, andthe previoussystemin management.