BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

This article aims to study and analyze the role of Buddhist philosophy in community development, with a particular focus on participatory approaches that promote sustainability. Buddhist philosophy advocates a people-centered development model that emphasizes the cultivation of individual potential, social consciousness, moral self-reliance, and active participation. The content of this article explores core principles of Buddhist philosophy such as the Three Characteristics (Tilakkhana), Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppada), the Threefold Training (Sila, Samadhi, Panna), and socially engaged Buddhist doctrines. It also presents case studies of communities that have applied these principles in development practices, leading to holistic sustainability across spiritual, economic, social, and environmental dimensions.