Business Ethics in Buddhism

Introduction

Business can be viewed as an important part of the modern world. Economic life plays the significant role in the daily life of people. As human life contains so many dimensions other than the economic one, human life which is seen through the economic dimension only could be considered too narrow. However, most of people in today's world seem to be directed by economics as if it were all of life. This fact leads to a question of how religion will benefit the people within this context. The author aims to answer this question, basing the ideas on the Buddhist teaching. The main points of the article will focus on: “How to do business and have a happy life in terms of individuals and society at the same time (Maruta, 1571-1577)

The concept of benefit in Buddhism

Buddhism has always accepted the truth that happiness is an essential part of ethics. Happiness gives significance to the practice of dhamma and forms the ground or support for religious observance both on the level of dhamma practice and the level of ethics in general.1 Therefore, all people should have suitable happiness in accordance with their standing in life. From the Buddhist view of happiness, which sees it divided into three levels—sensual happiness, jhana happiness (the happiness of meditative absorption states), and nibbana happiness—we see that the pursuit of happiness on the sensual level, or physical or material happiness, is not at odds with Buddhist ethics if we do not allow our minds to become infatuated with it or attach fast to it, and our minds are free and ready to step up to higher levels of happiness. Buddhism believes that the mind leads all kinds of actions.2 Mind or consciousness is what cognizes the mental contact (phassa) that gives rise to gladness and sadness.3 People are pleased when they feel pleasant feelings and displeased when they experience suffering. Human beings therefore love happiness and hate suffering. Thus human beings avoid the contact that leads to suffering and seek only contact that leads to happiness, and so they are self lovers. Since human beings love their own selves, and love happiness and hate suffering, they must free themselves from exploitation, because that gives them suffering, and find benefit, because that gives them happiness.

According to Buddhism, 'benefit' means things that are conducive to happiness (attha), things that help the experience of happiness (hita), and things that are happiness itself (sukha), and in establishing such benefit, human beings must create it for themselves, for others, and for both themselves and others, as described in the Buddha's words: You should reflect thus: When considering one's own benefits, it is fitting that you achieve that benefit with heedfulness; when considering the benefit of others, it is fitting that you achieve that benefit with heedfulness; and when considering the benefits of both yourself and others, it is fitting that you achieve that benefit with heedfulness (Russell, 58-269).

The economic life of the Buddhist

Since human beings must inevitably ...