The Buddhist Integrated Development of City People’s Life-Quality for New Normal

Abstract

The research consisted of following objectives, namely: 1) to study the new normal life-quality of people in Nonthaburi Province; 2) to study Dhamma principles being applied for the development of the people’s new normal life-quality in Nonthaburi Province; and 3) to present a guideline in the Buddhist integrated new normal life-quality development of people in Nonthaburi Province. It was employed by the qualitative research methodology with collecting data from documents, the concerned research work and the in-depth interview. The collected data were analyzed and presented in descriptive explanation form.

The research's findings revealed that life-quality in the new normal of city people in Nonthaburi Province amid the COVID-19's spreading faces the family problems caused by changing the values of family-building with causal factors from the economy; meanwhile, social problems caused by fraud through modern communication; and mental problems of some elderly people. Meanwhile, guideline for the Buddhist integrated development of life-quality is to apply Buddhadhamma and community's activities in four aspects: 1) aspect of family: it is to integrate the Gharavasadhamma (Virtues for a good household life) for supporting love, warmness, and creating bond of love in family that enables to reduce stress, anxiety, and family violence; 2) aspect of economy: it is to integrate the Ditthadhammikattha (virtues conductive to benefits in the present) for encouraging people to live their lives in accordance with the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy that makes it possible to be self-reliant and live happily and sufficiently; 3) aspect of society: it is to integrate the Sila (Precepts) for organizing a mental center to create the binding power of people’s minds in the community that enables society of urban people to live with sincerity to each other and create unity and help each other in society; and 4) mental aspect: it is to integrate the principles of Cittanupassanasatipatthana (the contemplation of mind) for encouraging all family members to observe the precepts and practice the Dhamma resulting most people have a stronger mental health and able to live a normal life during the epidemic with happiness.