Integration of Buddhist Way of Life for People’s Political Awareness in Chachoengsao Province

Abstract

The purposes this to: 1. to study the political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province; 2. to study the factors affecting the political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province; 3. to present the integration of Buddhist principles to promote political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province. The mixed-method research method was used. Quantitative research collected data from a sample of 400 people using a questionnaire with a reliability of 0.973. The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The qualitative research was a field study using in-depth interviews with 18 key informants and focus group discussions with 9 people to confirm the knowledge after data synthesis. The findings were as follows: 1. The promotion of political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province found that in terms of political interest in life and citizen rights, people should be aware of their rights and duties as citizens. Relation to daily life Politics should be a matter related to people's daily lives, such as economic problems, public utilities, access to information. People should have the opportunity to access correct and diverse political information. In terms of understanding the political system, people should understand the roles and duties of politicians, including various political parties. In terms of political knowledge, people should understand the political process, such as elections, legislation, scrutiny of the use of power, and forms of governance. People should have knowledge of the country's governance system and democratic principles. In terms of political knowledge, people should have the skills to analyze political information in order to distinguish real news from fake news. People should participate in expressing their opinions and scrutinizing the government's work. People should be able to make careful political decisions. In terms of political attitudes, people should have confidence in the democratic system. 2. Factors affecting political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province The research results found that 1) Political nurturing institutions affect the promotion of political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province in 3 aspects with statistical significance at 0.01 level, ranked according to the following equation: peer group, occupation group, and media, respectively. This indicates that political nurturing institutions can jointly predict the promotion of political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province by 22.10 percent. 2) The 6 Saraniyadhamma principles affect the promotion of political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province in 3 aspects with statistical significance at 0.01 level, ranked according to the following equation: Mettakaya-karma, Sila-samanyata, and Ditthi-samanyata, respectively. This indicates that the 6 Saraniyadhamma principles can jointly predict the promotion of political awareness of people in Chachoengsao Province by 38.90 percent. 3. Integrating Buddhist principles to promote political awareness among people in Chachoengsao Province found that the aspect of Metta-kaya-kamma (action) emphasizes mutual assistance, having a compassionate mind, supporting equal treatment without discrimination, and encouraging people to listen to others’ opinions and consider them in making decisions. The aspect of Metta-vaci-kamma (speech) emphasizes using constructive and beneficial words for the public, supporting people to be open to different opinions, and encouraging people to criticize political policies or individuals politely. The aspect of Metta-manokamma (thought) emphasizes thinking well, doing well, having a generous mind, supporting people to have fair and impartial thoughts, and encouraging people to sacrifice for the public. The aspect of Public Utility (sharing) emphasizes sharing resources fairly, supporting people not to be selfish but to be selfish for the public. The aspect of Sila-samanyata (conduct) emphasizes behaving in accordance with the principles of Dhamma, supporting people to respect the law and discipline, and promoting people to be good examples for others. The aspect of Ditthi-samanyata (common opinion) supports people to accept different opinions, emphasizes cooperation to find solutions to problems, and promoting people to participate in decision-making. In conclusion, Buddhist principles can be integrated to promote political awareness among the people, with an emphasis on developing the mind to have compassion, kindness, and responsibility towards the community in order to create a society that lives together happily and peacefully.