Abstract

             This thesis consisted of three purposes. They were to (1) study principles of 8 Noble Eightfold Paths in Theravada Buddhism, (2) study the current problems of Thai youth, and (3) study how to apply 8 Noble Eightfold Paths to develop Thai youth.

The results were found as follows:

             The principles of 8 Noble Eightfold Paths in Theravada Buddhism was Dhamma principles for searching for Buddha’s truth. Magga referred to a way of practice resulting in a way of suffering ending. Characteristics of 8 Noble Eightfold Paths were a middle way which was the noble virtue consisting eight factors and being shortened as three things: Sãla precepts), Samàdhi (meditation), and Paññà (wisdom). 8 Noble Eightfold Paths had eight factors. They were (1) Sammàdiññhi (right view), Sammàsaïkappa (right thought), Sammàvàcà (right speech), Sammàkammanta (right job), Sammààjãva (right occupation), Sammàsati (right consciousness), and Sammàsamàdhi (right meditation).

            The problem of Thai youth played a very vital role to the country development. The youth referred to a person with an age of 14-18 years including the development of education, making friends, and social interaction. The youth gave a bigger focus on material than searching for the truth causing many problems. The youth had a weaker point. Because of less consideration, the youth might be a slave of greed, anger, and enamouredness. The problems of youth happened from the family, friends, and round society. There were six problems of Thai youth. They were (1) lacked of warm family, (2) a party of youth, and bad behavior, (3) state of society and environment, (4) entertainment places, (5) a flow of foreign culture, and (6) bad examples of adults.

             Applying 8 Noble Eightfold Paths to develop Thai youth consisted of two factors. The first factor was developing the youth based on the 8 Noble Eightfold Paths developing the quality of youth focusing on body, precepts, mind, and wisdom.   Guidelines to develop the youth according to the 8 Noble Eightfold Paths focused on solving 6 problems by applying each item of the 8 Noble Eightfold Paths with the cooperation of family institute, educational institute, and religion institute. Training the youth to be a good person of the society helped four ways of practice: tenderness, roughness, a mixture of tenderness and roughness. The problem of youth should depend on the social norm if it was not solved. The good result of right practice of the youth based on the 8 Noble Eightfold Paths would make the youth have a clear target by being good, and excellent which covered the proper development of youth free from self- encroachment, smoking, and gambling.

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