This dissertation entitled ‘Guidelines on Application of Buddhadhamma Principle for Developing Life Quality of Elderly People after Their Retirement’ has three objectives: 1) to study the ideas and theories for developing life quality of elderly people, 2) to study the concept of Buddhadhamma for developing life quality of elderly people, and 3) to propose the guidelines on application of Buddhadhamma for developing life quality of elderly people after their retirement. This is a qualitative research conducted through documentary research and in-depth interview of 12 selected elderly people whose good life qualities were found.
In the research, according to western ideas concerning the development of life quality, they mean that one’s quality of life should be bodily, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually developed where the satisfaction on each side is perfected; one’s body should be healthy, one’s mind should be satisfied by effective management of sadness, one’s society should be in accordance with environment under the good culture and value where happy family and good member of society are established, one’s intellectuality should be in accordance with good education where effective information and profession are met with through economic expenses.
The Buddhadhamma applied for developing life quality of elderly people after retirement refers four principles of development which can be applied into four aspects; through the body one should follow Ãyussadhamma and seven Sappãya while living life where the healthy body can be actualized by living harmoniously with nature, through morality or society development, one should follow four sublime states of mind and four bases of social solidarity where loving kindness and compassion are properly observed which would give rise to the liberation of others from suffering and sharing some properties with relatives and needy people. Under this situation social justice and harmonious society and family will be provided because one properly behaves, through mind, one should follow eight worldly virtues where one’s mind is strengthen without any distraction leading to non-attachment in gain and frame due to its vicissitude, through wisdom one should follow four principles of development by moderately utilizing four requisites without falling into consumerism by which the world and life view can be created as they really are.
As far as the guidelines for applying those Buddhadhammas to develop retired elderly people’s life quality are concerned, they should translate the mentioned Buddhadhammas into their daily life so that four types of problem can be solved; through body they should eat the healthy sets of food and daily exercise, taking a proper rest yearly getting their health checked, if they are ill, the immediate care must be taken up, through mind they should mediate by purifying their mind without attaching to anything by means of expressing loving kindness to other resulting in happiness, through society and family they should follow morality without harming anyone by means of sharing properties to son and daughter including those in need where they show their faith by which the respect would be given by their relatives and society which will be conducive to the social benefit, through wisdom they should have insight of the existing world situations by means of living life based on intellectuality leading to self-reliance without careless where moderate saving and expense including associating with good friends are brought about.
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