Acharya Mahaprajna
At present the world seems to be drifting towards a liberalized global economy. All the countries are trying to integrate their economies with each other so as to achieve the benefits of high growth rates, rising standards of living for their people and rapid improvements in their foreign exchange positions and other external economic indicators. However, I believe that while they may obtain some material gains in this process of globalization, there is a growing realization of the fact that this path will not bring permanent peace and happiness for them, because this path of development is devoid of basic human values, and the uncontrolled pursuit of capturing foreign markets under competitive conditions for their products and services is giving rise to new conflicts and controversies between nations; and the gaps between the rich and the poor countries and the developed and the developing countries are increasing, rather than diminishing, with the passage of time. It is time we worked towards an alternative model of economic order, which is more humane and humanistic in nature, is based on sound ethical and moral values, and gives more importance to cooperation rather than competition; to sustainability rather than destruction; to co-existence rather than independent existence; to restraint rather than increase in human desires and wants; to respect for different views rather than pursuit of absolutist views, and thus leads to a more harmonious and greater peaceful existence for all nations.
The evolution of a non-violence-oriented economic order in future can be made a practical reality if a sincere effort is made in that direction by all concerned. A beginning in this respect will have to be made by launching a programme of "Training in Non-violence" so that people may understand the precise connotation of various concepts like ‘Anekant’, ‘Anuvrata’, ‘Prekshadhyan’, ‘internal of person-centred non-violence’, external or society-centred non-violence’, etc. and learn the practice of various types of ‘asanas’, pranayama, etc., which can help them in achieving the necessary levels of concentration and meditation in their daily lives.
With a view to exchanging views on the above model of economics and the concept that economic growth remains rooted in ahimsa and that more and more people join hands together to carry the message beyond the national frontiers, an international conference was organized in Delhi in December 2005. The delegates unanimously endorsed the model of nonviolence-oriented economic system. I would like to quote what I had said in a book entitled Anuvrat Darshan long ago and which I consider the quintessence of the Anuvrat model of economic order.
‘Parigrah (accumulation) is the need of a human being. He also recognizes the value of a material object and the pleasure derived from it. The fulfillment of a need is neither sukha (happiness) nor asukh (unhappiness). The imagination or thought of happiness beyond that is a mental realization. A material object is neither ‘parigrah’ (accumulation) nor is it the cause of bondage, nor a source of misery. It is only when it is associated with desires that parigrah becomes a source of bondage and misery.’
My model of nonviolence oriented economics is based on these views.
I am glad to know that the report of the First International Conference on "Economics of Non-violence and the Vision of a Sustainable World" along with the Delhi Declaration is being published. I hope that it will be of interest to all those who are interested in promoting a non-violent economic order for a sustainable society. Prof. Ashok Bapna, Dr. S. L. Gandhi and their committed team deserve appreciation for this useful publication, and I wish them all success in their future efforts.