Abstract:
The objectives of this thesis are to study the roles of capital controllers in society during Buddhist time, to study Buddhist perspective towards present banking and finance business, and to propose the Buddhist means and criteria for doing bangking and finance business. Capital controllers in Buddhist time were King, wealthy men and guilds. They played prominent role in the society individually or via coordination in helping the weaker in form of Dana and life security. This role corresponded with the ideal of the society seeking for enlightenment. Banking and finance business practices that do not conform with Buddhist view include giving loans to activites that endanger or oppress lives, aggravate intellect and environment, extending consumption loan, speculating supporting thereof and not returning favour to the patrons of the bank which are society and government. Buddhist way of doing financial business is fund management with limitations. These limitation are Avihimsa, Samajivita, Katannukatavedita, and Dana. Fund allocation to society by Buddhist bank can either be in the form of lending or joint-venture. The policy of Buddhist bank reflects its realization of patronage the bank receives from society and government, thus Buddhist bank does not maximize profits in return and, instead, employs Buddhist criteria in fund management. These criteria can help bring about good value while alleviate unhappiness in the society. They also eventually make the country wealthy which is the necessary factor for poverty eradication in the society as well as in the world. This could happen because an economically balanced livelihood is the beginning step of the Buddhist way of giving or wealth distribution.