Abstract:
The purposes of this research were 1) to study the integration of Buddhism principles in the management of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 2) to study the factors affecting the integration of Buddhism principles in the management of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 and 3) to propose an appropriate management model of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 as a happiness organization. This research was conducted using mixed methods of research: Quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative research employed a sample of 400 respondents composed of the administrators, teachers and educational personnel and students of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 in 8 provinces. They were selected by simple random sampling. The tool for data collection was a 4-level rating scale questionnaire with a reliability of 0.75 and the data were analyzed by the statistics of percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The qualitative research was conducted by in-depth interviews 21 purposively selected key informants of the administrators, teachers and educational personnel. A focus group discussions was conducted by 9 experts in Buddhism principles in order to evaluate and examine the proposed model. The data were analyzed by analytic induction and interpretation.
The research findings were as follows:
1) The integration of Buddhism principles in the management of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 was, overall, at a high level ( = 2.70, S.D. = 0.98). Ranked from high to low were (1) happiness of morality was at the high level ( = 2.85, S.D. = 0.99) (2) the happiness of right livelihood was at the high level ( = 2.84, S.D. = 0.95) (3) the happiness of mental formation ( = 2.73, S.D. = 0.88) (4) the happiness of material consumption was at the high level ( = 2.56, S.D. = 0.91) and (5) the happiness of the upon mental formation was at a low level ( = 2.51, S.D. = 0.93).
2) The factors affecting the integration of Buddhism principles in the management of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 consisted of (1) the happiness creation factor (β = 0.275); which included the aspect of family relations, the aspect of financial situation, the aspect of society and peers, the aspect of health, the aspect of environment and the aspect of personal freedom, and (2) The three fold training principles (β = 0.251); which included sila, smadthi and panna. These two variables explained 88.36 (R2= 0.8836) of the variation in the integration of Buddhism principles in the management of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4. Important for the creation of aggregate happiness were the concepts of happiness, gross national happiness, creation of happiness in a Buddhism method, quality of life and Buddhism, Buddhism for Sufficiency Economy, Buddhism for good family relationships, good financial status, good environment, good society and friends, personal freedom of thought, valuing oneself, and also the integration of the threefold training for the creation of happiness. This approach is based on Buddhism principles consisting of the three study areas (morality, concentration and wisdom) for true and sustainable happiness.
3) The proposed management model of the General Buddhist Scripture School, Group 4 as a happiness organization was synthesized from the focus group discussion as follows: (1) the fundamental element; creation of happiness of material consumption sila-bhavana by focusing on precepts 5, 8 and 10 and focusing on Sufficiency Economy principles and so as to lead a non-wasteful life, (2) the support element; creation of moral happiness focused on good faith, saving, and sharing, happiness with ones livelihood and the happiness of mental formation smadthi-bhavana by having a peaceful and calm mind, and (3)the integrated element; happiness beyond mind panna-bhavana by knowing ones own life and world and having a calm mind which results from the happiness creation factor and the threefold training principles based on the strategy to develop a prototype school of learning to promote both the worldview and Dhamma perspectives and peaceful of mind.