Abstract:
There are 3 objectives of the research: 1) to study the concept and practice
of self-development according to the principle of Mangala Sutta, 2) to study the
concept of self-development according to the doctrine in Proverbs of Phraruang, and
3) to analyze the relationship between the principles of life development according
to Mangala Sutta and the doctrines in Proverbs of Phraruang. This research is a
documentary study by analyzing the related scriptures and literature. The study
indicated that:-
Mangala Sutta is one of the major suttas of Buddhism. There are 38 blessings
in Mangala Sutta from "not to associate with fool; to dissociate from the wicked"
etc. to finally "to have the mind which is secure". Mangala Sutta is the principle of
self-development respectively from the basic to complete life in human beings to
the highest Dharma in Buddhism - Nirvana. When analyzing the principles in Mangala
Sutta to the principles of self-development, it was found that the principle in the
Mangala Sutta can be classified by the nature of self-development into three
categories: 1) basic self-development consists of 18 blessings, 2) intermediate self-
development consists of 12 blessings, and 3) advanced self-development consists of
8 blessings.
Proverbs of Phraruang is classified as Didactic literature. It is a collection of
valuable words in intellect, moral, literature, ethics and social values. Proverbs of
Phraruang can be classified according to the characteristics of self-development into
6 groups: 1) self-development in relationship, 2) self-development in life, 3) self-
development in business, 4) self-development in behavior, 5) self-development in
knowledge and 6) mental development.
In term of relationship between the practice of life in accordance with
Mangala Sutta and the doctrine in the Proverbs of Phraruang, the study revealed that
the consistent manners between Mangala Sutta and the doctrine in Proverbs of
Phraruang are the guiding principle of being good, succeeding in life, living happily in
society which can be applied as a guide to the development of life effectively in
aspect of thinking, living, interacting with people in society, and including mental self-
development. The 129 verses in Proverbs of Phraruang are related to the Mangala
Sutta 38, but there are 16 verses not correspondence with the Mangala Sutta
because the contents are local belief.
The differences are the goal and the presentation method. The goal of
Mangala Sutta is to live a prosperous life - Nirvana which is the development of life
for real freedom, while Proverbs of Phraruang has the doctrine that aims to live a
peaceful society even in the teachings on mental development. Although Proverbs
of Phraruang is based on Buddhism, it has no ultimate goal - Nirvana. For how to
present, it was found that Mangala Sutta is connected from 1 to 2 from 2 to 3, still
it can be treated as a specific item; on the other hand, Proverbs of Phraruang is not
prioritized, so it makes the content jump back and forth inconsistently.