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Causes Of Poverty Teachings of the Buddha show that there are several contributory causes for poverty. They can be itemised as political, social, psychological/dispositional and Kammic. The cakkavattisinhanadasutta (1) maintains that when a King neglects to rule according to righteousness (dhamma) when he does not consult the views of those who are spiritually advanced in matters regarding the state prosperity of the country declines and poverty becomes rampant. A Sutta in Anguttaranikaya (2) states that the entire country gets reduced to misery when the head of the state is corrupt. According to Aggannasutta (3) the habit of hoarding and the consequent maldistribution of world’s resources is another factor leading to poverty. According to certain patterns of social Organization and certain philosophical and religious ideologies wealth tends to get accumulated among a certain class of people and as a result another class gets down trodden eg. Cast system in the ancient Indian society. Besides these political and social causes of poverty there are individuals habits and dispositions which cause poverty. Addiction to perverse habits such as liquor, drugs, sensuality and gambling causes loss of wealth (4). Anguttaranikaya (5) compares the man given to these evil habits and who associates with evil friends to a tank with its four outlets open and inlets closed. The disposition of laziness is another cause of poverty (6). Living beyond one’s means also causes economic downfall of a man (7). Anguttaranikaya describes the man who spends more than what he earns as a woodapple eater. When picking woodapple the branches have to be vigorously shaken and ripe and unripe fruits all fall. This is how all the wealth gets drained when one does not know the art of spending. Buddhism also recognizes a karmic cause for poverty. There are some born to circumstances of dire poverty while others are born to luxurious affluence. These inequalities of birth are explained by the theory of kamma. According to culakammavibhangasutta (8) miserliness causes rebirth in poverty stricken circumstances. Stealing also causes rebirth in woeful states or if the crime is not so grevious into poverty. |