A Buddhist Contribution to Community Empowerment Models

Authors

  • Fany Amelia Sari Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Agama Budha Smaratungga
  • Ari Suryana Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Agama Budha Smaratungga
  • Kabri Kabri Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Agama Budha Smaratungga

Keywords:

Asset-Based Community Development, Socially Engaged Buddhism, Spiritual Empowerment, Structural Justice, Compassion, Interdependence

Abstract

This article proposes a novel integrative framework for community development that synthesizes Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) with the ethical and philosophical underpinnings of Socially Engaged Buddhism (SEB). The study responds to two core theoretical critiques of ABCD: its inadequate treatment of intrinsic human motivation and its neglect of structural power dynamics. Employing a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, the research maps the conceptual foundations and criticisms of ABCD, explores key teachings of SEB and canonical Pāli texts, and identifies a research gap in integrating these paradigms. The resulting Social-Spiritual-Critical Empowerment Model incorporates Buddhist values such as compassion (karuṇā), interdependence (paṭiccasamuppāda), and distributive justice into the ABCD methodology. The model offers a multidimensional approach to empowerment, social, spiritual, and critical, that enables communities to mobilize internal assets, cultivate resilience, and engage in structural critique. This framework provides a theoretically grounded, ethically sustainable, and contextually adaptable model for holistic community development.

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Published

2025-12-02

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): December 2025

Section

Articles

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