Enhancing an Elderly Empowerment through Buddhist Peaceful Means

Abstract

       The research article consisted of the following three objectives: 1) to explore the context, problems, and needs related to empowering the elderly in Ban Na Kwang community; 2) to develop a set of practices for empowering the elderly using Buddhist peaceful means; and 3) to create and present the results of empowering the elderly using Buddhist peaceful means in Ban Na Kwang community. The research adopted a participatory action research (PAR) method. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 28 participants, while workshops employed the PAOR (Plan-Act-Observe-Reflect) technique which were organized with 62 elderly participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using t-test statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis.
        From the study, the following results were found:  1) The context of the elderly in Ban Na Kwang community found that the majority of these elderly individuals lack support from their children or grandchildren, who typically reside and work in the city, resulting in feelings of loneliness. Moreover, there is an absence of group activities, apart from participation in religious ceremonies at the local temple. The primary need among the elderly is the social groups, where they can engage in activities, demonstrate their potential, and develop skills to improve their quality of life; 2) A set of practices designed to empower the elderly combines modern scientific principles with Buddhist peaceful means, promoting self-love, rational problem-solving, and collaboration within groups. By incorporating the Five Powers—faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—these practices encourage collective empowerment. The focus of the activities is on active participation, experience sharing, and the application of Buddhist principles in everyday living; and 3) The results of the workshop demonstrated that after engaging in the activities, the elderly showed a higher average score on self-empowerment compared to before, with a significant statistical difference at 0.05 level (t = 5.63). These results suggest that the elderly participants experienced higher levels of happiness, enjoyment, mindfulness, and concentration. A body of knowledge gained from the study contributed to the development of “SELF LOVE: High Power, Creating Happiness Like a Blooming Flower” model.