Buddhist Socialism
A current that grounds socialism in Buddhist ethics, seeing compassion and the end of attachment as the basis of equality, common property and the rejection of caste, from Ambedkar and the Dalai Lama to Ne Win's Burmese socialism.
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In one sentence
I want a society of compassion without castes, with common land and resources and a state that cares for all without attachment to profit.
Political topics
Profile across mindedfolk
- Leaning · Unitary
Structure
- Strong · Democracy
Representation
- Balanced
Power
- Leaning · Multiculturalism
Immigration
- Strong · Internationalist
Nationalism
- Strong · Public
Economy
- Strong · Planning
Free market
- Balanced
Religion
- Leaning · Progressive
Morality
- Strong · Biology
Technology
What sets this ideology apart
Technology
Leans further toward biology than 86% of the 263 ideologies in the catalog.
Ideology median 58This ideology 27
Of all the topics, Technology is where it stands furthest from the rest.
Power
On Power, it sits close to the catalog median.
Ideology median 55This ideology 50
Here it shares common ground with most ideologies.
Personalities
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1956 to 1959, he converted to Buddhism, founded the Freedom Party, nationalized ports and buses, made Sinhala the official language, pursued non-alignment and was assassinated by a Buddhist monk.
Closest, by dimension
PoliticallyEvo MoralesStatesman97%
SociallyLula da SilvaStatesman97%
EconomicallyLuís Carlos PrestesCommunist leader100%
Other compatible profiles
PoliticsGustavo PetroFormer President of Colombia95%
EconomicsKarl PolanyiEconomist and economic historian95%
ActivismBernie SandersPolitician95%
PoliticsSalvador AllendeStatesman94%
Political theoryAmílcar CabralAnticolonial leader and revolutionary theorist94%
PoliticsNelson MandelaStatesman94%
Intellectual lifePier Paolo PasoliniWriter and filmmaker94%
PoliticsEnrico BerlinguerItalian communist leader93%
The most distant
Countries
Reference country
Sri Lanka
Buddhist-national republicAn island presidential republic in South Asia, Sri Lanka gives constitutional primacy to Buddhism, won the war against Tamil separatists in 2009, faced the 2022 debt crisis, and elected a left-wing coalition in 2024.
Other close countries
Bolivia
Plurinational-popular republicAn Andean presidential republic, Bolivia is marked by indigenous leadership, the defense of natural resources, and a plurinational state project that unites economic nationalism and broad popular participation.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyColombiaCatholic-pacifying republic92%
SociallyHawaii (United States)Insular social region94%
EconomicallyZapatista Chiapas (Mexico)Indigenous-communal autonomy99%
The most distant
Allende's Chile
1970–1973Under Allende's Popular Unity, Chile attempted democratic socialism through copper and bank nationalization, agrarian reform, and economic planning until the 1973 military coup.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyChávez's Venezuela1999–201388%
SociallySankara's Burkina Faso1983–198786%
EconomicallyCárdenas's Mexico1934–194099%
The most distant
Ideological proximity
Close ideologies
Closest within Left
- Left
Environmentalism
Movement dedicated to protecting the environment and the sustainable use of resources, advocating policies against pollution and climate change and harmony between human development and ecological balance.
- Left
Left-Wing Populism
Current that mobilizes the people against economic elites, defending redistribution, public control, national sovereignty, plebiscitary democracy, and broad social policy in popular anti-establishment language.
- Left
Social-Developmentalism
Model associated with Brazil's Workers' Party governments that seeks growth with social inclusion, combining rising minimum wages, popular credit, cash transfers and public banks without breaking with the market.
Closest in other spectrums
- Center
Political Buddhism
Applies the Dharma to politics: Ashoka's righteous king, Schumacher's Buddhist economics, Buddhadasa's Dhammic socialism and Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. It prioritizes nonviolence, moderate consumption, community and harmony with nature.
- Center
Eco-Nationalism
Current that links environmental protection to national sovereignty, prioritizing the protection of the country's own natural resources and land and sustainable development within national borders.
- Center
Communitarianism
Current that values community bonds, traditions, and the common good above individualism, holding that justice and identity arise from life in community and the responsibilities people share.
The most distant ideology
Dark EnlightenmentFar-Right33%