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The Buddhist Economics Research Platform is a joint initiative of the Business Ethics Center of the Corvinus University of Budapest and the East-West Research Institute of the Budapest Buddhist University. The Platform aims to connect people and institutes engaged in developing Buddhist economic theory and practice and to spread ideas and working models of Buddhist Economics to the general public.
As Buddhism spreads from Asia into other parts of the world, the incorporation of Buddhist ideals and beliefs into everyday life takes new and varied forms. The challenges that Buddhist practitioners face in different parts of the world are daunting. This conference proposes to continue to build a platform or foundation that explores how to meld knowledge, research and practice to support Buddhists as they face the challenges of today's complex economic landscape. The first conference of the Buddhist Economics Research Platform was held in Budapest, Hungary in August of 2007 with approximately 50 participants. About 90% of the participants were Buddhists living in western societies. The participants were enthusiastic to hold the second conference in a Buddhist culture where they could experience practices that were more a reflection of a Buddhist society. The second conference was therefore an attempt to bring together opposite ends of numerous spectrums: Buddhism in a primarily capitalist, Christian culture and Buddhism in a Buddhist culture that is increasingly capitalist; Western theoreticians working on ways to incorporate theory into culture and Eastern practitioners seeking to build theoretical frameworks from practice; and Eastern and Western religious leaders seeking the best methods to influence their followers.
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