Dhammic Socialism is a term Ajahn Buddhadasa coined in the turbulent 60s as political-economic ideologies collided in Southeast Asia. Neither the greed based capitalism pushed by the supposed "free world" nor the anger based Marxism backing armed insurgencies in Thailand and elsewhere made sense to him. He saw both as overly aggressive, violent, and insufficently moral. Yet, he talked with people on both sides, including military men in uniform and those from the jungle. To help expore a middle way between the striving parties, he suggested that a Buddhist based approach could be called "Dhammic Socialism."

Nature and society, in his understanding, are fundamentally "socialiast" in that cooperation is necessary for survival and peace. Selfish individualism destroys far more than it can build. But we must ground our socialism ("putting society first") in Dhamma if it is to be moral, peaceful, and successful.

From: Liberationpark.org