Economics is a powerful way of thinking. While there may occasionally be major errors in its application, at its core the principles of economics remain the strongest paradigm in the social sciences. Buddhism is also a powerful way of thinking. The central question in Buddhist philosophy is the same as that in economics: what is the key to human happiness? How can human suffering be reduced? But the answer to this question in the Buddhist way of thinking is exactly the opposite of that given by economics. Can Adam Smith learn from the Buddha? Can Buddhism learn from economics? This essay explores these topics. I first present an interpretation of what I take to be the core of Buddhist thinking in economic terms, and then show how that could be incorporated into economic thinking, and how economics would change as a result. I then try to do the reverse, and show how the economic way of thinking can clarify Buddhist thinking. I apply simple economic theory to develop a model of rational Zen Buddhism.

中文翻译：

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亚当斯密和佛陀

经济学是一种强大的思维方式。虽然在应用中偶尔会出现重大错误，但在其核心，经济学原理仍然是社会科学中最强大的范式。佛教也是一种强大的思维方式。佛教哲学的中心问题与经济学相同：人类幸福的关键是什么？如何减少人类的痛苦？但佛教的思维方式对这个问题的回答与经济学给出的答案恰恰相反。亚当·斯密能向佛陀学习吗？佛教能学经济学吗？本文探讨了这些主题。我首先从经济角度解释我认为是佛教思想的核心，然后展示如何将其纳入经济思想，以及经济学将如何改变。然后我试着反过来，展示经济思维方式如何澄清佛教思想。我应用简单的经济理论来发展理性禅宗佛教的模型。