Assist.Prof.Dr.Anek SUWANBUNDIT, Ph.D.

Introduction

The Inner Development Goals (IDG) initiative consolidates 23 science-informed capacities into five categories intended to accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by cultivating inner skills for complexity, collaboration, and responsible action.

Meanwhile, within Buddhism, bhāvanā (“cultivation/development”) denotes the practical formation of the human person. Thai and Pāli sources commonly present a fourfold schema: kāya-bhāvanā (body), sīla-bhāvanā (morality and social conduct), citta-bhāvanā (mind/heart), and paññā-bhāvanā (wisdom/insight).

Conceptual Background
1. The IDG framework (5 categories, 23 skills) These are presented as a living, research-informed framework for inner growth that supports collective problem-solving.

The IDG organizes 23 skills into five categories:

1. Being (relationship to self): Inner Compass; Integrity & Authenticity; Openness & Learning Mindset; Self-awareness; Presence.
2. Thinking (cognitive skills): Critical Thinking; Complexity Awareness; Perspective Skills; Sense-making; Long-term Orientation & Visioning.
3. Relating (caring for others & the world): Appreciation; Connectedness; Humility; Empathy & Compassion.
4. Collaborating (social skills): Communication; Co-creation; Inclusive Mindset & Intercultural Competence; Trust; Mobilization.
5. Acting (enabling change): Courage; Creativity; Optimism; Perseverance.

2. Bhāvanā 4 (ภาวนา ๔) In Buddhist sources, bhāvanā refers to deliberate cultivation or development. These four map onto and extend the classical triple training (sīla, samādhi, paññā) by making bodily/embodied dimensions explicit in many Thai and contemporary expositions. A prevalent fourfold presentation—used widely in Thai Buddhist pedagogy—comprises:

1. กายภาวนา (kāya-bhāvanā): disciplined relationship to the body and material world.
2. ศีลภาวนา (sīla-bhāvanā): moral/social cultivation for harmonious coexistence.
3. จิตตภาวนา (citta-bhāvanā): cultivation of wholesome mental states (e.g., mindfulness, loving-kindness).
4. ปัญญาภาวนา (paññā-bhāvanā): cultivation of understanding/insight.

A Crosswalk: Mapping IDG Skills to Bhāvanā 4

Rationale. We allocate each IDG skill to its primary bhāvanā locus while noting plausible secondary ties. The goal is pedagogical clarity, not doctrinal exclusivity. (Abbreviations below: K = kāya, S = sīla, C = citta, Pñ = paññā.)

1. Being — relationship to self (primarily C, secondarily Pñ and K)

1.1 Inner Compass → C / Pñ: stabilizes intention and value-orientation through reflective awareness; wise direction presupposes insight into ends.
1.2 Integrity & Authenticity → S / C: ethical congruence (virtue/commitment) lived with mindful self-alignment.
1.3 Openness & Learning Mindset → C / Pñ: non-reactivity and curiosity support insight-learning.
1.4 Self-awareness → C: core of citta-bhāvanā, attending to thoughts/feelings.
1.5 Presence → C / K: embodied mindfulness (posture, breath, sensory restraint) unifies mind-body.

2. Thinking — cognitive skills (primarily Pñ)

2.1 Critical Thinking → Pñ: discerning valid inference and sound reasons.
2.2 Complexity Awareness → Pñ: systems understanding aligns with dependent-origination-type thinking.
2.3 Perspective Skills → Pñ / C: cognitive decentering reinforced by mental flexibility.
2.4 Sense-making → Pñ: integrating information into coherent, reality-congruent views.
2.5 Long-term Orientation & Visioning → Pñ / C: foresight rooted in clarified values and steady mind.

3.Relating — caring for others & the world (primarily S, secondarily C)

3.1 Appreciation → S / C: gratitude stabilizes prosocial conduct.
3.2 Connectedness → S / C: regards interdependence and ecological responsibility; grounds ethical restraint.
3.3 Humility → S / C: restrains ego-clinging, enabling harmonious coexistence.
3.4 Empathy & Compassion → S / C: mettā/karuṇā are classic citta-bhāvanā states that animate moral action.

4. Collaborating — social skills (primarily S)

4.1 Communication Skills → S: right speech competencies (truthful, timely, beneficial).
4.2 Co-creation Skills → S / C: shared intention formation requires emotional regulation and moral commitment.
4.3 Inclusive Mindset & Intercultural Competence → S: fairness, non-discrimination, and cultural humility in conduct.
4.4 Trust → S: a relational virtue cultivated through reliability and care.
4.5 Mobilization Skills → S / K: organizing collective action with ethical safeguards; “how” we act matters, not only that we act.

5. Acting — enabling change (primarily K, secondarily C/S)

5.1 Courage → K / C: embodied willingness to face difficulty; steadied by trained mind.
5.2 Creativity → K / C: enactive experimentation; mental play expressed in skillful deeds.
5.3 Optimism → C / K: resilient affect that sustains wholesome effort.
5.4 Perseverance → K / C / S: disciplined enactment over time; fidelity to moral aims under pressure.

IDG Category	IDG Skills (23)	Primary Bhāvanā (ภาวนา)	Secondary Bhāvanā (ภาวนา)
Being	Inner Compass; Integrity & Authenticity; Openness & Learning Mindset; Self-awareness; Presence	Citta (จิตตภาวนา)	Pñ; S/K (as noted)
Thinking	Critical Thinking; Complexity Awareness; Perspective Skills; Sense-making; Long-term Orientation & Visioning	Paññā (ปัญญาภาวนา)	C
Relating	Appreciation; Connectedness; Humility; Empathy & Compassion	Sila (ศีลภาวนา)	C
Collaborating	Communication; Co-creation; Inclusive Mindset & Intercultural Competence; Trust; Mobilization	Sila (ศีลภาวนา)	C; K
Acting	Courage; Creativity; Optimism; Perseverance	Kaya (กายภาวนา)	C; S

Note: The matrix is normative: any single practice (e.g., mindful speaking) often recruits multiple bhāvanā simultaneously—body, ethics, heart-mind, and discernment are mutually reinforcing

Linking to Thai Thought

Thailand has long cultivated a unique synthesis of Buddhist and Thai philosophies emphasizing moderation, compassion, community, and harmony, and the Thai worldview teaches mindfulness of change and interdependence.

1. Being: Integrity & Authenticity → Thai value of fidelity (ซื่อตรง); Openness & Learning Mindset → Thai adaptability (ปรับตัว); Presence→ Thai cultural emphasis on calmful (สงบ).
2. Thinking: Perspective Skills → Thai proverb “a picture paints a thousand words (สิบปากว่าไม่เท่าตาเห็น).”
3. Relating: Appreciation → gratitude; Thai filial piety (กตัญญู); Humility → Thai virtue on humble (ถ่อมตน) Empathy & Compassion → Thai inter-relational practice.
4. Collaborating: Communication → Thai culture of indirectness and politeness (พูดอ้อม-พูดสุภาพ); Co-creation → collective work (การทำงานเป็นหมู่คณะ); Inclusive Mindset & Intercultural Competence → Thai hospitality (อัธยาศัยไมตรี); Trust → Thai cultural emphasis on generosity of spirit(น้ำใจ); Mobilization Skills → Thai traditions of collective action (ลงแขก-ช่วยงาน).
5. Acting: Courage → Thai admiration of resilience (อดทน-ยืดหยุ่นได้); Creativity → Thai folk creativity (ภูมิปัญญาชาวบ้าน-ไหวพริบ); Perseverance → Thai proverb “where there’s a will there’s a way (ความพยายามอยู่ที่ไหน ความสำเร็จอยู่ที่นั่น).”

Implications for Program Design
1. Curricular threading

Sequencing: begin with Being practices to stabilize Citta, interleave Thinking modules to cultivate Paññā, then expand Sila via Relating and Collaborating, and finally consolidate Kaya through action labs and community projects (Acting). This mirrors Theravāda pedagogy: calm/virtue support insight, which in turn refines conduct.
Embodiment requirements: include postural/breath awareness, ethical precepts-in-practice (e.g., speech protocols), compassion training, and structured reflection for systems thinking and visioning.

2. Safeguards from bhāvanā ethics

The bhāvanā frame prevents “capability without conscience.” For instance, mobilization skills and creativity must remain tethered to Sila (non-harm, honesty, fairness). Compassion practices ensure relational skills do not become mere influence techniques.

3. Measurement & adaptation

IDG surveys and toolkits are evolving and invite cultural translation. Programs should co-design indicators that capture not only individual competencies but also ethical climate and collective flourishing—consistent with S and C outcomes.

Imprementation: An IDG–Bhāvanā Learning Cycle (12 weeks)

Weeks 1–3 (Being → citta): daily mindfulness & presence; values clarification (Inner Compass); reflective journaling (Self-awareness).

Weeks 4–5 (Thinking → paññā): systems mapping of a local SDG challenge; perspective-taking labs; long-term vision storyboard.

Weeks 6–8 (Relating/Collaborating → sīla): non-violent communication workshops; compassion exercises; intercultural dialogues; trust-building commitments.

Weeks 9–12 (Acting → kāya): design-sprint prototypes; courageous conversations with stakeholders; implementation sprints emphasizing perseverance and ethical guardrails.

This scaffold operationalizes the matrix while remaining faithful to Buddhist cultivation logics.

Conclusion

The IDG 23 skills articulate a contemporary competency architecture for navigating complexity and enabling change. The Buddhist bhāvanā 4 offers an ethical-phenomenological grammar of human formation that is strikingly compatible with the IDG intent. By aligning IDG Being–Thinking–Relating–Collaborating–Acting with citta-paññā-sila-kaya (จิต–ปัญญา–ศีล–กาย) cultivation, we obtain a translatable, culturally grounded framework for leadership and education that unites inner work with outer impact.

Appendix A: One-line Justifications (23 skills)

Inner Compass (C/Pñ): stabilizes intentionality toward the good.
Integrity & Authenticity (S/C): ethical congruence enacted mindfully.
Openness & Learning Mindset (C/Pñ): curiosity enables insight.
Self-awareness (C): direct cultivation of mind/affect.
Presence (C/K): embodied mindfulness.
Critical Thinking (Pñ): discerning truth/validity.
Complexity Awareness (Pñ): systems understanding.
Perspective Skills (Pñ/C): cognitive decentering.
Sense-making (Pñ): coherent interpretation.
Long-term Orientation & Visioning (Pñ/C): foresight anchored in values.
Appreciation (S/C): gratitude shaping conduct.
Connectedness (S/C): ethical interdependence.
Humility (S/C): ego-restraint for social harmony.
Empathy & Compassion (S/C): prosocial citta motivating sīla.
Communication (S): right-speech competencies.
Co-creation (S/C): shared intention and regulation.
Inclusive Mindset & Intercultural Competence (S): non-partial conduct.
Trust (S): relational virtue.
Mobilization (S/K): ethical organizing in action.
Courage (K/C): embodied resolve.
Creativity (K/C): enactive novelty.
Optimism (C/K): resilient affect fueling effort.
Perseverance (K/C/S): disciplined, value-aligned action.