Buddhist Ethical Principles as Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention: A Study at Umandawa Buddhist Global Village.

Abstract

Religion shapes people's belief systems in society and can influence entrepreneurial intentions. Thus it plays a significant role in Entrepreneurship. Over the years, much research has examined religion and entrepreneurial intention. However, there has been little discussion of Buddhist ethical principles and their influence on the formation of entrepreneurial intention. Theoretically, this study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour by showing that religious-ethical constructs, specifically right livelihood and right mindfulness, predict entrepreneurial intention. Accordingly, it focused on two principles of the Noble Eightfold Path, namely right livelihood and right mindfulness. Using a quantitative research approach, the data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with closed-ended questions. The study used a quantitative approach and purposive sampling based on respondents' availability and willingness. The study analysed 70 valid responses using SPSS, applying descriptive statistics and multiple regression to test the proposed hypotheses. The results show that both right livelihood and right mindfulness, as Buddhist ethical principles, significantly affected entrepreneurial intention. The research adds to the literature by incorporating religious ethics into entrepreneurship and offers practical guidance for promoting ethical entrepreneurship in community-based contexts.