"I am not interested in creating more Buddhists. My interest is to present Buddhist concepts that are acceptable and useful to people from all religious faiths, and to those without any religious faith"-His Holiness the Dalai Lama A rewarding glimpse into the life and thoughts of one of the world's most inspiring leaders, THE LEADER'S WAY contains fascinating insights and anecdotes from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, ranging from his meetings with Mao Tse-Tung to his government-in-exile in India, and details his views on poverty, wealth and happiness. It provides an inspiring manifesto for leading change that can have an impact at every level, from the individual to the global. Born out of a decade of discussion and debate between an international management consultant and the head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet, THE LEADER'S WAY flows from the meeting of two worlds - the global marketplace and Buddhism.At first sight these seem to be an unlikely pairing. Take a closer look, however, at the best business practices and Buddhist principles and we find that both are concerned with making the right decisions, rationally and with taking the right actions effectively. The world today faces many challenges. While our total wealth has increased enormously and we are benefiting from technological miracles, billions of people are living in abject poverty, we face the imminent threat of environmental disaster, and even those in prosperous nations feel insecure about the future. To deal with these problems requires a different kind of leadership that sees things as they really are and understands the interconnectedness between companies, countries and the economic system. Through practical exercises and real-life examples,THE LEADER'S WAY takes readers on a progressive path: first teaching the art of making the right decisions, then tackling the issue of leadership for our organizations, before applying these new principles to addressing such vital topics as poverty, sustainability, cultural diversity and environmental responsibility. True leadership recognises the inevitability of change, the need for a sense of universal responsibility and the importance of combining an economic system with moral values. That is the leader's way.
Generally, Buddhist monks are somewhat isolated from the rest of society, often secluded in peace while praying for the welfare of all sentient beings and for our planet. Although I am one such monk, I also have responsibilities with regard to the Tibetan government-in-exile, which offers me a broader perspective in that I interact with people from all over the world. In the course of my travels I have met many different kinds of people, some of them poor, some of them rich, each of them occupying their own position in the world. People appear to trust me; therefore many have talked to me about their lives, their hopes, and their concerns about the future. In the end, I have learned that what almost everyone is seeking is a measure of happiness.
Why am I writing this book now? Because I feel we all should have a sincere concern and responsibility for how the global economy operates, and an interest in the role of businesses in shaping our interconnectedness. Times have changed, and I believe that leaders of religious traditions -- with their ability to take a long view of the human condition -- should participate in discussions of global business and economics. Our world faces very serious problems. Those that are of particular concern to me include the overwhelming degrees of poverty in poor countries; the fact that even in prosperous countries the sense of satisfaction with life has been stagnating since 1950; the negative impact that our negligence and our ever-increasing population and rising standard of living are having on the environment; and finally, the lack of peace in so many parts of the world.
Because Buddhism takes a rational and logical attitude to such problems, its approach is sometimes easier to understand for those who are not religious that for those who are. In Buddhism, there is an emphasis on human values and on how we can be taught to take a holistic approach to solving society's problems. So if we view Buddhist teachings in terms of secular ethics and fundamental human values, then perhaps they too have something to contribute to the business world.
Buddhist concepts about wealth, work, consumption, and happiness are somewhat different than their Western counterparts. Happiness is more than merely satisfying our material wishes and desires. The root of happiness is not in what we desire or what we get but somewhere altogether different. It stems from a place of inner contentment that exists no matter what we gain or achieve.
Buddha recognized that self-oriented drives were very powerful. However, he came to the conclusion that the drive for satisfying the desires of the self was impossible to achieve, a never-ending cycle. People cannot be truly happy unless they have friendships and good relationships with other people. Furthermore, good relationships are reciprocal. It is impossible for people to build positive relationships with others if their only aim is to satisfy their own desires. So I believe that governments and organizations, which bring people into contact with one another, as well as create jobs and wealth, have a very important role to play in these questions of the standard of living and human happiness -- and where the two may intersect.
I do not pretend that the solutions to the world's problems are simple or straightforward. While working on this book, I have come to understand how difficult it can be for businesspeople to make the right decisions. When the leader of a company makes a decision, it affects all the employees and many others who buy its products or act as suppliers, and therefore the quality of business...
