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| Buddhism in Action |
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| "A New Business Plan" |
| By Chai Koh Pong, Malaysia |
I worked as a civil engineer and corporate manager before I
started my own business as a property developer in 1985. It
was my dream to make it really big and rich in business,
like some corporate players whom I took as my role models.
Every minute of my life was spent in getting more business
and trying to maximize profits. It was a pressurized,
selfish and greedy world of trying to win at all times.
Exploiting others to the full was common practice--an
apparent necessity. That was my idea of securing happiness
in life.
Then, when the economy crashed, some of my role models got
into serious financial trouble and some even landed in jail.
This shattered my sense of security and gave me a feeling of
emptiness. I felt a need to ponder on the direction of my
life, the values I had adopted.
I started reading up on philosophy when an old classmate
introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism in 1986. Nichiren's
teachings seemed to coincide with what I learned from
motivational books and courses. I began to practice,
chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
Changes began to happen gradually, starting with my idea of
happiness. Instead of finding joy in materialistic gains or
one-sided victories, I came to believe in and experience a
deeper sense of happiness coming from within me--a happiness
fueled by altruism, a solid state of mind that revels in
simply being alive.
I have seen that Nichiren Buddhism goes much deeper than the
self-motivational work I have done. One can learn or improve
many skills, such as public speaking, but the practice of a
correct religious philosophy creates a positive
transformation at the core of one's life, releasing
unimagined potential. True communication skills, for
example, are more than just respecting the speaker and
listening sincerely. They rest on a spirit of compassion and
an ability to open one's heart.
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| Change of Heart |
These changes made me a more humble and approachable person.
I began treating my associates and staff with greater
respect, gratitude and sincere concern. Before practicing
Buddhism, I used to evaluate a person's "importance" purely
on the basis of what "profits" they could bring me, but
through my involvement in Soka Gakkai Malaysia's activities,
I can now appreciate each individual's respective role in
contributing to the success of an enterprise.
Instead of squeezing every ounce of profit from others, I
now prefer fairer deals. My judgments and decisions now
include concern for others' satisfaction, thus winning the
trust of my associates and partners. My staff is willing to
put in hard work and extra time for me. The contractors that
work with my company strive to raise the standard of their
work, and buyers show their contentment by repeated
purchases.
Improvement in my relationships with my staff, associates
and contractors means less time wasted on conflict
management. The result is greater productivity and faster
completion of projects, which translates into less wastage
and improved profitability.
Knowing for sure that more money does not always equal more
happiness, I have become less calculating. I do not mind
earning less money or spending extra time and putting more
resources into building better houses.
The wisdom I gained from my Buddhist practice has also
changed the way I handle funds. I see good cash flow as the
key to maintaining the strength of the business. I have
become more selective and cautious in the acquisition of
projects. Less greedy, I do not bid for huge projects which
require me to borrow heavily and thus put my company at
unnecessarily high risk. Hence my company is able to proceed
quite smoothly despite economic recessions or turmoil.
I believe that when more business owners subscribe to a
positive philosophy and have the correct values, the
business world will become a fairer place for all, with the
distribution of wealth being more balanced. With less
wastage of time and resources and greater productivity, the
cost of goods can be lowered, enabling many more people to
enjoy a better life.
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[Courtesy, October 2006 SGI Quarterly] |
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