His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Global Economic Meltdown[BusinessWeek]Posted by: Steve Hamm on 5 May 2009
I’m a fan of
the Dalai Lama thanks to the groundwork of my spiritual adviser, Robert
Thurman, a professor of Buddhism at Columbia University. It never
occurred to me, though, that I’d have an opportunity to meet the exiled
Tibetan spiritual leader, much less have a personal audience with him,
but that’s what happened this morning. (The face-to-face session, which
lasted 10 minutes, was arranged by Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com,
who clearly has some mojo in the Tibetan Buddhist community.)This is
BusinessWeek, so I asked the Dalai Lama about the global economic
meltdown.If you’ve read his writings or heard him speak, you
know he’s got a peaceful certainty about him mixed with a hearty sense
of humor. Meeting him in person was for me both a calming and exciting
experience, which may sound like a contradiction, but, in this case is
not.The meeting was in his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Now that’s a discontinuity. Here’s this holy man dressed in his monk’s
robes in a grand relic of 20th Century capitalism. He has a gentle
handshake and friendly, direct gaze. It seemed like he was truly
interested in me. He speaks softly, in a natural flowing style—like
water bubbling over rocks in a stream. Every now and then, in the
middle of speaking, he makes a low moaning sound. It reminded me of the
gravel-voice Tibetan Buddhist chanting style—like a little chant trying
to get out.I was nervous, so my note taking was even worse than
usual. It’s lucky I took a digital recorder. Here’s an edited-down
version of some of his comments:–On what caused the collapse:I’m
telling people, including some businessmen who are my friends, what
this global economic crisis was caused by too much greed, speculation,
and hypocrisy–not being transparent. These are the moral and ethical
issues. So be transparent and honest right from the beginning.–On the obsession with money:There
are those people who are only concerned with money: It’s just money,
money, money, money. With such people, since the money crisis happened,
there are much disturbances. Of course, money is important. Without
money you can’t survive. However, it is not the only measure of value.
We have other values: The happy family, compassionate family, the
family full of affection, and the compassionate community. Those people
have much less disturbances due to this money crisis. Therefore, this
global economic crisis reminds us you should find some other values.
Money value alone is not very certain. It’s a limitation.–How people who have lost jobs and savings should deal with their anger:Realistically,
now, the tragedy has already happened. Instead of more frustration and
anger, now think about other alternatives. Make an effort. That’s
better. There’s a Tibetan saying: Nine times failure, nine times
effort, without discouraging oneself.–On the Buddhist approach to dealing with economic calamity.According
to Buddhism, these things happen due to their own causes and
conditions. Through years or through decades this present crisis
developed. All the causes and conditions were fully ripe. No force
could stop it. It’s the natural law. So you accept it.——I
later asked Thurman why business people should listen to the Dalai
Lama. This was his answer: “In the new economy, after the collapse,
ethics are returning to business. Ethics keep the customer. This is
where long term prosperity lies.”–The above piece is reproduced from BusinessWeek
