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Ven. Ajahn Brahm smiles during his talk with CEOs and professionals on Monday at the Galle Face Hotel - Pic by Lasantha Kumara
By Surya Vishwa
Th e Ve n A j a h n Brahm-avamso Mahathera (known to most as Ajahn B r a h m ) o n M o n d a y expressed confidence in Sri Lanka’s capacity for economic resurgence and urged Lankans to re-think m i g r a t i o n o n a c c o u n t of the economic crisis.
“This is your country. It is home. It is a wonderful place that I have come to consider as a home too. There is much that could be done with the resources in Sri Lanka to innovate and create entrepreneurship and new businesses,” Ven. Ajahn Brahm told a group of business community members and professionals in Colombo, as part of his 9 day visit to Sri Lanka,
He spoke at length about the Buddhist secrets to business success which he pointed out emanates from a mind conditioned towards equanimity.
Focusing on the theme of innovation in entrepreneurship and productivity of businesses Ven. Brahma elaborated on qualities such as empathy and selflessness as business management strategies. He explained about the limitless nature of creativity that is the endowment of a mind free from attachment to selfishness and thus free from sorrow, as held by the Buddhist ethic.
The talk by Ven. Brahm on “innovative business creation and leadership through Buddhist principles” was held at the Galle Face Hotel and was organised by the Ajahn Brahm Society of Sri Lanka (ABSSL) under the direction of Ven. Mettavihari. This event was one component of a packed itinerary since 22 May which had included a retreat in Bandarawela for both clergy and lay people, several talks for different segments of society held at the Galle Face Hotel and a public lecture at the BMICH in Colombo.
The focus of Ven. Brahm on the theme of innovation and business productivity was in a bid to support Sri Lanka rising to the challenge of economic revival.
Known for his humour and simplifying complex teachings of the Dhamma, in a way anyone will be able to relate to their everyday lives, irrespective of their religion, Ven. Brahm (who usually omits this title in his interaction with people), laughingly described himself as a CEM, Chief Executive Monk!
“I get invited to many gatherings where there are those such as CEOs, to talk to them about increasing productivity at the workplace. Are there CEOs here today? Well, I am what one can call a CEM – a Chief Executive Monk!” Ven. Brahm quipped, eliciting one of many rounds of laughter that echoed throughout his talk. This by itself was a stress reliever for many who held high responsibility in society who listened earnestly as Ven. Brahm explained that to make life at the workplace productive, one must be happy and that to feel happy one can begin by contributing every day, to make the life of a colleague happy.”
“What I have heard across the countries that I have visited is that what people yearn for is job satisfaction. More than the salary, what affects productivity is job satisfaction. If you do not have much workplace happiness, one way to rectify the issue is to make the official duties of another easier and to assist or cooperate with that colleague better. That will start a cycle of similar response and lead to job satisfaction for many and transform the company, eventually impacting its financial turnout.”
See, I have much job satisfaction, but my salary is zero,” he quipped as the audience doubled up in laughter once again.
Each person should feel that they are doing a meaningful task and contributing to the betterment and productivity of the company. A CEO should know and understand how his team is feeling about their work, about any problems they are facing and what they need from the company to make them better employees. This cannot be done when the CEO is very distant from the people,” he stated.
He narrated in detail the real life example of how the Air New Zealand’s CEO takes turns at the baggage counter, serves water and food in the airplane taking on the duties of the cabin crew and sits at the airline check-in counters which brings that airline’s CEO close to both the staff and the customer. The reason he had chosen this example was to show the secret of Air New Zealand which had nearly tripled profit post COVID.
“Does the CEO of SriLankan airline do this?” he asked as the audience fell silent.
He also drew on another example where a global company had banned all overtime work and prioritised staff family time. In this company too, the productivity had increased significantly. “The staff became happier as they spent quality time with their loved ones. Happy people make happy employees and they work better with more commitment and creativity, because they feel the company cares about them and understands their responsibilities at home.”
The British born and Australia domiciled veteran Buddhist monk and teacher who has spoken at diverse institutions such as universities, technology institutes, hospitals and government bodies of different countries, drew on the importance for Buddhists to focus on eliminating suffering by practically focusing in everyday lives on aspects such as forgiveness, detachment from ego and to consider that innovation comes from a liberated mind.
In the two hour interaction with the industrialists and thought leaders, which included the Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Ven. Brahm speaking on the talent of innovation mentioned with his typical wit, how he used his talent as a child – as young choir boy growing up in a Christian family and using his voice for pocket money entrepreneurship – singing at the choirs at weddings and smiling cutely at the newlywed bride who was sure to provide a tidy tip to the budding singer!
“I have innovated the preaching of the Dhamma so that it could be grasped by many. Likewise innovation is a universal concept. We are at the Galle Face hotel. Sri Lanka has wonderful food. See, the hoppers that you are famous for; cannot that be made into a cone and served differently – as a food innovation?” he asked, stating “Anything can be innovated upon. Have you tried spaghetti with strawberries? I have. It’s awful!”
He highlighted the resources of Sri Lanka, including its tea, to emphasise the vast potential of the country to embark on a unique economic revival. He also touched on how Buddhist meditation is being introduced globally in companies to boost the mental clarity and inspiration of its workers.
“There are meditation rooms where staff can go and sit comfortably for half an hour. A mental rest such as that would entirely change how your mind would function,” he noted and pointed to the importance of getting out of the perpetual prison cell of the mobile phone to enable clearer mental space in order to create anew and overcome challenges.
“How many of you own a phone and how many phones own you?” he asked, making the audience think anew why mobile phones are called ‘cell phones.’
Ajahn Brahmavamso educated in Cambridge University in the science stream is a Theravada Buddhist monk trained in the Thai forest tradition of monastic life and s the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine, Western Australia. Among his contributions to spreading Buddhism in the world is as Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of Victoria, Spiritual Adviser to the Buddhist Society of South Australia, Spiritual Patron of the Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore and Spiritual Adviser to the AnukampaBhikkhuni Project in the UK.
