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Home , Buddhist calendar, Buddhist holidays, Vesak

Vesak Day and the Rise of

International Business Residency

April 24, 2008

Team 1

Jorge Bosquez Robin Gigot Angel Lemmonds Shing Lin Reggie Mitchell

Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………1

Introduction………………………..………………………………………………………2

The Birth of Buddha and Buddhism………………………………………………………2

Core Beliefs of Buddhism…………………………………………………………………4

The ..………………………………………………………….4

The Eightfold Path.………………………………………………………………6

Buddhist Holidays…..……………………………………………………………………8

Vesak Day…..….……………………………………………………………..…8

Vesak Day Celebrations in ………….………………………..………9

Other …..…….…..…………………………………………10

Buddhism’s Impact on Business Behavior………………………………………………10

Growing Importance…..………….……………………………………………10

Applying the Principles of Buddhism…..…....…………………………………11

The Rising Business of Buddhism...……………………………………………13

Conclusion-Observations While in Singapore…………………………...………………14

Endnote References……………………………………………………...………………15

1

Abstract

Buddhism is the fourth largest in the world with over 350 million followers, with large concentrations found in Asia. With the growing economic influence of that part of the world, it is increasingly likely that Western businesses and their employees will deal with someone who follows Buddhist teachings. It is important for

Westerners to have a good understanding of what Buddhism is, what the core beliefs are, the holidays, and Buddhist beliefs on business practices. This understanding and appreciation will make business and social interactions much more fluid.

2

Introduction

Vesak Day is the most important religious holiday for Buddhists around the world. It is the celebration of the birth of Buddha, which makes it the equivalent of

Christmas. Buddhism is a way of life and includes a series of spiritual practices which aim to bring true insight to the nature of life. The basic teachings of Buddhism are very

straightforward: nothing is permanent, everything can change. Buddhism addresses itself

to all races, gender, and nationality. The heart of these teachings includes the concept of

“The Four Noble Truths” and “The Eightfold Path”.1

Buddhism is also showing up in the business world as its popularity grows. There

are many business people who are followers of Buddha and use those principles in their

everyday lives to conduct business without sacrificing success. A practical awareness of

the principles serves business people well when conducting business with other

Buddhists.

The Birth of Buddha and Buddhism

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world with 350 million followers,

which accounts for 6% of the world’s population. Buddhism was founded in Northern

India in the 6th century B.C. by a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who later assumed

the title of Lord Buddha (one who has awakened).2 The life of Siddhartha is clouded by

legends and historical myths that arose only after his . Even today, many of the top

historians in the world have different views and stories that describe his life.3

Siddhartha was born to his father Suddhodana, who was king over an area known

today as , and his mother, . The exact date of birth of Siddhartha is unknown

but is believed to have occurred between 420 B.C. to 623 B.C. At the time of his birth 3

astrologers’ prophesized that he would be a or a monarch. To prevent Siddhartha

from pursing a religious path, his father secluded him from the rest of the world. His

father provided him with several palaces and women to keep him satisfied so that it

would prevent him from seeing human pain and suffering.3 Siddhartha wandered from

the palace one day and witnessed four things that deeply disturbed him and forever

changed his life. He witnessed an elderly man, a sick man, a dead man, and a beggar.

After this traumatic experience he decided to leave his luxurious life and pursue the

questions and answers of pain and suffering in search of wisdom.3

Siddhartha began his journey by leaving his royal life and by adopting an

ascetic way of life. He became a beggar in the street but he was recognized by the

followers of King . After being recognized by Bimbisara’s men, the King offered Siddhartha his throne out of admiration for his quest. Siddhartha rejected the

King’s offer but promised to return to his kingdom first when he found enlightenment.

He then began to study , which supports the universe and ultimately leads a path of spiritual discipline to God.4 Siddhartha became discontented with Hinduism. He

then practiced self-mortification, which means "putting the flesh to death". He tried to

find enlightenment by self-mutilation and nearly starving himself to death. There were

stories that he only ate one grain of rice, nut or leaf per day. It was also told that

Siddhartha nearly drowned in the river while bathing because he became so weak from

starving himself. After the near drowning incident and years of beating himself down to

the bone he realized that asceticism did not lead to a peaceful way of life, but only

weakened the mind and body.4 4

Siddhartha then turned to a life of . One day while in the forest under a

fig tree known as Bohdi tree (tree of wisdom) he entered into a deep state of meditation

and it was then that he experienced the wisdom he had been looking for. Siddhartha was

able to enter into a God Conscious experience called .5 Buddhists refers to

Nirvana as "Enlightenment" and is the process to free the mind from all worldly possessions and concerns. It is the ultimate goal of all Buddhists. This encounter earned him the title of Buddha or the "enlightened one." Siddhartha felt he had answered the question of why people experienced suffering and his conclusion was that “desire” was the cause of all suffering; the only way to be freed from it was to experience

Nirvana.5 His beliefs led to the basic teachings of Buddhism to answer to these questions

which became known as the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path.

Core Beliefs of Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths

The most central and important teaching of Buddhism is known as the Four Noble

Truths. These four truths are formulated around an ancient Indian medical

diagnosis model:

1. There’s an illness.

2. There’s a possible cause(s) for this illness.

3. There’s a possible cure for this illness.

4. There’s a set of action(s) to take to cure the illness. 6

Based on this model, the first of the Noble Truths is Dukkha. There’s no English

word which captures the meaning of Dukkha completely. It roughly translates to

suffering, pain, stress, or unhappiness.7 The basic idea behind this first truth is that there 5 is suffering and it is almost universal. Buddha taught that there are three kinds of suffering. The first is “dukkha-dukkha” and is the most common and obvious suffering.

These are suffering from old age, death, illness, and pain. This first dukkha is inevitable and is part of life. The second dukkha is viparinama-dukkha. This is suffering caused by change: for example, when plans are made but unexpected circumstances forces a change. This too is inevitable according to Buddha. The third dukkha is sankhara- dukkha. Sankhara-dukka refers to suffer caused by spiritual ignorance. Those who are un-enlightened will naturally have suffering and unhappiness.8 Buddha suggests that this third suffering is completely avoidable.

The second Noble Truth is Samudaya: there is a cause for these sufferings, specifically the third suffering. Buddha teaches that there are four causes that lead to suffering. First is peoples’ attachment to sense pleasure. The idea is that people become controlled by their desires and this causes their suffering. The second cause is the attachment to one's views and opinions. The idea is that when one becomes too attached to their own views, it will bring suffering to themselves. The third cause is the attachment to traditions and behaviors. Fourth is the attachment to oneself – a person’s views of who they are and how they appear to others.

The third Noble Truth is known as or the cure to the sufferings. The best way to stop one's suffering is to understand what is happening and to understand one's reactions and behavior. By doing so, a person is able to end the suffering or avoid it all together.9 The Fourth Noble Truth is Magga. The “prescription” to end suffering is known as the Eightfold Path.

6

The Eightfold Path

Buddha teaches the Eightfold Path is the way to end one’s sufferings. It consists of eight ways to be "right": through views, intentions, speech, action, livelihood, effort, and concentration. The eightfold path is not a sequence of single steps, instead it is a grouping of highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.10

The Right

The Right View is about seeing things as they really are. The wrong view is seeing things with one's own expectations of a certain outcome. Trying to impose one person’s wills and desires on others will ultimately lead to suffering. The right view will lead to simple and straight forward life, reducing stress and suffering.11

The Right Intention

The Right Intention is doing things without manipulation and preconceived notions. It is about acting with good ethics and morals.

The Right Speech

The Right Speech is very important. It can save or break lives, make friends or make enemies; it can even start wars. Because speech is so powerful, one must speak carefully. One should not lie, should not speak negatively about others, should not say things that will hurt others, and should avoid shallow or pointless banter.10

The Right Action

Right Action refers to the actions one takes in their lives. One should act with compassion, kindness, honesty, and respect. Doing so will reduce the unnecessary stresses of day-to-day life. 7

The Right Livelihood

It is important for a person to earn their living. One should not live off of other people and earn everything. The work one does should be ethical and moral. Buddha mentions four specific types of work that one should avoid as it brings suffering to others. First, one should not deal with weapons. Second, one should not do work that negatively impacts other living beings, such as slave trade or prostitution. Third, one should not work in meat production or be a butcher. Fourth, one should not sell things that can poison the body such as drugs or alcohol.10

The Right Effort

Without effort, nothing can be achieved. It is important to approach everything with the correct effort. Without the proper effort, life and work is going to be a struggle.

Buddha preaches four phases of Right Effort:

1. Make effort to prevent the unwholesome that has not yet come

2. Make effort to destroy the unwholesome that has come.

3. Make effort to produce the wholesome that has not yet come.

4. Make effort to cultivate the wholesome that has come.12

The Right Mindfulness

The seventh step is about keeping one’s mind clear by having the Right

Mindfulness. Having a clear mind will allow a person to see things as they are, without complicating it. Keeping the mind clear will also allow a person to see how things around them are impacting their mind and emotions.

8

The Right Concentration

The right concentration is about being absorbed in things as they are “now”. It is

the ability to keep distractions out of one's mind. Right Concentration and Right

Mindfulness together are the foundation of the . The ability to keep

one’s mind clear and to concentrate is the way to reduce stress and suffering.

Buddhist Holidays

Vesak Day

Vesak Day is the most important holiday in Buddhist which celebrates

the birth, enlightenment, passing away, and entry into Nirvana of . The

significance of Vesak Day is that it is associated with Buddha and His universal message

of peace. In 1950, at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Sri

Lanka, a resolution was adopted to make Vesak Day a public holiday. It was at this

conference that the Maharaja of Nepal called upon the governments of all countries of

practicing Buddhism to make the full-moon day in the of May a public holiday in

honor of Buddha.13 In leap years, this holiday occurs in June.

Vesak comes from the 2nd month in the known as .

Vesak Day is also known as other names in other countries: Visakah Puja or Buddha

Purnima in India, , and Nepal. In it is known as Visakha Cucha, in

Vietnam as Phat Dan, as Waisak, and as Vesak (Wesak),

and in as Saga Dawa.13 In China it is known as Buddha Day.

Vesak Day is also recognized as an International Day of the

(UN). Just as Buddha emphasized peace and non-violence 2500 years ago, today the UN purpose is to ensure the world peace and harmony. Since the recognition of Vesak Day 9

in 1999 by the General Assembly of the UN in New York City, it is celebrated to

commemorate Buddha teachings and messages.14

Vesak Day festivities begin with the chanting of the by saffron-clad . Devotees visit the temples to pray, meditate, and to make offerings. Observers

as well as devotees can join in the celebration at Buddhist temples. Buddhists do different things on this day as they recall the teaching of universal Compassion.

Buddhists are reminded to live in harmony with people of other faiths and to respect the beliefs of other people. Acts of generosity known as “dana” are observed by Buddhist organizations and temples.15 These include the freeing of caged birds and animals,

visiting and giving food and to the poor and needy. Blood donations are also

organized by Buddhist youths, symbolizing the giving of life. Also, devotees are

enjoined to make a special effort to refrain from killing of any kind and are encouraged to

have a vegetarian diet that day. The day concludes with a candle light .

The temples are colorfully decorated with Buddhist flags and lights, and shrines

filled with flowers, fruits and other offerings. Devotees are expected to listen to talks and

prayers given by monks to invoke peace and happiness for the Government and the

people. Devotees may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks to place

at the feet of their teacher. This reminds followers just as the candles and joss-sticks fade

away, that life also fades away.

Vesak Celebrations in Singapore

In 2008 Singapore will be celebrating Vesak Day on May 19th. The theme of the Vesak Festival Chinatown 2008 is Vesak Vibes in Chinatown. The festivities will include music and a parade of lantern floats.16 The celebrations will start before dawn 10

and continue throughout the day with religious services, prayer meetings, meditation sessions and processions.

Other places where festivities will be held around Singapore are at Buddhist

Lodge at River Valley Road, and the Thai at Jalan Bukit Merah.17 The

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum (BTRTM) is celebrating Vesak Day from May

3, 2008 to June 1, 2008 by hanging thousands of lucky lanterns.18

Other Buddhist Holidays

Vesak Day is not the only Buddhist holiday. Buddhist holidays can vary from

country to country. Some Buddhist holidays include Abhidhamma Day which is celebrated on the full moon day in October, Buddhist New Year, and Loy Krathong which is a festival of the Floating Bowls. Others Buddhist holidays are Parinirvarana

Day, The Elephant Festival on the third Saturday in November; and

(Observance Day) on the four monthly holy days. People visit local temples or monasteries, serve monks food. The afternoon is spent feeding poor people, in the evening ceremonies are for people to conduct walking rituals, and ends with the chanting of Buddha’s teachings and meditation.19

Buddhism’s Impact on Business Behavior

Growing Importance

The number of people practicing Buddhism is on the rise. It is estimated

that Buddhists increased from 0.1 percent of the adult world population by the end of

1980 to 0.4 percent by 2000.20 Today six percent of the world population is Buddhist,

centered in Sri Lanka and mainland , , Tibet, China, Taiwan,

Korea, and Japan.21 One of the many reasons for the increase in the popularity of the 11

Buddhism faith can be attributed to the rising interest by China’s yuppies, who have

become more attracted to the rejection of materialism and emphasis of the transitory

nature of life.22

In today’s global economy, the likelihood of being in a business deal or

negotiation with a practicing Buddhist is greater than ever. This is supported by its huge

popularity in countries like China and India, which have large populations and have been

the leaders in supplying the rest of the world with low-cost labor. Unfortunately, the

west has been oblivious to what many called the most powerful movement of idea in the

history of Asia. Out of its 2,500 years of history, Europeans and Americans had no

coherent awareness of Buddhism until the last 150 years.23

A traditional Western company structure in most cases is just the opposite of one

that was founded by practicing Buddhists largely because of the cross-cultural

difference. Typical western companies share the strong feeling of adversarial,

individualistic, aggressive and confrontational communicative styles. On the other hand,

companies influenced by Buddhism are far more conciliatory, group-oriented, non-

confrontational behaviors and a strategic concern with the saving and giving of “face”.24

Applying the Principles of Buddha

The principles of the eightfold path are important for Buddhists to apply in their

business practices and ethics. There is a balance that needs to be struck between making a

profit and following the elements of the religion. While it is not easy for an individual

employee to sway its company to completely change the way of doing business, they can impact their own actions to follow Buddha’s beliefs. By understanding these as a 12

Westerner, personal and business interactions with someone that follows Buddha’s

teachings will be much smoother.

Two of the ways in the Eightfold Path are very important in the business world-

taking the Right Actions and using the Right Speech. When working with Buddhists, it is

important to be careful of how you speak to and about them. Truth is paramount and

slander is not tolerated. Instead of being ruthless, mean-spirited and cutthroat, Buddhists

take a softer approach to duties that are a part of their job by being mindful of their

actions and speech. Followers find that in their daily business interactions, being mindful

of the other party, their feelings and thoughts, and awareness of the situations makes it

easier to get their jobs done and still follow Buddha.25

Finding the Right Livelihood is also part of the Eightfold Path. With the fast pace

of business and growing personal wealth that comes with it, more professionals are turning to Buddhism to find meaning in life. Followers of Buddhism examine the careers they choose as a part of their acceptance of the religion. With that searching, some realize the way of life that goes with their profession is a contradiction to Buddhism, and choose to devote themselves or their free time to pursuits of charity and selflessness.26

The Eightfold Path teaches that all action should be backed by the Right Efforts.

Buddhists will put great efforts into insuring things run smoothly and minimize potential

stress for themselves and others. It is important that decisions and plans made by a

Buddhist businessperson should not be dismissed too quickly. They have put in great

effort into making those decisions and quickly dismissing them will likely be viewed as

an insult. 13

There are also some considerations a visitor or business guest can learn from

the Eightfold Path. It specifically teaches one now to drink alcohol or consume anything

that is considered bad for the body. It is important to keep this in mind during company

parties or celebrations. Buddhists also believe in not poisoning their bodies.

Another example of how Buddhism is relevant to business lies in the examination

of the First Noble truth: suffering. Buddhists accept suffering as part of their lives, but

they want to minimize the amount of suffering they and others experience from their own

actions. As a result, they are willing to make compromises to help achieve this. Buddhists

are not focused on their individual happiness and satisfaction, but are more concerned with the well-being of the group they are a part of.

These practices are not limited to Buddhists in Asian countries. The choices about

the Right Actions and Right Speech are showing up in corporate training programs,

consultation practices and corporate retreats in the United States. While not labeled

"Buddhism for business", it is focused on insight, mindfulness and meditation that

employees and employers see as a way to clarify what they are doing, how it affects

others and how they should be doing it.27

The Rising Business of Buddhism

Along with a rise in popularity of Buddhism comes a rise in the number of people

trying to profit from its popularity. Buddhism’s religious figures and sacred temples are

being commercialized by entrepreneurs, local governments and even frauds. The profits

from these groups provide no benefit to actual religious groups. Buddhism’s popularity has had positive effects on local economies and temples, to be sure. With increased donations to temples, more of them have been restored and are open as new places of 14

worship for visitors.28 Temples are also able to provide additional space and lodging as a

result of the restoration, and are able to serve more of the rising followers of Buddhism.

However, there are negative effects as people turn Buddhism into a business.

Temples are focusing on ways to increase revenue with more visitor lodging, sponsorship

of figures and the sale of religious items; this pursuit of making money goes against the

tenants of Buddhism. China has seen the rise of monk impersonators who steal from

temples or beg visitors for money. Local governments are also using temple restoration as

a way to increase the tax base rather than revive aging temples.29 The rise in making

Buddhism into a business opens the doors for further exploitation by those who chose to

focus on profits, not Buddhist principles.

Conclusion-Observations while in Singapore

After reviewing the history of Buddha, how his beliefs developed and the principles of Buddhism, everyone should have a basic understanding of the religion. The

class will be able to experience some of the different types of rituals of Vesak Day

described here while visiting the Buddhist temple during the celebration on May 19. As

Buddhism grows as a global religion, its importance in the business world will increase too. Westerners will benefit by taking time to understand how the principles apply to

business. We will also see how the religion’s popularity is turning into a business on its

own, with temples and individuals selling opportunities for everyone to take home a bit

of Buddha.

15

Endnote References

1fwbo.org. What is Buddhism? Accessed April 14, 2008,

2Robinson.B.A., “ of The World”, August 22, 2007, Religious Tolerance. Accessed April 20, 2008 < http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm>

3Zukeran, Pat. “Buddhism”, 1994, Probe Ministries. Accessed April 19, 2008

4Wikipedia. “Gautama Buddha”. April 21, 2008.Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed April 22, 2008

5Master Wisdom Maticintin. “The Story of Buddhism”, 2005, Humuh. Accessed April 15, 2008

6Engel, Tamara. Accessed April 16, 2008

7Dukka. . Accessed April 18, 2008

8Moad, Omar. Dukkha, Inaction, and Nirvana: Suffering, Weariness, and Death? A look at Nietzsche’s Criticisms of . Accessed April 14, 2008

9Tiscali.reference encyclopedia. Accessed April 16, 2008

10 The . Accessed April 15, 2008.

11Buddha.net. Accessed April 20, 2008.

12Wikipedia. Noble Eightfold Path. Accessed April 19, 2008.

13Buddhist Toursim. Accessed April 17, 2008

14United Nations Vesak Day. Accessed April 19, 2008.

15Vesak Day, Accessed April 14, 2008. 16

16Buddha Tool Relic Temple and Museum. Accessed April 19, 2008.

17Travelmax. Accessed April 17, 2008.

18 Auspicious Lantern for Vesak. Accessed April 17, 2008.

19Buddhist Temples.com. Accessed April 21, 2008

20Smith, Tom W. “Religious Diversity in America: The Emergence of Muslims, Buddhists, , and Others”, American Jewish Committee, 2001, American Jewish Committee, accessed April 12, 2008

21 TradeT & Global Markets. “America's Fastest-Growing Faiths: Islam and Buddhism”, March 5, 2008, Progressive Policy Institute, Accessed April 8, 2008

22Roberts, Dexter. China’s Spiritual Awakening - Why a growing number of successful urban professional are flocking to Buddhism, BusinessWeek.com, January 21, 2008, BusinessWeek; Accessed April 9, 2008

23Arthur, Chris. “The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture. - book reviews”, May 1995, Contemporary Review, accessed April 8, 2008

24Goldman, Alan.”A Briefing on Cultural and Communicative Sources of Western- Japanese Interorganizational Conflict”, Emerald, Journal, 1994 Vol 9 Issue 1, Accessed April 9, 2008

25Pintak, Lawrence; Balancing Business with Buddha; Beliefnet.com. Accessed April 12, 2008

26Roberts, Dexter; China’s Spiritual Awakening; BusinessWeek.com. Accessed April 12, 2008 17

27Pintak, Lawrence; Balancing Business with Buddha; Beliefnet.com. Accessed April 12, 2008

28Tschang, Chi-Chu; In China, Confronts the Dollar; BusinessWeek.com. Accessed April 12, 2008

29Tschang, Chi-Chu; In China, Dharma Confronts the Dollar; BusinessWeek.com. Accessed April 12, 2008