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Mindful Leadership – a Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to Their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society

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Mindful Leadership – a Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to Their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society Mindful Leadership – A Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Phe Xuan Bach in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education April 2014 © Copyright 2014 Phe Xuan Bach. All Rights Reserved Abstract Mindful Leadership – A Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society Phe Xuan Bach, Ed.D. Drexel University, April 2014 Chairperson: W. Edward Bureau The lack of a spiritual dimension (moral and ethical) in leadership, which frames the development of moral value—from business and politics to family and education— has become a key factor contributing to negative consequences caused by unethical leaders. Both Eastern and Western society also lack an in-depth understanding of how the spiritual leadership practices of Vietnamese Buddhist monks might/may be models of moral and ethical leadership for others in the larger society. This qualitative research study utilizes a phenomenological approach to learn how to apply the leadership lessons derived from the lived experience of Vietnamese Buddhist monks in contemporary America. The study is composed of historical and contemporary literature, empirical research on relevant leadership theories, on Buddhist values (especially those of mindfulness and compassion as part of their daily routine). In order to have a peaceful way of life, to help and lead others, Vietnamese monks learn from their masters, practice their learned core values and utilize Zen practices. The researcher interviewed 14 Buddhist monks across United States of America by snowball effect sampling and the three main themes emerging from the research are as follows: (a) Vietnamese Buddhist monks in America and their lived-experiences are dynamic, unique and contributing to the society within their spiritual leadership roles and obligations; (b) Their leadership style is characterized as authentically leading by example by basing decisions upon the core values of mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom; and (c) Through their practices, their presence, and their contributions to the welfare of others, they bring about peace of mind and happiness for themselves and for others in society. The findings were extracted from participants, resulting in the five principles of a mindful leadership. The five leadership strategies discussed include: Leading from the Inside Out, the Notion of Daily Practice, Leading-by-Example, Congruence, and the Notion of Completeness. Eleven recommendations emerged from this phenomenological study with eight being the techniques and strategies to achieve mindfulness, peace, compassion, and happiness and the remaining three being dedicated for further studies. Keywords: Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist values, compassion, Dharma, leadership practices, leadership styles, leadership theories, meditation, mindful leadership, mindfulness, phenomenological study, phenomenology, spiritual leadership, Vietnamese Buddhism, Vietnamese Buddhist monks, wisdom, Zen practices, Zen. This Ed.D. Dissertation Committee from The School of Education at Drexel University certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Mindful Leadership – A Phenomenological Study of Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in America with Respect to their Spiritual Leadership Roles and Contributions to Society Phe Xuan Bach Committee: ____________________________________ W. Edward Bureau, Ph.D. ____________________________________ José Luis Chávez, Ed.D. ____________________________________ Linda Bessire, Ed.D. ____________________________________ Date Dedications To those who walk in mindfulness and the teachers who guide them To my beloved and extended family, without whom this level of education would have been unachievable To my homelands: Vietnam and America To my community and Buddhist family To my parents, Long Xuan Bach and Ai Thi Tran To my wonderful wife, Trang Thanh Nguyen To my beautiful children: Khang Xuan Bach and Kiet Thanh Bach iv Leading by Example Leadership (A leadership poem resulting from my own meditation and reflecting upon spritual leadership) Leadership, any leadership model must have guidelines. Set solid principles and objectives, then create the standard of excellence. Leading by Example is the foundation of life and leadership, for others to follow and inspire, to have a shared common vision, with abundant enthusiasm and action. There are many different paths to our ultimate goals, but these paths must be built on the foundation of compassion, wisdom and courage. We must envision the future, create a practical ideal, consider the potential uniqueness of the organization, persuade and take quiet action for all to see and follow. An exciting and wonderful future. We must take the challenge, and look for innovative ways to improve our organization. Experiment, take risks, and learn from the mistakes and failures. They present opportunities for growth and transformation. For a better future we must take action, promote and support each other. Cooperation and collaboration for sustainable change. Positivity, mutual respect and unity are all so precious, like the rhythm of the heart. Extraordinary effort, inner values and human dignity are the key, my dear mindfulness practitioners and friends. Hard work is ahead, our hopes and dreams will come true when we live for the greater good, and when we contribute to the development of humanity with great understanding and love, tolerance and forgiveness. v Acknowledgments Lao Tzu is credited with saying, “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” In the West, we understand that such a journey also has a final step, that just as it has a beginning, so it has an end. In the East, however, especially so in Buddhism, we are presented with the equally valid condition that such journeys are never-ending and so never-beginning, but always somehow in process. The process of research which was begun and is now nearing an end occupies both cultural realities. I know that the true beginning of this journey was not when I made the decision to pursue it many long months ago, nor will it end with the awarding of a doctoral degree. Being a man of two cultures, a man of the East and of the West, my journey has always been far larger and wider ranging than this current path along that greater way. I personally and profoundly would like to thank many people who make this educational goal possible. First and foremost, to my parents Bach Xuan Long and Tran Thi Ai, without their continued encouragement, unconditional love, sincere caring, hugs and kisses, without them, this doctoral degree would be impossible. Secondly, a special thank you to our parents-in- law, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Minh and Mrs. Le Thi Can for their encouragement, support and caring. To all of the Vietnamese Buddhist monks, who took the time to let me interview them in this research and taught me directly or indirectly over the years. They also helped and supported me throughout this journey; they are: Most Venerable Thích Thắng Hoan, Most Venerable Thích Tịnh Từ, Most Venerable Thích Minh Đạt, Most Venerable Thích Thái Siêu, Most Venerable Thích Nguyên Siêu, Venerable Thích Hạnh Tuấn, Venerable Thích Minh Dung, Venerable Thích Từ Lực, Venerable Thích Minh Thiện, Venerable Thích Tuệ Giác, Venerable Thích Thiện Duyên, Venerable Thích Pháp Chơn, vi Venerable Thích Đạo Quảng, and Venerable Thích Tịnh Mãn. Your wisdom, practice, insight and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. I also would like to single out Venerable Thích Thiện Duyên, the Abbot of Kim Quang Buddhist temple, and Venerable Thích Đạo Quảng for being there whenever I needed their support and friendship as well as Đạo tràng Chùa Kim Quang for their open-arms and open-hearts. To all of my sisters and brothers: Chị Đố, anh chị Hãng Lố, anh chị Chính Gành, anh chị Hiểu Phượng, anh Bạch Xuân Thảo, anh chị Vinh Hoa, anh chị Minh Xoa, anh chị Tấn Hồng, anh chị Thái Nhàn, các em Tuệ Nga, Tiến Xuyến, và Hải Hiếu to whom I wrote the following email right before I went back to school: My dear brothers and sisters, I have been thinking for the last few days and I decided to email you all. First of all, I just want to let you know how lucky we're to be in the same family. Everyone has been nothing less than dynamics and amazing. Personally, we appreciated your love, your friendship, your support and your kindness. We thank you very much. At this point, I just want to let you know that I have been accepted into a doctoral program at Drexel University in education. It takes about 3-3 1/2yrs and $57,600 or so to finish, which is the same price as at CSUS. However, based upon my educational backgrounds and accomplishments, Drexel offered me two fellowships: (1) Sacramento Leadership Fellowship and (2) Papadakis Public Service Fellowship which added up to about 25% discount of the above amount. I am thinking about it and I'll need all of the support that I can get from all of you, especially Trang. I told her that I would NOT go back to school without her support. As you already know, I am lucky to have such a loving and caring wife. Trang is amazing and supportive. She is the source of our joy, our hope, and our happiness. As for my ambition, I just wanted to accomplish... And I followed up with this email. My dear brothers and sisters, After many days of much thinking and discussions, we came up with our decision and I would like to let all of you know about it. First and foremost, personally, I really appreciated all of your advices, insights, and encouraging words either in person, via phone or email. Because of us, you guys had to spend so much energy and thoughts from the "sleepless night in Sacramento" to heated discussions; from grateful words to stimulating insights, from tears of joy to emotional support.
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