We recently visited the Fo Guang Shan Monastery located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This is the Buddhist center of South Taiwan, established by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. In an area sprawling 30 hectares, there are magnificent temples and structures. A huge golden statue of Buddha is a prominent landmark. The main square is surrounded by 480 standing Buddhas. The main structures consist of four temples. The site counts more than a thousand Buddha statues, large and small.
From an outsider’s perspective, the structures are grand. What is more impressive is the growth of Humanistic Buddhism with over two hundred branch temples in major cities around the world. The founder Master Hsing Yun who passed on in February 2023 has demonstrated a growth and expansion strategy. Luckily, we can learn from his writings. His thoughts on management are not your typical concepts and deserve reflection.
“In Taiwan, the temples are quite small. Having this large monastery all of a sudden, many people began to ask how I am able to manage it all. I have never learned management, nor do I understand it. I feel that as long as everyone is equally enthusiastic about Buddhism and society, serving the public, emphasizing cause and effect, and transparency, the justice, fairness, commonality, and harmony will naturally occur.”
Master Yun’s thoughts on money and people are out of the ordinary. Ultimately, people and self-reflection are key. “Money does not speak and can be used as you wish. As for managing material objects, they are inanimate and move at your every will. Managing people, on the other hand, is more difficult, but it is still not as difficult as managing one’s own mind.”
When asked about how he motivates the monastics who work with him, this is his response. “Lay people live a life of “having”, such as having vacation, having salaries, having families and having children. Having is limited, finite and exhaustible. So, of course, one will always complain that it is not enough. We as monastics live a life of “not having”, such as not having holidays and salaries, and we only work with a perfect willingness to serve society without the desire or expectation of anything in return. “Not having” is unlimited, infinite and inexhaustible.” The value of mission and vision are all above the material aspirations of us ordinary people.
With the principles of Buddhism guiding him, Master Yun turns to very simple precepts that he regularly preaches to his assembly. He wrote the “Song of the Ten Practices and Cultivations.” This song is meant to be chanted on a regular basis and to be pondered carefully by his disciples. The ten practices are: “Don’t be calculative. Don’t compare. Be polite. Always smile. Don’t worry about being disadvantaged. Be honest and kind. Be carefree. Speak good words. Befriend honorable people. Everyone, become a Buddha.”
He also advocates the “Philosophy of Being Second.” He believes that if everyone can be content with “being second” and knows how to be selfless, then the community will conduct itself with equanimity. It is ambition and desire to be on top that have led to many failures in the history of past Chinese dynasties.
“Buddhism teaches us to be resolved and to be patient… With resolve, we have strength and are perfectly willing…With patience, we become aware of our interpersonal relationship and the importance of emotional stability.
“All in all, I am a humble monk…I hope that Fo Guang Shan is suitably poor, so that people may lead simple lives. This is what is meant by taking the Middle Path when it comes to management… Humble, but not impoverished, as it naturally should be.” The temples and structures of Fo Guang Shan are grand and imposing. There lies the paradox. For an order that aims to be suitably poor, the evidence shows one that has been truly blessed.
This column chose snippets from Master Hsing Yun’s “My Way of Management”. It is not for all of us, but it provides insights into what made Master Yun’s dream come to fruition. It is an example of managing differently, but effectively. He emphasizes, “Honor goes to the Buddha; success goes to the assembly; benefit goes to the monastery and merit goes to the benefactors.” His approach has harvested for him so many devotees who serve, cultivate, contribute and give their support to the monastery.
In their classic Harvard Business Review article, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones write that to attract followers, a leader must be many things to many people. The trick is to pull that off while remaining true to yourself. This is the gist of the piece on “Managing Authenticity”. Great leaders understand that their reputation for authenticity needs to be painstakingly earned and carefully managed. That is the essence of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s middle way.
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Benel Dela Paz Lagua was previously EVP and Chief Development Officer at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He is an active FINEX member and an advocate of risk-based lending for SMEs. Today, he is independent director in progressive banks and in some NGOs. The views expressed herein are his own and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX.