Buddhist business

The Dalai Lama has co-authored a book on business ethics, according to Reuters, in which he says, unsurprisingly, that happiness, not profits should be the bottom line. According to Reuters: In `The Leader’s Way,’ published this month by Broadway Books, the spiritual leader of Tibet wrote that both business and Buddhism attach importance to happiness […]

The Dalai Lama has co-authored a book on business ethics, according to Reuters, in which he says, unsurprisingly, that happiness, not profits should be the bottom line.

According to Reuters: In `The Leader’s Way,’ published this month by Broadway Books, the spiritual leader of Tibet wrote that both business and Buddhism attach importance to happiness and making the right decisions, and a company without `happy employees, customers and shareholders will ultimately fail.’

Citing Buddhist basics such as good intentions, a calm mind free of negative thoughts and a realization that nothing is permanent, the Dalai Lama and co-author Laurens van den Muyzenberg tackle timely issues such as corporate compensation, malfeasance and the collapse of the subprime mortgage market.”


Meanwhile, in Nepal, Tibetan refugees are being pinched by economic recession and the increasingly Moaist Nepalese government, according to the Washington Post. An estimated 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal, where the Buddha was born, the Post reports.

Says the Post: “The global economic crisis has spread to this landlocked Himalayan nation, among the poorest on Earth. Fewer tourists are coming to buy carpets, and tens of thousands of dollars in export orders have been canceled, industry experts say, leading to the closure of more than 500 factories.

The crisis facing Tibetan exiles in Nepal is exacerbated by the country’s new government, led by Maoists, who joined the political mainstream in 2006 after waging a decade-long war. As China’s influence over the government grows, Tibetans are experiencing a rise in harassment and extortion, more restrictions on their movements and greater difficulty securing education and jobs than ever before, according to a report released Tuesday by the International Campaign for Tibet…

Tibetan business and human rights leaders say that as the global economy worsened, Maoist militias and Nepalese police began “taxing” the Tibetan factories and workers, often through mafia-style shakedowns and threats. For many Tibetans still waiting for legal papers according them some civil rights in Nepal, there is nothing they can do to fight back as factories are forced out of business.

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!