His Holiness' mind management techniques can boost business success

Phra Sakayawongwisut, 55, had been an aide of the late Supreme Patriarch since he was 15.

“According to the late Supreme Patriarch, the Tripitaka, which has a total of 84,000 sermons, is always refreshing, even after studying it for many decades,” he said.

“In His Holiness’ opinion, there are three most important features of the Tripitaka, namely, truth, goodness and beauty, which form the foundation of Buddhism. He is also a great author of many books on Buddhism that are aimed at different audiences. The range is wide, from the very basic titles to the advanced ones.

“Among others, His Holiness highlighted the techniques of mind management, which I think could be applied to all aspects of management. In fact, these techniques were taught by the Supreme Patriarch a long time ago – at least since the 1960s.

“These techniques could also be applied by businesspeople, managers etc. Once, the Supreme Patriarch was invited to speak at the Asian Institute of Technology on this crucial topic, which was then titled ‘The Technology of Mind’ to suit the mindset of advanced audiences such as those PhD students.

“In fact, His Holiness’ contribution in terms of literary work on Buddhism covers every spectrum of society from the grass roots to those with advanced education.

“In terms of education, there should be three levels of dharma education: primary schools should focus on problems of society; secondary schools, on samadhi or the mind; and universities on panya, or wisdom. Most important, His Holiness believed that dharma should not be a subject of debate or argument but it should be practical and used in real life.

“In Buddhism, mind management is in essence a crucial process of cultivating wisdom that allows one to see through the thick layers of things hiding the genuine subject matter. This can be achieved with vipassana, an important form of Buddhist-style meditation. If you cannot think through some tough issues, you should try vipassana to get a breakthrough idea. This can be used by businessmen, CEOs etc,” Phra Sakayawongwisut said.

He said focusing the mind “is the key to achieve breakthrough results. In other words, you need to get rid of all distractions to get the peace of mind in this process. Someone may say that this is easier said than done, but the truth is that human beings are an advanced species, and if you try it hard enough, you will be successful.”

Danai Chanchaochai, chief executive of DC Consultants and Marketing Communications, said: “If we turn to the topic of business and organisation management, we could say that the Lord Buddha exemplifies the qualities of the best-possible Supreme CEO.

“For example, there is total clarity in setting goals, strategies and the path to achieve those goals. This could be applied to our daily lives to all types of businesses and organisations. It’s evident that Buddhist-style enterprises have been competitive and profitable. They are also more sustainable and contribute more to society.

“In terms of human-resources management, we could learn a lot from the Buddha’s teachings, as the Lord says the mind is the master of the body. The Supreme Patriarch is also a great example in this context as well as in terms of developing great leadership.

“The techniques of mind management are very useful when applied to enterprises and organisations. For example, meditation is good for the peace of mind of employees. When they are happy, they are more productive, and organisations are the beneficiaries.

“In Thailand, many enterprises have already arranged daily or regular meditation sessions for their employees.”