A question from a business leader at a crossroads
In Japan, Buddhism is often labeled “funeral Buddhism,” so many people may think of temples simply as places for memorial services for one’s ancestors. At Ryuganji Temple, however, corporate training sessions and university classes are frequently held in the main hall. In the temple world, there is a tendency to be so proud of our long tradition that we come to dislike change and shy away from trying anything new. Ryuganji, on the other hand, is constantly letting a fresh breeze blow through tradition. Perhaps for this very reason, business owners—who are required to face new management challenges every single day—seem to take a particular interest in what we do at Ryuganji.
The question, “How to calm your mind when facing difficult decisions?” is one that I received during a seminar for such business leaders.
When you are unsure, think it through!
Japanese business leaders are accustomed to “funeral Buddhism.” So, it may have seemed surprising, but I answered, “When you are unsure, think it through.”
The reason is that Buddhism places great value on wisdom. People often assume that wisdom is something possessed only by the Buddha, and that we ordinary people lack it altogether. I believe this is a misunderstanding. Even if our wisdom falls far short of the Buddha’s perfect wisdom, if we too can attain enlightenment, then we should understand that we too possess the seed of wisdom. Human beings have the power to think. By thinking, we can change ourselves and change society. This is possible precisely because we have, at least in potential, the quality of wisdom. I understand this as Buddhism’s basic view of the human being.
Furthermore, while Buddhist logic texts were scarcely imported into Japan before the Meiji era and remain relatively unknown, they contain methods for correctly understanding things. When I was a student, I was deeply impressed by the insight of the scholar-monk Dharmakīrti, who saw that there are only two ways to arrive at correct cognition: direct perception (such as the Buddha’s direct intuitive insight and our sense perception), and understanding through inference. In other words, it is not only the intuitive insight that arises in meditation that counts as wisdom. Inference—reasoning that makes full use of data analysis and the like—can also become wisdom, so long as we think things through in a properly logical way. The generative AI that has become popular in recent years is a kind of inferential cognition as well, because it produces suitable images or words on the basis of past data.
Difficult situations may arise in our lives day after day. Yet the Buddhist tradition of wisdom gives us a gentle push from behind, telling us that we have the ability to guide things toward a solution by thinking them through. That is why I answered, “When you are troubled, think it through!”
And if it is still too much, entrust it
It is important to nurture the seed of wisdom within us and help it grow large, but it is also dangerous to strain ourselves too hard or take on too much. So I worry and struggle up to the limits of my own capacity—and if it is still beyond me, then sometimes I simply lean on the light of Amida Buddha and entrust it there. Then, once I have calmed down, I can think about it again. In this way, I continue to pursue as much innovation as I can in my daily life.
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