Executives Questions and Answers. (During the executive course in Lenox, Massachusetts) 1) I am in a business where I could be my breaking sila. I know enough not to be involved in a business that is going to harm anyone. For instance, making missiles is certainly going to harm people; I obviously wont do that. But what about the gray area where I am building a third-party product and I really dont know where its going to end up. If I know it is going to be used to kill people, then its obviously not good. When I dont know, then what? Goenkaji: You manufacture a knife and people use it to cut vegetables. But if someone uses it to murder somebody, thats not your responsibility. If you sell a knife that you know is going to be used to kill somebody, then its wrong; otherwise, you have no intention of harming anyone. 2) So, as long as you dont have the intention. Goenkaji: Yes, that is more important. 3) Investing in the stock marketis that harmful or it is okay? Because my gain may be a loss to someone that I dont even know. Goenkaji: Well, if your intention is to harm somebody, then it is wrong. If you are just trying to earn some money, theres nothing wrong in that. But whatever you earn, then you have to pay attention to how you are using it. If it is just to inflate your ego look, I am wealthier than everybody else, I am one inch taller than everybody else then it is madness; those earnings are not helpful to you. When you earn money, that money is coming from the society; so it is your duty to share with the society. If you have that sort of volition, then earning is not bad. A householder has to earn.You are not a monk. 3) But somebody may begetting hurt. Goenkaji: Well, you cant help that. You are just trying to earn money. If you make use of this money in a proper way,there is nothing wrong. Your intention is not to harm anyone. If you do something intentionally to hurt somebody, then it is wrong. 4) Please help us understand how to integrate Vipassana into the business world? Goenkaji: It can be integrated into everyones life. A business person has a lot of responsibility and has to deal with many peoplethe employees, the workers in the factory, or people in management. Or the government officials and all that. Vipassana will help you deal with people in a way that is very friendly, because your mind will be full of love and compassion for others. So, whenever any situation arises that disturbs you, accept the fact: now my mind is disturbed. Just observe the sensations for some time, and you will find that you again become calm. With a calm and tranquil mind, a balanced mind, whatever decision you make will be a good one; whatever problem comes, you can solve it easily. 5) During the course sila is easy to keep, but out there in everyday life it is not so easy. Goenkaji: You learn here how to keep sila outside. Its not that you keep sila only on 10-day courses and then you forget about it. This technique will help you. You will understand by this technique that you cant break sila without generating some impurity or the other in the mind. And you will understand that whenever you generate any impurity in your mindanger, hatred, ego, passion, anythingyou lose the balance of your mind, you become miserable. Whenever you break sila,you make yourself miserable. At the intellectual level you understand that you are keeping sila to help others, to keep from harming others. But deep inside, you also understand: I am not obliging anybody by observing sila; I am helping myself. By sila, I keep myself happy and peaceful, and I help others to remain happy and peaceful too. (Vipassana international newsletter. May 2002)
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 06:25:35 +0000
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