It was as though he had pressed a Play button in the mind of the Californian businessman.
“We operate in the most ferociously competitive markets of the world. And the fastest-moving!” His eyes lit up, and his face became animated. “By the time any new product becomes available, it is already six, twelve months out-of-date. In our business environment, one thing matters more than anything else: innovation! We need to be creative. We need to unleash our employees’ talent to work out what’s going to matter to consumers a year from now, and to develop the perfect application for them before anyone else does.
“We find,” he said, his voice lowered to a sacramental tone, “that when people meditate, they are more innovative.”
The Dalai Lama was nodding seriously.
“By contrast, if their minds are agitated, they can’t see what might be staring them in the face.”
This was a theme I’d often heard His Holiness talk about. “Like a glass of storm water scooped out of the gutter,” the Dalai Lama said. “Very murky. But rest the glass on a flat surface for a while, and the sediment settles. You have clear water—you can see right through it.”
“A wonderful metaphor!” chimed the visitor. “I will definitely be sharing that one when I get home. We also find that when people meditate they are more relaxed. It’s easier for them to be more playful and creative, to optimize innovation—which is critical for our business.”
The Dalai Lama considered this carefully before saying, “It is very interesting to hear the different purposes to which meditation is being put.”
“We attribute half our NPD—sorry, New Product Development—to mindfulness practice.”
“Very impressive.” His Holiness was smiling.
“And that’s only the start of it. There’s now plenty of research showing that when people meditate, their focus improves. It’s a highly transferable skill. Whether you’re sitting on a meditation cushion concentrating on the breath or in front of a computer screen concentrating on an e-mail, you become more productive, less easily distracted, and your memory recall improves.”
“Good for the employer,” observed the Dalai Lama with his trademark chuckle. “More profit.”
“The bottom line is always important,” agreed the visitor. “That’s not a problem, is it? It’s not like we’re subverting the practice of meditation.”
His Holiness pondered this question for a moment. “Generally speaking, motivation always comes first, yes? When encouraging your staff to meditate, if your motivation is to help them be more useful, happier, more functional for their own benefit and for others—well, no problem.”
“There is a growing debate about whether companies should encourage meditation,” said his guest. “The purists are arguing that it is unethical to ‘use’ a practice designed for spiritual progress in the pursuit of profit.”
“If profit is the only goal, then there is a problem,” the Dalai Lama continued. “But if profit arises from better creativity, and more fulfillment, better job satisfaction then . . . meditation is helpful. In Tibet we have a saying about meditation and ethics. For a non-meditator, an unethical action is like a hair falling on the hand. For a meditator, the same action is like a hair falling on the eyeball—big problem. When people meditate regularly, greater ethical awareness quite naturally develops. What could be better for the world’s biggest companies than if all their employees were to meditate? I would like to see this: all the largest global organizations encouraging people to meditate. This would be a very big step toward world peace.”
“These are some of the themes that our Wisdom Conferences explore!” said the visitor. “The role of social engagement and how happier employees make for happier communities. There are some very exciting studies showing how meditation improves job satisfaction and staff retention at the same time as reducing stress and burnout.
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“For me, the biggest benefit of all has been changes in the way that people get along with one another at work, in their emotional regulation. It is usually possible to find solutions to technical problems or financial problems. But people problems? They are the most difficult to manage. Fortunately, we have discovered that when people meditate regularly, especially as a team, they don’t get so hung up on small things.”
“Less attachment.” The Dalai Lama was nodding. “More openness.”
“Exactly. In fact we’ve come up with this phrase: A company that sits together, knits together.”
His Holiness laughed as he reached over to take his visitor’s hand again. “You are a very good advertisement for meditation,” he said, still chuckling. Then his expression turned serious. “But if you really want me to speak at your conference, I will have to talk about my concerns, too.”
“Concerns?”
The Dalai Lama pretended to hunch over a cell phone, his thumbs moving over an imaginary screen. “Too much activity. Mindless distraction. This creates great agitation. It destroys inner peace. If people get too caught up with their phones they are robbed of contentment.”
No one could deny the point the Dalai Lama was making. I saw it myself every day down at the Himalaya Book Café where, instead of enjoying the wonderful surroundings and experiencing the novelty of the place, tourists from all over the world would sit huddled over their mobile devices, utterly absorbed in what was happening on the other side of the world or frustrated by the lack of network speed that slowed down message exchange.
Stirring on the sill, I reached out both front paws for a languid stretch before hopping down from my usual place and making my fluffy way over the carpet to where the two men were sitting.
“These are valid points,” the visitor was saying. “Whenever new technology emerges we must question the best uses to which it can be put.”
“Motivation,” summarized His Holiness.
“Of course.” The other man seemed unsure of how to respond to my evidently unexpected appearance while also trying to find a more positive response to His Holiness.
“I have a Buddhist friend who has created an app for his cell phone. At random times of the day, it makes a special sound. He calls it his ‘bodhisattva alert.’ It’s a reminder to question his actions at that moment.”