Business to the Buddha

Tag: a greater common cause

  • My Favorite Fictional Character







    Have you ever thought about fiction and reality? Fiction is something untrue, made-up or imaginary. How can I say that the Buddha or Krishna or Jesus was someone who actually walked the face of earth. Is it a possibility that these were imagination of someone? This thought puts me to another thought, what if I myself am is some imagination and a reality is somewhere, something else.

    Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world? Morpheus The Matrix

    What makes something real? Is it because I think, see, feel (perhaps smell or hear) and my mind makes me feel that this is something real because I can sense it? Or something is real because it exist without someone’s ability to sense it or no. Take an example of light – we cannot see light beyond a certain frequency range. Does it make the light non-existent?

    These questions remind me of a very interesting movie – The Matrix.

    “…The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth…”

    I have had a couple of Morpheus in my life to teach me. I have written about almost everyone on this blog. I would want to be Morpheus too, for someone or few in future. I love the character of Morpheus from The Matrix the most. Morpheus is a believer, he courageous. The best part is, the kind of confidence Morpheus has in Neo, it makes me feel that I want to be Neo too. Laurence Fishburne played the role so well that I keep on watching his teachings (dialogs) whenever I feel I should. There are a lot of learnings in those dialogs – “Do not think you are, KNOW you are.” I have written on the movie (red pill) earlier too. I was so fascinated with the movie that I used to tell people that I am fine being a spot-boy for the movie – alas I am in India :(. The movie is so philosophical and spiritual to me that I repeatedly watch it.

    Instead of me talking (writing), I would want to share some videos of the movie (Youtube), not sure about the copyright permissions there.

    I see many of my teachers in Morpheus – they are indeed my Favorite (they are real) human beings, this blog post is dedicated to all of them. This was the title of this weeks Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium. Con You can read other LBC bloggers thoughts here – Rummuser and Shackman.

  • I have a dream!







    Related blog – Why this title?
    Have you read the book – “I have a dream” by Rashmi Bansal? One of my friends gave me this book and said – ‘it might change your life, read it.’ It is on social entrepreneurship. I am reading the book nowadays, and found ‘author’s note’ very interesting, I am putting the note here.

    QUOTE
    There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who think, and those who feel. The ‘thinkers’ see a child begging on the street and say to themselves ‘that’s not my problem.’ Those who feel, however, will give that child something, if not a coin, at least a moment of compassion. Thinkers believe the world is a neat place, with boundaries. ‘My house’, ‘My family’, ‘My community’, ‘My welfare’ that’s where there the boundary ends.

    But those who feel see the entire world as One. Beggar and bourgeois, sinner and saint. We are all interconnected in ways we cannot understand. And Hence, in serving another, we are only serving ourselves.

    For too long now we – the ‘middle class’ of India – have chosen to be thinkers. We have deadened our hearts and our minds to the poor, the hungry and the homeless and the hopeless. Because that problem is really not ‘ours’.

    And the small minority who feels, it’s doing the best it can. But it is never enough! I see now, a new breed of people. Thinking-feeling individuals who look a problem in the eye and declare war. These people think like entrepreneurs but feels and work for the cause of society. And hence, they are ‘social entrepreneurs’. These are people like you and me, not Mother Teresa. They are using the principles of business, to create a better world. A world where profit does not equal greed. Where people come together for a greater common cause. A world where ‘I’ does not mean crushing ‘them’. Because the bank balance you have here on earth will remain, when you depart. Your Karma you carry forward.

    So no matter what your problem in life is, spare a moment for someone else.

    Spread love, laughter and goodwill.

    The more you give, the more you will get back.
    UNQUOTE

    I see a connection between teachings of the Buddha, these entrepreneurs and what Rashmi is saying – i) greater common cause ii) a world where profit is not equal to greed iii) we are all interconnected and iv) we are ONE world.

    I too have a dream – to see all of us – business men/women – as compassionate and thinking in the lines we – as a single world. This for sure would ensure peace, harmony and economically stable world.