India rediscovers its Buddha roots

Feb 24, 2007
By Raja M
Asia Times (Hong Kong)

MUMBAI - Indian Tourism and Culture Minister Ambica Soni and her team have decided to promote intensely the "Buddha Circuit", historical places in India associated with the Buddha's life (Bodhgaya, Saranath, Rajgiri. etc) and very popular with Asian tourists as part of the successful "Incredible !ndia" worldwide campaign.

The Incredible !ndia campaign, ranked as the highest "recall advertisement" worldwide by the Travel and Leisure magazine, helped increase foreign tourist arrivals from 3.92 million in 2005 to 4.43 million in 2006, a 14.2% increase, according to the Tourism Ministry.

In its annual readers' poll, the London-based Conde Nast Traveller, the world's top travel and tourism magazine, has ranked India among the top four preferred holiday destinations in the world (after Italy, New Zealand and Australia, with Thailand ranked seventh, following South Africa and France). India was also overwhelmingly voted (97.91%) the country with the most fascinating culture in the world.

Sure enough, the Indian government has decided to showcase the crown jewel in India's cultural wealth, the universal, practical teachings of Gautama the Buddha. This month the government hosted an international conference in Bodhgaya where Gautama the Buddha attained enlightenment, to celebrate the 2,550th anniversary of the Buddha passing away (attaining parinibbana). Prime Minister Manmohan Singh headed the organizing committee as chairman.

The celebrations are part of a significant revival of the Buddhist culture in India, the birthplace of the Buddha, where for centuries his teaching was ironically frowned upon and feared as harmful and full of delusions, even though the Buddha himself was revered personally as a great being. Much to the dismay of Theravada countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia, the Buddha was even considered in India as a reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. That is changing.

After a sustained, respectfully persuasive campaign by eminent Indian followers of the Buddha's teaching, Hindu religious and political leaders such as from the Bharitiya Janata Party have acknowledged that the Buddha's teaching are not an offshoot of Hinduism. More accurately, the Buddha is being seen more as a guide pointing to a universal way out of suffering than as founder of any religious sect.

"Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion, to emancipate the exploited class in the country," said Tamil Nadu state Finance Minister K Anbazhagan. Inaugurating the 2,550th anniversary celebrations of the Buddha's Mahaparinibbana organized by the government of this southern state, the minister pointed out that the Buddha's ideals are very much relevant in today's India as it advocates the end to the caste system and establishing a society where good conduct, not birth, establishes one's social status.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi said the Buddha taught love, and his teachings were universal and against casteism. "Buddha had also said women too could attain sainthood, and his teachings were simple enough to be followed by all. This is why the Buddha's teachings were accepted by social reformers like Periyar and Ambedkar," he said.

In 1954, Babasaheb Ambedkar - known as the father of the Indian constitution - went to Burma (now Myanmar), was inspired by the Buddha's teaching and returned to India to direct hundreds of thousands in India's so-called "untouchable castes" to the Buddha's path, one of the most significant events in modern Indian history.

"Many see Ambedkar's action as a religious conversion from one religion to another," said Satya Narayan Goenkaji, considered worldwide as one of the foremost teachers of Vipassana, the practical quintessence of the Buddha's teaching. "But for me, his action was a social conversion, from inequality to equality. Ambedkar was against sectarianism. That is why he enshrined the non-sectarian, secular nature of the Indian republic into the Indian constitution.

"Vipassana, as taught by S N Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, is practiced in more than 100 countries, and practitioners visiting Buddha-related sites and Vipassana centers such as Dhamma Giri, near Mumbai, the largest meditation center in the world, form another increasing segment of visitors to India.

The spread of the Buddha's practical meditation techniques in India and the rest of the world has led to an unprecedented reawakening to a truth that the Buddha was not the founder of any religion. A new conviction sees the Buddha more as a super-scientist who explored and shared a way out to cope with the impermanence of all things in life.

The Indian Tourism Ministry's drive coincides with the revival of Buddha's teaching in the subcontinent, and benefits the troubled badlands of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the two Indian states with a wealth of Buddha-related heritage.

A Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) study says the two states have potential to generate US$1 billion worth of Buddha-related tourism. Sarnath (where Buddha gave his first discourse after Enlightenment) and Bodhgaya are the most important destinations on the circuit.

Other sites such as the ancient cities of Rajgir, Kushanagar and Vaishali where the Buddha taught are being given upgraded attention. The ministry is promoting these sites as part of the "Walk with the Buddha" campaign. The Indian government also plans to start a Chinese website and have Chinese-speaking guides for tourists from the big neighbor where the Buddha's teaching is again taking deeper roots.

Countries such as Japan are only too willing to assist, with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation funding four projects in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra totaling $273 million. Institutions in Taiwan have been funding major projects to publish the Buddha's teaching.

Eleven Indian states are expected to harvest big benefits from the Buddha Circuit. Besides Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh are part of the route. Other major emerging attractions for visitors worldwide include the Global Pagoda in Mumbai (see Asia's spectacular monument of gratitude, Asia Times Online, October 26, 2006) that houses the world's largest meditation hall and enshrines relics of the Buddha.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp Ltd, the marketing arm of the Indian Railways, is expected to start an eight-day tour package on a luxury train called the Mahaparinirvan Special Express next month from Delhi to help tourists visit the Buddha sites. The FICCI study estimates that this segment of tourism can draw more than a million visitors to India by 2012, a 400% rise of Buddha pilgrims.

After millennia, India is awakening to the Buddha, and the world is dropping in for a visit.

Organization's Values analysis and its challanges

Thank you, everyone, for your contributions to Discussion Topic #3 on Values. I enjoyed reading your responses. These were some of the questions which your reflections helped me think about.

1) What is the value of values?
Sophan's Wikipedia friend said values were "the principles, standards, or quality which guide human actions." Guide is a key word. Ultimately, it is up to us to embody the values we define as important (see Linda's PREL story on the "Webinar", Hoa's photos of the community garden linked to UH values). If we fail, as Cerell observed, people notice. If you repeatedly disconnect from the core values of an organization, according to Chuck Jones of Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), it is time to leave, before you are asked to. Equally, companies hold employees accountable to their core values through positive performance (rewards, promotion, recognition). Values underlie and drive mission and purpose. They bring people together and unite them around a common cause. They provide meaning (and leaders manage meaning).

2) Some organizations do not have formal values. Is this a problem?
Not necessarily. Many successful organizations do not have a values list or chart, including some that you are working for (Laurel, Thuan, Thidarat, Odno, for example). However, these are all new organizations (anything from 2-8 years old). It takes time to refine the vision and mission of an organization and for core values to emerge. It requires clarification of purpose, understanding of success, and experience (often failure). When BAH surveyed 360 successful companies in 30 countries, they found 89% of them had formal value statements. (Rathana: generally these are short lists simply to identify and proritize what is truly important.)

I'm struck by the fact that the EWC (which is 47 years old) does not have a values chart, yet Cerell did an excellent job "reading" the values here: appreciation and understanding, respect and tolerance, exchange and dialogue, collaboration and cooperation, scholarship, service. The last value (service) was the only one I paused to think about. We have introduced new service learning projects recently, and many people throughout the organization value service, but I don't know if this is a core value of the Center. Perhaps it should be, if we follow the Public Admin's advice (cited by Sophan) that "public service is the rent you pay for occupying space on earth." I thought all of you who interpreted the values of your organization (when not formally listed) were insightful (see, for example, Rathana on the PoliSci department at UH). This is less easy than it might first appear. I would encourage you to ask your boss/head of department if s/he thinks you are right. It could lead to an interesting conversation. For example, at PREL (Paulina, Linda), I wondered what are the core values implicitly underlying the principles established in your vision [value suggestions added in brackets]:
· All children can learn. [Inclusiveness? Access?]
· It is essential to educate the whole child. [Holism?]
· Education is a dynamic partnership. [Collaboration?]
· Cultural diversity is to be valued and promoted. [Diversity?
But what about the backlash against multiculturalism ... ?]

3) When are values most valuable?
I was struck by Pinky Thompson's (Nainoa's father) comments, which Kyoko shared: After the tragic death of Eddie Aikau, Pinky said to the traumatized members of PVS:"The only thing that can bring you back together is to have a common set of values that are so powerful that you agree and you hold on….That set of values will have to define who you are, what your sense of purpose is, your duty, your commitment ... and hold on to that…." In this case, Pinky proposed: "this community should never ever be defined by geography or boundary of geography, or boundary of race…. this community needs to be simply about people who agree with this value, people that will come to learn, come to work, and come to give back. These are the people you need to re-build your community."

In other words, in a time of extreme adversity, a powerful set of shared values helped to bring the community back together and carry on. Without this, PVS would have collapsed.

4) To what extent should my values be challenged in the workplace?
This question struck me the most forcefully when reading your responses. Many of you seemed comfortable with your organization's values and while I was initially happy to hear this, it left a lingering concern. I have learned the most when my values have been stretched or challenged in a positive way. Living in Japan I was culturally challenged in a stimulating, educational manner by different value systems. To what extent is tension helpful, even necessary for growth? (See Christina on EWC Sports Summit, Cerell on work ethic, Bulgan on professionalism).

A good example is Phuong Anh at Credit Suisse in Singapore, which has 12 values (6 ethical, 6 performance). PA's tension, perhaps conflict, is the profit-driven/visibility approach of the company to philanthropy versus her own sustainability approach favored by non-profits. Or put another way, fulfilling a task versus what she thinks is right and should be done. This is an important conversation with self and might influence future career decisions. I was struck by the fact that Credit Suisse lists "risk culture" as one of its six performance values. This is bold. It also requires a culture of support. If you encourage risk, calculated of course, you must support staff when they fail. I am curious to what extent CS genuinely advocates risk and, if it does, if it provides a culture of support in response to failure? The APLP values innovation (which includes risk).

Another excellent example was Pauline talking about showing "respect" in Chuuk as opposed to Hawaii. I have observed this behavior with all our APLP participants from Chuuk. This is a gender-based value (the role of women in society), which I imagine Thuan's, Odno's and Thidarat's organizations would reject as, from their perspective, it would challenge their core value of gender equality. Without revisiting the issues of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism here, what is an appropriate response to Pauline? Again, important conversation. Cultural change (see Thuan on how giving women access to finance is not enough) can take generations.

5) Do personal values change?
In my opinion, absolutely. In response to circumstances and experience at different points in your life, as you evolve, learn and mature. Read the brilliant autobiography of Malcolm X as he redefines himself on several occasions. Ivee suggests the essence of core values never changes, but values continuously take shape and are redefined as she changes ... As we discussed during the visioning/PAP work last semester, conflict between couples often takes place not because core values are different (often they are the same), but because the order or hierarchy is different, and thus the sense of priorities.

Thank you again. I enjoyed this and learned a lot. I've attached Chuck Jones' BAH PowerPoint lecture in case any of you wish to revisit this. And Sophan, Winston Churchill is not American! Respect my culture!

Aloha,
Nick

Political Leadership: Styles and Impacts

Political Leadership

Styles and Impacts

There are various books and researches relating leaders and leadership. Glenn. D. Paige, in his book “The Scientific Study of Political Leadership” has exclusively addressed the characteristics, traits, power management and differences of political leadership. Paige picked up Dahl’s theory on community leadership patterns are described as “covert integration by economic notables, an executive-centered ‘grand coalitions, coalition of chieftains, independent sovereignties with spheres of influence and rival sovereignties fighting it out.”

Glancing around David Gergen’s book, he impressively informed us what he experienced with distinctive four presidents of the United States. One of his phrases emphasizes leadership that must have inner mastery; a central, compelling purpose rooted in moral values; a capacity to persuade; skills in working within the system; a fast start; a strong, effective team; a passion that inspires others to keep the flame alive. He drew attention by picking up six prominent men whom we can explore their leadership’s background in leading the world. They are Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao Tse-Tung, Roosevelt and Churchill. Five of them are communist political leaders; Roosevelt and Churchill didn’t side with them. Presently, these two American figures have become the democratic role models for American and also influence most parts of the world.

John W. Gardner in his book of On Leadership illustrates some significant and effective managing methods that he focus on planning and priority setting, organizing and institution building, keeping the system functioning, agenda setting and decision making, and exercising political judgment. He outlined a very vibrant phrase that “values always decay over time. Societies that keep their values alive do so not by escaping the process of decay but by powerful process of regeneration. They must be perpetual rebuilding.” What leaders’ attributes are? Gardner addressed very interesting that: physical vitality and stamina, intelligence and judgment-in-action, willingness (eagerness) to accept responsibilities, task competence, understanding of followers/constituents and their needs, skill in dealing with people, need to achieve, capacity to motivate, courage/resolution/steadiness, capacity to win and hold trust, capacity to manage/decide/set priority, confidence, ascendance/dominance/assertiveness, and adaptability/flexibility of approach.

Primal Leadership: realization the power of emotional intelligence, three authors of Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee focused their works with four dimensions of emotional intelligence which are grouped into two distinctive functions such as personal competence and social competence. Personal competence concentrates on self awareness and self management. Self awareness requires emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment and self-confidence. Self management requires emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement, initiative and optimism. Social competence clarifies the capabilities how we manage relations that significantly constitutes of two different modes: social awareness and relationship management. Social awareness requires empathy, organizational awareness and service. Relationship management requires inspirational leadership, influence, developing others, change catalyst, conflict management, building bonds and teamwork.

More than this, they envisioned us the leadership repertoire in a very spectacular leadership styles in a nutshell as visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commanding. To be a visionary leader, s/he should know how to build resonance to move people toward shared dreams, to impact on climate with most strong positive and to select the appropriate time when changes require a new vision or when a clear direction is needed. Coaching connects what a person wants with organization’s goals, prestigiously constitutes of highly positive and help an employee improve performance by building long-term capacities. Affiliative creates harmony by connecting people to each other, be positive and heal rifts in a team, motivate during stressful times and strengthen connections. Democratic values people’s input and gets commitment through participation, be positive and build buy-in or consensus, or to get valuable input from employees. Pacesetting meets challenging and exciting goals, be too frequently poorly executed often highly negative and get high-quality results from a motivated and competent team. Commanding soothes fears by giving clear direction in an emergency, be often misused becomes highly negative and in a crisis to kick-start a turnaround or with problem employees. This sixfold leadership styles consist of how it builds resonance, impact on climate and when appropriate.

By Vodano

Ancient Temples Face Modern Assault

Rapid Rise in Tourism Is Overwhelming Cambodia's Ability to Protect Fragile Sites

By Anthony Faiola

Washington Post Foreign Service

"The rural province surrounding Angkor remains thethird-poorest in Cambodia, despite the opening of a stringof five-star hotels and shopping arcades in thenearby town of Siem Reap"- Cambodian Development Resource Institute

ANGKOR, Cambodia -- Built by a mighty 9th-century Khmer king, the soaring temple of Phnom Bakheng stands atop the highest peak of ancient Angkor. With a sweeping view that takes in Angkor Wat -- the world's largest religious structure -- the monks stationed here were probably among the first to glimpse the approaching Siamese troops that snuffed out this city's centuries-long domination of much of Southeast Asia.

So perhaps it is not surprising that more than 500 years later, Phnom Bakheng has become the ideal perch from which to watch another assault on Angkor -- by marauding armies of tourists.

As Cambodia has settled into peace and opened to the world, the temples of Angkor have in recent years gone from stone to gold for the national government. This year, a deluge of tour operators is expected to cart in nearly 1 million foreign visitors, a sixfold increase since 2000.

Including Cambodians, the number of visitors to the archaeological park will reach a record 2 million this year and at least 3 million by 2010, according to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which identified Angkor as a World Heritage site in 1992.

The growth has put the Cambodian government in a difficult position, observers say, forcing it to balance the potential to make money against the need for preservation, restoration and study. It is a dilemma familiar to other countries that profit from treasured cultural sites.

The Acropolis in Athens, the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Hagia Sophia area of Istanbul are all experiencing tourism pressures. In Peru, the massive sand lines at Nazca and Palpa have come under threat from encroaching power lines and roving tourists in jeeps. In Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, UNESCO has decried "uncontrolled urban development.

"Preservationists and archaeologists here increasingly fear that the frenzy to commercialize Angkor, now also a hot set location for films such as Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider," is winning out over the need for preservation.

Nowhere is that clearer than at Phnom Bakheng, where a number of new guidebooks advise visitors not to miss the sunset from the temple's summit. Tips like that have led to a daily siege by an armada of tour buses around dusk. On a recent afternoon, about 4,000 visitors, speaking Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, English and a host of other languages, scampered to the top of the temple, stepping on pictorial stones and manhandling ancient statues as one lonely guard sat on the sidelines, overwhelmed.

"The problem we're facing is that the pace of visitor growth is accelerating far faster than the ability to manage such huge crowds," said Teruo Jinnai, UNESCO's top official in Cambodia. "There is no doubt that this is beginning to cause damage to the temples and that it has the potential to become much worse if nothing is done.

"Six months ago, the U.S.-based World Monuments Fund, which is doing major restoration work at Phnom Bakheng, was forced to rope off the rapidly deteriorating main stone path leading to the temple area because of a combination of trampling tourists and rain runoff.Inside Phnom Bakheng, statues and carvings in low relief have sustained new damage from tourists. Fresh graffiti have been sprayed alongside sandstone carvings of flying celestial nymphs and Garuda warriors.

On one side of the temple, piles of sandbags placed last year to hold up a retaining wall have been damaged by tourists who have climbed and descended the temple's sides without waiting their turn on a number of steep stone staircases.

"In the 10th century, this was a perfect creation, a structure built with mathematical and religious harmony and where the king and a few of his monks would come to worship," John H. Stubbs, the World Monuments Fund vice president for field projects, said as he surveyed the crowds on the temple summit.

"But now, look at this," he said. "It simply was not built for these thousands of people to be here at once. Tourism is a double-edged sword. We want everyone to appreciate the importance of Angkor's temples, but not like this."The Cambodian government has come under fire over Angkor. Only a few local and foreign businesses appear to be benefiting from the economic boom generated by the ruins, by far Cambodia's largest tourist attraction.

The concession to run the admissions center -- which generates tens of millions of dollars a year that preservationists say is rarely pumped back into the site itself -- was granted to a politically connected company run by a powerful Cambodian businessman. Many of the street vendors who now peddle trinkets inside the park have come from the capital, Phnom Penh, rather than nearby villages.

As a result, the rural province surrounding Angkor remains the third-poorest in Cambodia, despite the opening of a string of five-star hotels and shopping arcades in the nearby town of Siem Reap, according to a study released in 2005 by the Cambodian Development Resource Institute.

"We are doing the best we can under the circumstances," said Chau Sun Kerya, tourism director at APSARA, the Cambodian government body in charge of Angkor. "Do we want to have a better plan for crowd control? Do we want more monitoring of the temples? Of course we do, but we simply don't have the funds to do it quickly.

"But the government has found the means to push forward on initiatives designed to lure even greater numbers to the park. In recent weeks, authorities launched a pilot program with Korean tour operators for a nighttime "sound and light" show at Angkor Wat. There, massive spotlights and electrical cords run along the sides of the main temple, a structure so large that four St. Peter's Basilicas could fit inside its footprint. A Japanese tourism company has been granted rights to hold large, moonlit banquets inside the park grounds at $60 per person.

"Angkor has become a sort of cultural Disneyland," said Khin Po Thai, a longtime Angkor guide and preservation activist. "We are overwhelmed by the crowds we have now, but they are still trying to bring in more and more people. No one ever sees where the money goes. It certainly doesn't go back into preservation.

"Without doubt, Angkor has had its share of good times and bad. The great King Jayavarman II began erecting his capital city here in A.D. 802, founding the Khmer Empire that held sway over what is now Cambodia, as well as much of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, from the 9th century to the 12th.

At its peak, the city boasted a population of more than 1 million, with part of its cultural importance stemming from a mixed religious influence that resulted in a magnificent diversity of stunningly intricate reliefs. Starting as a Hindu city, Angkor turned to Buddhism in later centuries. Its religious life always included a strong dose of animism as well.

After the city's final fall in the early 15th century, it descended into obscurity. Although glimpsed sporadically by foreign travelers and pilgrims in later years, it regained global attention only in 1864, with the publication of the French explorer Henri Mouhot's book "Travels in Siam, Cambodia and Laos," about his visits to the ruins.

The temples suffered during and after the communist Khmer Rouge era in the 1970s and '80s. But since the early 1990s, a growing campaign has been underway to restore the ruins. The massive preservation effort now involves archaeological teams from at least 12 countries.

"Our goal is to try to prolong the life of this incredible site for as long we possibly can," Stubbs said. "We understand the clear need to have tourists visit the temples, and of course we want them to see this great achievement by mankind. But we also need to understand that the real focus should be keeping them safe."