Alliance of Civilizations: Perfect Match between the West and East (Part III)
K.S.Chow
Western Gurus
After the second world war, Japanese industrialists worked vigorously to reconstruct their nation and recover their economy until the spectacular emergence of Japanese economic miracle after the second world war. In the middle of 20th century C.E, three western management gurus visited Japan to lay the foundation of the culture of TQM (Total Quality Management) in Japan. These three management gurus were W. Edwards Deming, Josep Juran and Phillip Crosby. W.E. Deming transmitted the ‘Statistical Tools’ to improve process management to the Japanese industrialists. Joseph Juran transferred the ‘Role of Employees in Quality Management’ to them. Phillip Crosby imparted ‘Zero Defect in TQM’.
Contigent upon the models of TQM contributed by the aforementioned western gurus, Kaoru Ishikawa, the father of Japanese TQM innovated and invented Japanese TQM incorporating the concept of QCC (Quality Control Circle) and fish-bone diagram in the Japanese TQM. The Japanese are always astute copy cats evolving into spercats which make them highly competitive in international trade.
Western Learning
A very popular Chinese proverb depicts the brilliant mind of the Japanese industrialists: The green ensues from the blue and surpassess the blue. Even though Japan has already emerged as a world’s second economic superpower today after U.S.A, the Japanese government is still sending a large number of Japanese students annually to study and glean development sutras from the renowned professors in western universities in America, Canada and Europe. The alliance of civilizations between the west and the east actually have been benefiting both the west and the east incessantly hitherto.
Import of Zen and Tao
Learning from the west, Japan has amassed her economic influence and lifted the standard of living of the Japanese. Even though she is the second world’s economic power house, she has indeed learnt a valuable lesson from the catastrophe of the atomic devastations of the second world war two. Most enchantingly, she preserves her political humility amid her economic affluence. The influence of Zen has been impacting Japanese culture of preserving good human relationship with others. Soto Zen was imported by Dōgen Zenji in 12nd. century C.E; Eisai Zenji imported the Rinzai Zen tradition in the 13rd century C.E.
Even though Japan is a great rival of United States in export market share, she has been maintaining harmonious relationship with United States. This is itself marvelous as rivals are usually enemies. Besides the edifying lesson of the devastations by the two nuclear bombs, Japanese wisdom of Tao and Zen, both imported from the Neo-confucianism and Chan Buddhism respectively from the imperial China, have made the Japanese realize the importance of benevolence and peaceful co-existence in the context of phenomena-absolute relationship.
Spiritualization of Industry
The western management gurus have taught the Japanese industrialists fundamentals of TQM. TQM improves their management and production process. It helps improve product quality and competiveness with the key agenda to enlarge global market share. The unprecedented and awesome successful Japanese car industry and other manufactured products, such as electrical appliances have made Japanese a leading manufacturing giant – quality products at competitive prices surpassing those of western automobile industry in the modern era. In close analysis, QCC, key sector of modern management science, is actually consonant with religious wisdom of process and perennial philosophy. TQM is, in reality, the emphasis on the quality management of the unity of contigent conditions of land, capital, human resource and enterprise. This notion of dependently co-arisen unity of parts is sacred and dear. The concept of interdependence is actually traditional religious wisdom. Interdependence relates with Buddhist concept of Emptiness (Śūnyatā). The synthesis of parts into the whole is the Buddhist concept of Dependently Co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Theosophically put, TQM and QCC fulfill the relationship between phenomena (relative truth) and the Principle (Absolute Truth). TQM and QCC can only be fulfilled through superb human relationship and work ethics.
Chinese influences
The Japanese is adept at TQM and QCC in modern businesses. She is also renowned for their excellent employer-employee relationship, in-house union, concensus decision making and excellent work ethics. These attributes are related to TQM/QCC. In terms of Buddhist Theosophy, the Japanese are truly religious in the industrial process in their work place. Japanese economy is spiritualized with Zen wisdom supported by the wisdom Tao of Neo-confucianism imported from Imperial China by Japan during the Sung Dynasty. It is possible that the Chinese imperial influence of Zen and Neo-confucianism on Japanese work culture may not be aware of by the modern Japanese youth if they have not studied the history of Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism in relationship to the Chinese imperial history.
Besides the influence of Zen Buddhism, Japanese Buddhists are traditional Vairocana Buddhists who worship the Vairocana Buddhism derived from Avataṃsaka Sūtra of Hua-yen Buddhism, also imported from imperial China. Hua-yen Buddhism profusely emphasizes the interdependent unity of parts. The Japanese Buddhist scholars had and have acquired Chinese Buddhism which have evolved into Japanese Buddhism. It is another Japanese showcase of a copy cat transforming into a supercat. This is the reason why the Japanese economy has emerged and surpassed China after the second world war. Japan is an expert on the utility of Zen wisdom and Hua-yen’s Doctrine of Interpendence to spiritualize their commerce and industry. Japan is the second largest economy after United States before the 2008 financial crisis.
The Modern Japanese polity of ‘Japanese Incorporated Concept’ has certainly been derived either directly or indirectly from Zen or Vairocana Buddhist tradition most of which was imported from imperial China. The Japanese political leaders perceive that the whole Japanese nation is the Essence of Emptiness or a cosmic Self. They perceive their nation as the unity of two major sectors, namely the government’s public sector and the private sector. The public sector is the principal cause (hetu) and the private sector the supporting condition (pratyaya). They recognize that the harmony of association between these two sectors constitute the sound nationhood of Japan. This reciprocal relationship of interdependence is officially declared as the ‘Japanese Incorporated Concept’. The ‘Malaysian Look East Policy’ transmuted the concept into the ‘Malaysia Incorporated Concept’ (Persyarikatan Malaysia). Malaysian national economic development reached its climax because of the implementation of the this concept during the political era of Dr. Mahathir Mohammad. The ‘Malaysian Incorporated Concept’ is consonant with Islamic Doctrine of Tawḥīd (Unity) and the Sufi Doctrine of Waḥdat al Wujūd (Unity of Existence). The Unity of Existence is God (Ḥaqq).
The Government and the private sector are actually symbiotic and non-dual. The government constructs the infrastructure for the benefits of the private sector and furnishes service to the private sector. The private sector reciprocally creates the economic wealth and shares part of their wealth with government through corporate taxes. Without corporate taxes, no government can develop any nation and raise the standard of living of her citizentry. The financial wealth collected from the tax payers from local citizentry and as well as foreigners empowers the national treasury to provide the fund to develop infrastructure of the nation and raise the standard of living of her citizentry. Therefore, the government and the private sector consisting of local citizentry and foreigners including the immigrants are actually the economic assets of any nation. We must admit that financially, the successful businessmen, big or small are creators and contributors of national wealth for national development and for elevating the standard of living of the citizentry. Furthermore, humanitarian aids can only be rendered through the philanthropy spirit of the affluent businessmen. On the basis of their contributions and the essence of unity of existence, both the local citizentry and the contributing foreigners are worthy to be well treated and respected as long as they are tax payers and workers. A restaurant proprietor certainly treats well the foreign customers because of their capacities to pay for the services. Gotama Buddha categorically affirms that man is treated and respected according to his worthiness. The Exalted One stressed that an individual is be treated according to his or her kammas and not his birth. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of any nation is directly proportionate to the earning power of the private sector companies or corporations – the worthy tax payers and contributors.
The businesses of the private sector are the golden geese that produce the golden eggs to sustain the operation and development expenditures of the government. If the government bureaucracy does not treat well the private sector, the implications may be undersirable and even backfire in the long run. The productivity of the private business enterprises is influenced by the efficiency and cleanliness of the public servants. Therefore, it is evident that both domestic and foreign investments are blood veins of the government treasury and pulses of national economy. Unfriendly -treatment of the private sector is akin to the metaphor of dropping a rock directly on a toe of one’s leg. The tax payers are crucial contigent conditions for any national economic development. The communal attribute of any developed nation is that they value or even worship both the local as well as foreign talents who can lay the golden eggs for them.
Western and oceania multiculturalism has proved to be an enormous economic motivating economic resources because they welcome talented professionals or businesspeople to their countries. China, India, Russia and Brazil emulate the western open and liberal policy. They are currently the four rapid growing developing economies. Global economist, Jim O’Neill in his BRIV Thesis predicts that these four developing economies will be the most powerful economic power houses by the year 2050.
The unity of existence between the government and the private sector is, in truth, the essence of God or Emptiness. Whoever adheres to the God concept or Dharma prospers; whoever opposes the God concept or the Dharma is doomed to failure or gloom. The ‘Japanese Incorporated Concept’ is God concept or Buddha concept in the ultimate analysis. Malaysia ought to resurrect her ‘Look East Policy’ to preserve the harmonious relationship between the public sector and private sector and insure the sustainable development of Malaysia. The 2008 Malaysia’s political tsunami has gravely injured human relationships among the Malaysians themselves of different political platforms. The intensive political bickering has severely eroded her national solidarity and cohesion. Theosophically put, post-political tsunami Malaysia is willful regression as far as national unity or cohesion is concerned.
The recent super opening and closing of 2008 Beijing Olympics games mirror that Tao or Chan wisdom (synonymous with Brahman and Sufism) pulsate evidently in modern China. But the 2008 milk contamination scandal is a big reverse gear for China. A nation must learn a bitter lesson that ugly human behaviors of the citigentry batter the goodwill of any developing developed economy. The 2008 financial crisis has severely tarnished the western goodwill of being the hopeful land of American golden dream. The milk contamination scandal has gravely raised a big doubt about the Chinese corporate culture of TQM. The deficiency of the citizentry is debited into the account of the victim government or nation which should develop stricter oversight mechanism. TQM is Tao. The Chinese should have learnt that business ethics are parts of TQM or Tao. The most ideal TQM in China is the conglomeration of Communism, Capitalism, Chan and Tao to harmonize the phenomena-principle relation. The Chinese dream of full economic rise can only be crystallized if and only if China can avert the fallibilities and vulnerabilities of the western financial crisis and the Chinese Milk Contamination scandal.
However, we prefer to see modern China, Russia, India or Brazil to emerge as a leading superpower not only in the spheres of politics, and economics, but most importantly, a civil and humane superpower with the Face of God or Tao. We want to see both faces in any emerging superpower in our currently imperilled world. We cherish the economic face as well as the humane face radiating mettā (lovingkindness) to the rest of the world. We want to see the smile of the Face of God or Tao harmonizing the phenomenal world. Mere economic superpower with a very strong defence power is not adequate. We want a superpower who has both the head and Heart to mitigate or address international issues or crises. We want a superpower who understands the relative-absolute relationship. Any resolution in any global peace negotiation on the basis of the Truth of the relationship between the phenomenal world and the Absolute Truth is wise and reliable. Any thing other than this dual relative –absolute relationship is willful ignorance and wishful thinking. The global financial crisis and the ecocrisis have sickened and weakened the planet earth considerably.
India is another rapidly emerging economy in Asia after China. She is a major exporter of highly skilled, English-educated workers in software and financial services, and software engineering. It is reported that India produced the greatest number of millionaires and billionaires in the world in 2007. India is a country enormously enriched with religious philosophies. They should have capitalized on Vedānta to reduce the epic and dire clashes of religious civilizations among the different religious faiths in India.
Vedānta is the most ideal faith to promote and foster interfaith understanding. The epic and dire religiously motivated daily riot fever of mob violences in India is an insult to the consummated Vedānta’s doctrine of one God Brahman only amid the religious pluralism in India. India has two greatest assets in her long history of Hindu civilization until present time. Firstly, India has the longest history of religious and philosophical civilization culminating in the philosophy of Vedānta. Secondly, India has produced many modern scientists especially in the field of software engineering. If the modern Indian elites or experts can syncretize the wisdom of Vedānta and Science, India would be an unsurpassed economic tiger in Asia. Alas, the frequent ethnic clashes in Indian cities today mirror that they have neglected their Vedānta wisdom concealed by the polytheistic ritualism. Extreme capitalism unguided by Theosophy or religious wisdom is playing with the devils. Modern religious Hindus emphasizes ritualism which was rejected by Upaniṣads about 3,000 years ago in India.
Likewise, Dubai is another Internet City of emerging electronic economy. We would also like to see that the Face of God also emerges together with her cyber development. Economic development is only phenomenal. Real happiness ensues from remembering the Allah amid the post modernity of the phenomenal world. Any phenomenon is just the fish; the Absolute is the borderless Ocean. May I suggest that Dubai utilizes a small portion of its economic wealth to construct a world class Sufi University to be staffed by world’s renowned Sufi scholars graduated from world’s renowned universities, such as Harvard University, Oxford University and so forth. The main core of the Sufi curriculum should be concentrated on the role that can be played by Sufi wisdom to promote and foster alliance of civilization between the west and the east. Most importantly, the university should take the lead to standardize a uniform interpretation of world-God relationship concept expounded by the lineage of prophets. The communal Truth of Wisdom pertaining to the Theosophy of phenomena-principle relationship (world-God relationship) should then be reconciled with other major’s world esoteric religions, such as Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity. In actuality, Sufi esotericism is consonant with the esoteric teaching of Vedānta, Taoism, Buddhism and eastern Christianity, western process philosophy, and perennial philosophy. The general objective is to promote and foster a cohesive human family unified by religion but not divided by it. We should be innately living in harmonious co-existence as unveiled by religion. But we are, in reality, far from being happy living together.
In the political arena, it is also urgent that the knowledge of God or Allah should be posited to address the Middle East crisis which has battered the alliance of civilization between the west and the muslim world. God knowledge is the sole solution at their disposal. The epic and dire crisis has indirectly motivated or fueled the epi and dire outbreaks of wars in Iraq, Pakistan, Aghanistan and tensions in Iran. All these world’s turmoils have occurred because the self-centric ego sits on the peace negotiation tables. The ego should be dethroned by God. All human species are the children of God. We are all brothers and sisters in a human family. The Middle East crisis is grave and contagious like the 2008 financial crisis. It fuels the hatred of the international terrorists against the innocent in west. The innocent westerners should not be targeted by suicide bombers. The ordinary martyrs were all plunged into Hell in actuality not in heaven as promised by the sponsors of the suicide attacks. A martyr is qualified to go to heaven to be in communion with God on condition that he or she intuitively has discerned the Truth (Ḥaqq) thus: God sees Himself in Himself through himself. An ordinary unsaved suicide attacker has not seen God. If one is a genuine Martyr, he is a Perfect Man ( al-Insān al-Kāmil) – the seer of God. If one is a genuine Insān Kāmil, he will diffuse the Word of God vigorously. He will not assail or abuse others and himself. Suicide bombing is not the attribute of a true Insān Kāmil. Obviously, the concept of martyrdom has been misinterpreted by the sponsors and the suicide killers. If the sponsors and suicide attackers have seen God, they love and fear God. God does not recommend violence in any form. God is a Supreme Truth (Haqq) but not a Supreme Personality who can be seen empirically by a pious devotee. The compulsory credential to go to Heaven (divine communion; Baqā) is to have seen God (to have known the Truth of God). In order to see God, the saved believer must have attained al-fanā’ (annihilation of illusory ego). Martyrdom is a very profound religious concept. I am blessed that my respect and worship for all world’s major religions are perfectly equal without a dust of prejudice, partiality and bias.
To be continued |
