Half-saint and half-layman: Philosophy “Keep both rationalism and religion in balance”

This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.

What Inamori said is quoted with “”.

“ A well-balanced person is someone who always asks “why” about everything, pursues this question thoroughly and logically, has a rational attitude to elucidate, and has a highly matured personality that attracts everyone in his private and professional life.

No matter how smart you are with your analytical skills and rational mindset, you will not be able to have the cooperation of those around you, and conversely, even though you are a nice person to your staff, you will not be able to keep developing your work. In order for us to do great work, we need to have the rationality of a scientist as well as the human virtues that make people think, ‘I am willing to help this leader. ‘ “

As this topic involves philosophy and religion, it looks difficult to follow. In particular, I think it is quite hard to understand the humanitarian value. In order to have that humanity, it is important to be aware of the following points and incorporate them into our daily life.

Let me elaborate one by one.

1. Human centralized value

“ When I was a university student, I studied hard and stayed away from other students. However, a classmate demonstrates how we can become an attractive person through social activities. I realized that it is important to think scientifically and rationally, but it is also necessary to always keep the humanitarian value. Then I realized that top leaders must have both those qualifications. “

→ In a company, we must work with humans. Our clients and customers who buy our goods and services are also humans. So if you want to grow your company, we must analyze and understand what humans are.

What fulfills them? What motivates them? What does humanity mean? Why is it necessary in life?

We must think about these topics. Sooner or later, we must deal with this theme. Otherwise, we won’t be able to get out from the “statis quo”.

2. Learn the natural rules spread in the universe

“ On the other hand, if the top leader’s mind is filled with love, he will be in tune with the ‘will of the universe’ and his business must go smoothly. Also, as long as you have that mindset resonating with the universe, ‘something great’ definitely leads your business to expansion and prosperity even though you never desired, simply because the world where we are is designed to develop. “

→Aikido master Yamaguchi said we should think about the principles that flow in the universe. He mentioned the example of water, which flows from high to low, and similarly our bodies are designed to react naturally.

Therefore, we must think about what flows in the universe, what those principles are, and what the will that exists in the universe, love, sincerity, and harmony are, and to put these into practice.

3. Half-saint and half-layman

“ In Zen Buddhism, people not only sit in meditation every day, but also cook, clean, prepare the bath, and do farm work to cultivate their own food. Every job there is considered training, just like zazen-meditation-. In other words, ‘devoting yourself to one job’ is a kind of mental training. You can’t attain enlightenment by sitting in meditation all day all year round. . .

Some people who are immersed in the world of Buddha and incline toward metaphysical and religious things bring that into the business world. Some consultants encourage business leaders to conduct such an extreme philanthropy, but this is ridiculous. I also stress the importance of altruism in my management theory, simply because it is logical and rational. In the business world, you must be a thorough rationalist, but otherwise you must be a romantic and be able to think about metaphysical things. “

→ A monk who lives like a layman is called a half-saint and half-layman. Also, practicing asceticism like a monk while living in the secular world is also half sacred and half secular. Asceticism is not just about retreating to the mountains, but I think there are many opportunities to hone your soul in your daily life. The important thing is that if you want to master the essence of things, you must talk about the soul and spirits, the essence of humanity, and where those ideas come from.

Therefore, if you improve your business, you will be exposed to psychology, ethics, and religion. Also, religious theory alone is not enough to live in the real world. I think it is important to have this idea of the sacred and the secular and

* Mr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, KDDI (one of the top tele communication companies in Japan) and the top of revitalization project of JAL. As a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, he has been sharing his experiences and management know-how with managements of small to middle companies in Japan.

Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com

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