“Profit or the Way of Righteousness? — The True Basis of Judgment”

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

What Inamori said is quoted with “”.

 

“In the Analects of Confucius, there is another well-known passage:

“The noble man understands righteousness; the petty man understands profit.”　In other words, a junzi—a person of virtue—acts in accordance with righteousness (gi), while an ordinary merchant lives by the pursuit of profit (ri).

A true junzi may appear to be chasing profit, yet in truth he is pursuing righteousness.

To ordinary eyes, such a person might seem to be driven by profit,

but in reality, a truly great person does not seek profit itself—he seeks righteousness.

When one pursues righteousness, profit naturally follows.

When one adheres to the right path as a human being, the rewards of prosperity come of their own accord.

People may say, “That person is after profit,”

but that is not the case.

Those who are truly great—people of integrity—

devote themselves to righteousness, to the moral way of being human.

And as a result, profit comes to them naturally.

A genuine human being always follows righteousness.

Though it may appear that he seeks profit,

in truth he is pursuing righteousness.

This is what distinguishes the noble person from the petty one,

who understands only profit and nothing more.

(Quoted from the “Inamori Digital Library.”)

Here, Dr. Inamori uses this classical Chinese teaching to explain the relationship between righteousness (義) and profit (利).

To “be enlightened to righteousness” means, in practice, to live by the following principles:

 

 

 

I will now explain each point in greater depth.

 

 

1. Think of the other person’s benefit.

Inamori’s words:

“You may think, ‘That’s ridiculous,’ but earlier I introduced another saying from the Analects:

‘When one acts for the sake of profit, resentment abounds.’

If you make decisions based on your own interests, you will inevitably invite resentment from others. Therefore, in managing Kyocera, I have always tried to make decisions not from the standpoint of my own gain, but from the standpoint of what would benefit others.”

(Quoted from the “Inamori Digital Library.”)

→ My comment

I believe this passage reveals the essence of how to inspire others to act of their own accord.

Of course, it is possible to move others by force or authority.

Yet, what Dr. Inamori emphasizes here is the importance of guiding others in such a way that they want to act willingly and with a positive spirit.

Rather than relying on power, one should appeal to reason and to the other person’s heart—creating a natural flow that encourages voluntary action.

To achieve this, we must think from the other person’s standpoint.

in other words, we must learn to read the mind and understand the position of others.

 

2. Base every action on a heart of compassion.

Inamori’s words:

“At the very foundation of the mind that makes judgments, there must be a heart of compassion and a spirit of loving-kindness. In Buddhist terms, it is the heart of mercy and love. I believe that when we make our final decisions with such a heart, we can reach conclusions that are truly good and incomparable to anything else.”

(Quoted from the “Inamori Digital Library.”)

→ My comment

Perhaps this means that strength and weakness are two sides of the same coin.

A person’s strength can become a weakness, and a weakness can, at times, become a hidden strength.

When we sincerely empathize with others, we begin to see what they truly fear deep within their subconscious—the anxieties, vulnerabilities, and insecurities that they themselves may not even recognize.

It is precisely when we perceive such weaknesses that a genuine sense of compassion and tenderness naturally arises. I feel that this is what Dr. Inamori is trying to convey. I would like to look once again at the judgments and directions that Dr. Inamori chose, and learn deeply from the way he reached them—with a heart grounded in compassion.

 

3. Reflect with sincerity, honesty, and humility.

Inamori’s words:

“When negotiating with customers or persuading employees,

the most important qualities are sincerity, humility, and honesty.

At the same time, one must have a heart of compassion and kindness.

These are the key points.

When making important decisions,

I believe it is essential to approach them with a gentle and caring heart.”

(Quoted from the “Inamori Digital Library.”)

→ My comment

Before applying sincerity, humility, and honesty toward others, I believe we must first direct these attitudes toward ourselves.

Have I truly, earnestly dialogued with my own heart?

Have I faced my desires, vanity, fears, anxieties, loneliness, sadness, impatience, and shame—without denial, and with acceptance?

Have I recognized that I, as human beings, am fragile and often overwhelmed by desire— and have I learned to embrace that weakness with compassion?

I believe such self-care is essential.

When we become our own counselor and learn to stay close to our emotions with understanding, our hearts and attitudes naturally begin to change.

Accepting ourselves, as we are, leads us to act with sincerity, humility, and honesty. Ultimately, I wish to remind myself that every cause lies within me.

It is by reflecting inward that I can walk the right path.

 

 

 

* 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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