Harmony is the most important quality a group should have. Two Chinese proverbs say: “Harmonious families make all things prosperous,” and “A harmonious environment brings wealth.” On an individual level, we gain health and longevity by controlling our tempers and maintaining harmony, peace, and stillness in our minds. On a group level, we should strive for harmony and practice tolerance in everything we do; by achieving this, we will foster an atmosphere of peace and cooperation.
Practice the Sixfold Harmony to create peace and unity.
The Buddhist sutras teach the Sixfold Harmony to guide us in cultivating as a monastic community. We should strive for harmony in these six areas: body, speech, mind, morality, views, and sharing benefits. Together, they comprise the Sixfold Harmony:
The teaching of the Sixfold Harmony can be applied as a guideline for success not only in spiritual cultivation, but also to any work environment or group setting.
First is harmony of body between people living in the same community. While residing in a monastery, we should follow the monastic rules and avoid arguing, fighting, or causing conflicts—this is one way to practice harmony in body. We can only live together peacefully with physical harmony. Thus, someone who engages in behavior that disrupts the community, such as fighting and arguing, does not belong in a monastery. They should be asked to leave.
In the same way, we must also practice harmony of body in the workplace. Refrain from having arguments, forming cliques, or seeking personal gain. Harmony in body is like when everyone rows the same boat: our actions must be unified. Whether forward, backward, left, or right, the boat can only sail smoothly if we all row in the same direction—this is harmony of body.
Second is harmony of speech, or freedom from verbal conflict. We must avoid hurting people with our words. In interacting with each other, we should instead be mutually supportive and help each other stay on the right path. Do not talk behind people’s backs or judge their shortcomings. Refrain from abusive, divisive, deceitful, and frivolous speech. With harmony of body and speech, we can avoid needless and damaging conflicts.
Third is harmony of mind, or sharing in mutual joy. Merely refraining from harmful words and actions is not enough, we must take the next step and practice harmony of mind. The mind is the root of all things. If we force ourselves to act harmoniously in body and speech without sincerity in our minds, our behavior will come off as fake and contrived, both to ourselves and our peers. Therefore, in addition to harmony of body and speech, we must also have harmony of mind—everyone should share the same basic values.
A good example of this is Chung Tai Chan Monastery, where everyone has common values and goals: Buddhist cultivation, realizing the Way, spreading the Dharma for the benefit of sentient beings, and developing monastic orders. In the same way, when a company shares basic values, employees can develop rapport with each other and work towards a common goal. With everyone heading in the same direction, the company will achieve great things. In terms of cultivation, we can liberate ourselves from life and death, crossing the ocean of suffering to reach the other shore of nirvana.
Fourth is harmony of morality, or observing the same precepts. The Buddhist sutras tell us to cultivate precepts, samadhi, and prajna wisdom. In a sangha community, monks observe the bhikshu precepts; nuns observe the bhikshuni precepts; novice monks observe the sramanera precepts; and novice nuns observe the sramanerika precepts. When everyone observes their respective precepts, the sangha can cultivate together as a monastic community.
As for the workplace, every organization has rules and policies that determine work hours, break times, and vacations. All employees should observe these rules. Do not be absent without notice or take advantage of situations for your personal gain. This is the practice of moral harmony.
Fifth is harmony in views through mutually compatible understandings of the Dharma. A “view” is a perspective, belief, or concept. Everyone’s views should be consistent and we must understand the motivation behind what we do. Although individual members of a group will have their own goals and direction, they cannot take precedence over the direction of the group.
For example, employees should try to think from the perspective of the whole company. A company is like a major river and individuals are its tributaries. Without the company, how can there be employees? A monastery is similar. Without the monastery, how will we have a place to live, much less the means to cultivate? Therefore, an important principle to cultivating together in a monastery is: studying sutras, practicing meditation, spreading the Dharma, and benefitting sentient beings—these are our individual affairs. We cannot allow our individual affairs or personal gain to stand in way of the monastery’s best interests. A company is also like this. Although everyone hopes to benefit from the business, we cannot sell out the company for our private interests or damage it for our personal benefit.
Sixth is harmony in sharing benefits through equal distribution. Living a monastery, we rely on the sangha to provide our meals, housing, and daily necessities, so we can focus on cultivation without having to worry about these things. This is an example of harmony in sharing benefits. In society, however, everyone must earn their own income. It is unrealistic to expect that everyone earns the same amount, or contributes their entire income to the common good while saving nothing for themselves. People would be unable to get by.
Confucius said, “Concern yourself not with scarcity, but with inequality; not with poverty, but with a lack of peace.” Within a company, why do the CEO, managing director, supervisors, and employees make different salaries? Because they have different levels of wisdom and have reached different stages in their careers. So of course, they make different amounts of money. If we understand the meaning behind this, we will see everything with equanimity. But if we don’t understand and demand a superficial form of equality, the company will plunge into discord. When all employees are compensated fairly for their work, making the equivalent of what they contribute each month based on the principles of fairness and equality, it is also to practice harmony in benefits.
What Buddhism calls the Sixfold Harmony, or Sixfold Unity, is a system. If we can successfully implement this system, our community will be free of schisms and thus have peace and stability. With peace, stability, and mutual joy, even the most arduous tasks will not seem difficult. Because everyone is moving in the same direction, the community is harmonious. If we lose sight of this principle and fall into dissension, when everyone only looks out from themselves, or fight and attack each other, anything we do is doomed to failure.
Buddhadharma teaches the principle of Sixfold Harmony, which shows us that harmony is a crucial factor in everything we do. A harmonious team will have vitality and energy, like a flowing stream that never runs dry and cannot be exhausted. Conversely, a disharmonious team lacks these qualities, like a stagnant pond that grows foul over time and is of no use.
See harmony as a treasure, develop good affinity with all.
The Platform Sutra says, “The Buddhadharma is in this world; it is not separate from having a pure awareness of the world. To seek bodhi apart from this world is like searching for the horns of a rabbit.” For people to be part of the same group or company takes karmic affinity. Buddhism teaches us that karmic affinity encompasses the three periods of past, present, and future. A Chinese saying goes, “It takes affinity formed over a hundred lifetimes to ride together on the same boat.” Riding in the same boat, sitting in the same car—do not overlook these things as insignificant or meaningless. They are the result of a hundred lifetimes of affinity. The probability of two individuals riding on the same boat among the world’s seven billion people is extremely small.
Therefore, working at the same company means we have affinity from the past. Cultivating in the same monastery means that, additionally, we even have Buddha affinity, Dharma affinity, joyful affinity, and interpersonal affinity. Buddhadharma teaches, “Before realizing buddhahood, develop good affinity with all.” When we develop good and wholesome affinity with others instead of bad affinity, we will always find more support for our endeavors and succeed more easily.
Interactions between people do not happen randomly, even just passing by someone gives us an opportunity to create some affinity. For example, we might see a stranger in the park. We nod and say, “Good morning!” This is affinity. With the affinity of a single greeting, no matter when or where we meet again, we will be able to work together on good terms. We should not burn our bridges; no matter what we do, always leave some options. Taking a step back can often open up new possibilities. Even if we have particularly bad affinity with someone, we should still try to maintain harmony. Because we never know when we might run into them again or work with them in the future.
Harmony is of the utmost importance. Cultivating the Sixfold Harmony is nothing more than living in peace and harmony with others. If we can live harmoniously, our minds will naturally be calm and serene and regularly experience a state of all-embracing peace. “All-embracing” means vast and boundless.
By cultivating a mind of courtesy, humility, and harmony towards all people, we will naturally resonate with the Way. This is the most direct method of Buddhist practice and cultivating the Way. Do not underestimate the value of these principles. If we truly follow them, we will reap great benefits in our personal lives, our work, and our spiritual cultivation.