Master Sheng-yen at the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM Annual Meeting- Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, 31 January - 4 February 2002 --- "Leadership in Fragile Times: A Vision for a Shared Future"

04/23/2002  

Translation of Press Release From Dharma Drum Mountain, Taiwan

World Economic Forum

For the past 32 years, the goal of the World Economic Forum annual meeting has been the same: to be "the event where the leading issues confronting humanity are discussed and debated." Through these discussions and these debates, the World Economic Forum can advance its real agenda--"improving the state of the world by acting in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest to further economic growth and social progress." The World Economic Forum, based in Geneva, Switzerland, funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost corporations, is impartial and not-for-profit, and is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995 the Forum was awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. No other institution brings together the "world's leadership team" the way the Forum does. At the Annual Meeting and at regional summits and meetings throughout the year, the main players on the global stage are asked to articulate the major problems facing the world and to find solutions. They are brought together to form task forces, to organize projects and to launch initiatives. They are fully engaged in the process of defining and advancing the global agenda.

For the first time in its history, the Annual Meeting moved from Davos, Switzerland to New York City as a sign of solidarity with the city. There were the usual diplomatic efforts on the sidelines to rekindle Middle East peacemaking, stabilize the Balkans, repair Arab-American relations and work on economic rescue packages for Turkey and Argentina. Geopolitics, alleviating poverty and economic strategy come to mind as the hot-button topics the World Economic Forum sees as its raison d'etre. Newcomers, including 120 representatives of civil society non-governmental organizations, 43 religious leaders - Bishops, Buddhist, Rabbis, Muslim and Hindu clerics joined forces to preach tolerance and compassion in a response to the violence of Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and his followers.

Globalization : Accountability and the Growing Disparity between the Rich and the Poor

Global business leaders heard several blunt warnings throughout the meeting that corporations and international organizations must become more accountable or face mounting resentment from ordinary people and poor nations, and some appeared to heed the message. Business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum face a key challenge -- empowering the common citizen in the globalization process. There is a need to move toward a more ethical globalization and find a way to have civic democracy on an international level. The ever-widening gulf between rich and poor nations has emerged as a central theme of the five-day gathering. A prominent entrepreneur warned in the meeting that the terms of international trade were too favourable to the rich world, a disparity that feeds resentment. "People who feel the world is tilted against them will spawn the kind of hatred that is very dangerous for all of usî he said."

Master Sheng-yen told a World Economic Forum discussion on how religions contribute to addressing the priorities on the global agenda, although the need to resolve material poverty is important, the resolution of spiritual poverty is the pressing issue of present times. The concerted efforts of all religious leaders are necessary in order to resolve spiritual poverty through the employment of ethics and cultivation. Master Sheng-yen also mentioned that the best remedy to reduce the disparity between the wealthy and the impoverished is through charity. Regardless of one's station in life, the spirit of contribution and charity should be cultivated. The wealthy should contribute in monetary terms to help out the poor. The poor should contribute compassion to all. This way, both the wealthy and poor, through their deeds of merit will be able to cultivate good conduct and honor.

Terrorism at its Roots : the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Several preeminent leaders of the Muslim faith rejected the extremists who destroyed the World Trade Center in the name of Islam. "We must firmly reject that humanity can be distorted in the name of the one God, the merciful, the compassionate," they said. But the world urgently needed to narrow the gap between rich and poor nations to disarm the sense of grievance in the developing world. "We have to go after poverty, we have to go after despair, we have to go after hopelessness," Secretary of State Colin Powell told the annual gathering of the world's business and power elite in the World Economic Forum. Master Sheng-yen explains in his speech to a World Economic Forum session on what is sacred in today's world, "...the supreme truth revered by every religion should be absolute and flawless. It is definitely sacred...Once secular elements and outside agendas are incorporated into the interpretation...generates diversity... For these reason, [in order] to manifest the tolerance expecteced in a pluralistic society, the definition of the "sacred" must be reinterpreted."

In his speech on Fundamentalism, Master Sheng-yen stated, "we should understand that poverty and ignorance are often interrelated. Poverty renders access to and education in modern, pluralistic and global information unaffordable. This then leads to the isolation of cultural thinking, and in turn results in discriminating against, belittling, and rejecting whoever is different."