What Is Unity, and Why Does It Matter?

How often have you let go of something essential for you because you were of two minds about it?

What about a team effort that seemed to produce nothing but frustration? The most cherished idea suddenly turned into a lemon because you couldn’t agree on anything.

I have had my fair share of these fruits of wrath. They block progress, cause frustration and, in extreme cases, even violent outbreaks.

Three ways to look at any effort

Achieving anything valuable requires focused and consistent efforts.

In Buddhist philosophy, there are three concepts to look at how we can try to achieve things essential for us:

• One in body, many in mind;
• Many in body, many in mind;
• Many in body, one in mind.

If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable. — Nichiren Daishonin.

One in body, many in mind

It is a model for tyranny. When this approach prevails, people are forced to act and behave as the leaders dictate.

In the religious world, it’s the reign of cults and dogmatism. In a secular setting, it’s, at its worst, dictatorship.

Autocrats love parades and external uniformity. Pompous rituals are often a sign of it. Usually, it comes with the cost of losing freedom and liberty.

But it is not only happening on a macro scale. Teams can have a leader who tends to be a bit Machiavellian.

On the individual level, this approach forces you to comply and sacrifice your needs and aspirations. It leads to martyrdom and neglecting your growth.

To change this approach is possible only if the people join together, embracing their differences as a source of energy and options. Tyrants don’t last forever; the sooner we build unity, the quicker the downfall of the tyranny.

Many in body, many in mind

It is the Law of the jungle — a reactive, chaotic, selfish way of living. It will eventually pave the way for a new strong leader, i.e. a tyrant, to take over.

Anarchy is the term that describes this model of behaviour at its worst. We become ignorant and egoistic under this rule. Nothing really matters here.

Social media feeds this behaviour. The algorithms pump us impulses that trigger the worst possible emotional responses. Here we shoot everything that moves.

Our attention span shrinks, and everything becomes instant: there are no long-term plans here, just survival.

Many in body, one in mind

Even an individual at cross purposes with himself is certain to end in failure. Yet a hundred or even a thousand people can definitely attain their goal, if they are of one mind. — Nichiren Daishonin.

The Buddhist unity is based on the principle that everybody’s life is precious and important. We all have a role to play and a unique mission to fulfil in this life.

The challenge is finding a common goal everybody can agree on and commit to.

For a company, it can be a mission statement, values and a strategy that everybody can believe in and share.

For a country, it is a national identity that embraces all people and their cultures as a dynamic powerhouse of progress.

On the individual level, it means having clarity of our goals aligned with our talents, skills and aspirations. It looks simple, but it isn’t.

A model to attain ‘many in body, one in mind’ as the springboard for success

I build a model to illustrate how to ascend from the Law of the jungle to compassionate collaboration.

Model of the steps from survival to fulfilment.

At the bottom level, we have anarchy, i.e. the Law of the Jungle. It is driven by instinct and reactive behaviour, and its sole purpose is survival at any cost.

People die young here because it takes a lot of energy to be on this level and survive.

The following two levels are the areas where the ‘one in body, many in mind’ is the model of activities.

The Law of the few is tyranny and is driven by fear. The outcome is suppression and marginalising everyone who doesn’t follow the rules.

Democracy is usually slow and tainted with compromises and trade-offs. However, living in a democratic Western society where the majority sets the laws is a bit easier. But our community can quickly drop to a lover level from here when things get rough.

The top level is then a community where compassion is the Law. Respect for life, individuals and differences gives all an opportunity to shine in their unique way.

It may sound too optimistic and woo-woo, but recent neuroscience has shown how compassion can boost well-being and engagement.

Compassion reflects a sensitivity to the suffering of another, coupled with a desire to help. Yet it opens the way for a new “broaden and build” response to stress, fostering both relationships and resilience. –Dr Aditi Subramaniam, Psychology Today.

Three steps to building a community that has ‘many in body but one in mind’ as the lever for progress

In the Buddhist view, we need to have these three observed behaviours in place to build sustainable and robust progress:

1. Respect for life;
2. Active dialogue;
3. A clear vision for the future with practical stretch goals in life.

If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable. — Nichiren Daishonin.

Buddhism is action. The first necessary action is to respect each other.

It is impossible to respect each other without understanding what drives us. That’s why dialogue, active listening and seeking spirit are vital for building success.

It is a skill to have a dialogue. Daisaku Ikeda, the president of the SGI, started a global quest for dialogue in the early 70s when he met the renowned British historian Arnold Toynbee several times. They published a classic, Choose Life. The book is a brilliant example of how two, on the surface, totally different worldviews can find common ground. It is a master class of dialogue.

Once we understand each other — respect and learn from each other — building a vision for the future that we all can share is more accessible.

We might disagree on details and procedures, but as long as we all are committed to the common goal and purpose with respect and compassion, those thinking differences fuel innovation and finding win-win solutions.