When Linh Ứng Pagoda's Bodhi Seed retreat in Đà Nẵng needed a professional speaker to share and teach for one session of the program, they wanted someone who had developed a career and had experiences to share about Buddhism. Friends introduced me to the monks. Although my experience and understanding remain very shallow, I see it as a fortunate connection.
Tôi đặt tên cho chủ đề mình chia sẻ là “Starting a Business with Right Livelihood”, không chỉ là Khởi Nghiệp nữa. Bởi vì “Chánh nghaction” is 1 part of the Noble Eightfold Path. Entrepreneurship + Right Action = Khởi Chánh Nghiệp.
As for my career path from its beginning until now, I always hold my head high when sharing it, because I know what I have endured, what I have refused to compromise, and which values I have preserved.
In life, I never used to like words such as ‘ethical’ or ‘decent,’ because I felt unworthy. I was only pursuing my mission, not trying to prove I was a good person. Now, however, when someone describes me that way, I… accept it all. It is fine, because language is only a finger pointing at the moon. And now that I can live that way, there is no reason to refuse: simply be straightforward, consistent, and wholehearted. I am proud of my current lifestyle and family. The present matters most.
See you again, Đà Nẵng!
