Light of Kailash 33 | The Buddha’s Teachings in Business | With Lopen Karma Phuntsho
The Buddha's Teachings in Business
Buddhism is often viewed primarily as a spiritual path aimed at transcending worldly concerns rather than improving conditions within the world itself. Yet a closer examination of the Buddha's teachings reveals a profound source of inspiration for addressing many contemporary challenges. Rooted in wisdom, compassion, interdependence, and ethical responsibility, these teachings offer valuable principles for sustainable development, education, entrepreneurship, leadership, and environmental stewardship. Far from being confined to monasteries or meditation halls, Buddhist insights can help guide the creation of businesses and institutions that promote both human flourishing and social well-being. By applying these timeless principles to modern life, we can cultivate approaches to economic and social development that are not only successful, but also compassionate, sustainable, and beneficial to society as a whole.
About the Speaker:
Lopen Karma Phuntsho is one of Bhutan's most distinguished intellectuals, renowned for bridging the worlds of traditional Buddhist scholarship and modern academic research. After completing nine years of advanced monastic studies at the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute in India and earning the title of Lopen (Master), he went on to obtain a D.Phil in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. He has held research positions at the University of Cambridge and the CNRS in Paris, and is widely known as the author of The History of Bhutan, the first comprehensive history of Bhutan written in English by a Bhutanese scholar.
Throughout his career, Phuntsho has dedicated himself to preserving Bhutan's cultural and spiritual heritage while making Buddhist philosophy accessible to contemporary audiences. His work includes major studies on Buddhist thought, such as Mipham's Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness, as well as large-scale cultural preservation projects documenting Bhutan's oral traditions. Through his teaching, writing, and research, he has become an important interpreter of Bhutan's intellectual and spiritual traditions for an international audience.
Beyond academia, Phuntsho is a leading social entrepreneur and the founder of the Loden Foundation, one of Bhutan's most influential organisations supporting education and entrepreneurship. He advocates a vision of "Bodhisattva Entrepreneurship," applying Buddhist values and ethics to modern social and economic development. In recognition of his contributions to cultural preservation and human development, he became the first Bhutanese recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2024, often referred to as Asia's Nobel Prize.
Saturday, 4th July 2026 | 4:00 PM London Time | Online via Zoom
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