Page 7 - Berita 149 & 150

03

The descriptions provided on the official website of YBAM inform us on the role of YBAM as a
national Buddhist organisation, the local and foreign alliances joined by YBAM, the mission, etc.

From my point of view, YBAM is a platform to enhance insight, attitude, and altitude. It allows us to
learn how to overcome various challenges and contemplate how to interact with the internal and
external elements of the ecosystem of Buddhism to promote the ripening of conditions to achieve
the outcome we want. It sometimes teaches us the cruelty of being in the sun and rain without an
umbrella.

The pandemic has changed the typical norm of society, bringing a certain impact on the Buddhist
community. All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. The impermanence of all formations
means that all the dharmas in the world are always in the process of arising, living, and perishing.
What was in the past has changed in the present; what was in the present will eventually be
disillusioned in the future. Although the pandemic has brought various impacts and restrictions, the
real test is how to coexist with it, and even 'transcend' the epidemic.

In the environment shrouded in the pandemic, how a Buddhist organisation should maintain
flexibility and relevance, whether to actively change or passively wait, will contribute to the outcome
obtained by the organisation in the future.

From dominating the market of mobile phones to powerless to bounce back, Nokia lost grip on the
favorable status. There were various reasons behind it, including internal friction, wobbly strategies,
wanting everything but getting nothing in the end, etc. No matter what the reasons are, the quote
'we didn't do anything wrong, but somehow, we lost' from the former CEO of Nokia, Jorma Ollila
has left the deepest impression. The key learning here is the operations of Buddhist organisations
need to consider the changing situations and the evolution of its ecosystem.

Reflecting on the activities recorded in this issue of Berita YBAM, we see the need of initiating online
and hybrid modes for small-scale and big-scale activities, meetings, and interaction sessions. The
breakthroughs made by YBAM during the pandemic included promoting activities based on Dharma
propagation and practice through online streaming, initiating projects to care for people suffering
from the pandemic, launching a digital Buddhist hymn album, encouraging innovation in Dharma
class education, improving the interactive features of its website, etc. These breakthroughs or new
attempts remind us while we are strengthening our foundations, we also need to spur ourselves
and our team to maximise our resources or overcome the current obstacles.

A lot of outcomes we are enjoying in YBAM now are cultivated by the predecessors. However,
we must remind ourselves to make good use of the foundations built throughout the history of
YBAM and not obsessed with the halo of nostalgia for history. The sense of pride due to the past
achievements needs to be mixed with a sense of crisis for changes in the future. There are a lot of
choices in the society, and the causes, conditions, and effects in the ecosystem change with time
and situation. The case of Nokia serves as a good reminder.

Stabilising the foundations, focusing on playing the unique functions and role as a national Buddhist
organisation, opening up suitable Blue Ocean fields, utilising the mode suitable for this era to
improve YBAM from an experience-based organisation to system-based organisation, and then
head towards transformation to professional-based organisation. This work is easier said than
done. But, looking back at the past 51 years of history, isn't YBAM equipped with the gene of being
able to maintain activity and vitality in adversity? Maybe a significant paradigm shift is required in
terms of planning, implementation, and evaluation for the next phases of development of YBAM?
Perhaps leading by example, exploring course, integrating systems, and delegating adequately
should be prioritised more in the system of YBAM?