Buddhist Principles of Self-Management: Integrating Morality, Mindfulness, and Wisdom into Modern Leadership and Organizational Practice
Monu Singh, Roopalatha Nanga, Syed Jaffer
Millah: Journal of Religious Studies February 22, 2026 DOI: 10.20885/millah.vol25.iss1.art12 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative thematic analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Spiritual practice Reductionism Reflexivity Doctrine Ethical leadership Perspective graphical Accountability Epistemology Objectivity philosophy Instrumentalism Construct python library Happiness Consistency knowledge bases Thematic analysis Contentment Transformational leadership |
| Key findings | Argues that early Buddhism presents self-management as ethical self-governance, integrating sīla, samādhi, and paññā, undergirded by sati and virāga, rather than as a neutral psychological phenomenon. |
Abstract
This paper offers a redefined, self-management through the lens of ethics, drawing on the early Buddhist canonical texts. By employing a qualitative thematic methodology from focused studies of the, Dīgha Nikāya; Majjhima Nikāya; and, Aṅguttara Nikāya, this study seeks to define self-management as a cohesive, systemic construct that consists of ethical discipline (sīla), mental discipline (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā), and is undergirded by mindfulness (sati) and non-attachment (virāga). The findings reveal that self-management as ethical self-governance is early Buddhism’s perspective as opposed to the understanding of self-management as a neutral and psychological phenomenon. Sila establishes, the self-restraint, moral accountability and trust in the social system; samādhi helps to stabilize attention along with the regulation of emotional reactivity; and, paññā assists in turbulent times with respect to the, reflection under conditions of, complexity and ambiguity. Sati serves as ethical vigilance; allowing persons to unwholesome volitional impulses, and, unwholesome, voluntary impulses to act, while, virāga counteracts ego involvement, fixation on outcomes, and, assists, with ethical consistency under pressure. These sets are viewed as operating situationally as system. Re-establishing both the ethical and epistemic coherence of Buddhist self-management, this study provides a conceptually sound alternative to the more instrumental and reductionist interpretations of mindfulness and emotional regulation. In leadership and organizational studies, it advances an integrated model of ethical self-regulation that considers the interplay of the three components of Buddhism, i.e., morality, emotional regulation, and wisdom, without collapsing Buddhist doctrine to instrumentalist ends.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... | 2017 | Qualitative study with mixed-methods | |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Common Core Thesis and Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Mysticism in Chinese Buddhist Monks and Nuns Chinese Pure Land and Chan Buddhist monks and nuns | 2011 | Mixed-methods study | n = 139 |
| Anger regulation in traumatized Cambodian refugees: the perspectives of Buddhist monks. Buddhist Cambodian monks in Massachusetts | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 6 |
| The Lived Experiences of Experienced Vipassana Mahasi Meditators: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Experienced Vipassana Mahasi meditators | 2018 | Qualitative study |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- On some definitions of mindfulness Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- THE ‘UNIVERSAL DHARMA FOUNDATION’ OF MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION: NON-DUALITY AND MAHĀYĀNA BUDDHIST INFLUENCES IN THE WORK OF JON KABAT-ZINN Contemporary Buddhism July 3, 2018
- An Anthropological Outline of the Sutta Nipāta: The Contemplative Experience in Early Buddhist Poetry Religions January 29, 2023
- Synergistic effects of Buddhist five precepts and death contemplation on inner strengths and mental health in elderly Thai meditators. BMC Psychology December 8, 2025
and 4 more in the library