How The Pure Land Foundation Advocates Mental Wellness As The Bedrock of Success

The Pure Land Foundation is building a global digital platform to advocate for the adoption of precepts and philosophies inspired by Buddhism. The Foundation believes that in order to be a productive individual who can thrive and succeed, one must first learn to manage one’s own mental and spiritual wellbeing.

That Buddhist philosophies can be highly relevant to longevity and success is underlined in a Bank of Korea report. The report highlights that of the 5,586 companies in the world that are more than 200 years old, across 41 countries, more than half are located in Japan, which has a majority Buddhist population.

The Pure Land Foundation notes that one of the biggest challenges that the modern Western world faces is a crisis of mental wellness. For individuals to thrive and succeed in life, the Foundation believes that they must manage their mental wellness in-part through the adoption of ancient precepts and ideas inspired by Buddhism.

 

A lonely generation

 

Sadly, it is Gen Z that is bearing the brunt of the growing crisis in mental wellness.  Studies show that poor mental wellness is a significant inhibiter of Gen Z’s ability to succeed and thrive. A Resolution Foundation study found that the poor mental health of Gen Z is interfering with their education, keeping them out of work, and also preventing them from reaching their full earning potential.  

Throughout the Western world, Gen Z is inundated with a wide array of problems that are worsening their mental wellness. From a lack of social security, rising cost of living and low employment, to social media pressures and even to more global concerns such as climate change and political instability, Gen Z’s mounting problems are taking a dire toll on their mental health. Factors such as these have played a part in causing an “alarming” spike in mental health problems among younger people.

This tech-savvy generation is also considered to be among the loneliest, a phenomenon that is well-documented in the Western world. A 2019 survey by health service company Cigna showed that Gen Z in the US were the loneliest age cohort, while a study by Eden Project Communities showed that 19% 16-24 year olds “often” or “always” feel lonely, which is three times more people than the 65-74 cohort. 

Social isolation is proven to worsen mental health, and a poor social life is connected to bad health, depressive episodes, and more concerningly, a risk of early death.

 

A widespread search for answers

 

Gen Z is engaging in a widespread search for spiritual answers, both for their mental wellness problems and also their desire to seek self-betterment and success.

The hashtag “spirituality” shows over 6 million TikTok posts and billions of views, while on Instagram the same hashtag has been used more than 20 million times.

The Pure Land Foundation, since its inception, has supported the development of more complete and holistic answers to the most challenging issues, to encourage practices that promote mental wellness. Founded in 2015 by philanthropist and patron Bruno Wang, it has previously supported a wide range of projects and events which addressed mental health problems in creative and impactful ways. 

The Foundation emphasises its secular focus, which looks to draw inspiration from traditions and teachings and apply them in the modern world.

 

A spiritual connection

 

Recognising and acutely aware of Gen Z’s high engagement with spirituality-related content online, the Pure Land Foundation has begun a transformation to become a digital-focused advocate for improving mental wellness to help humanity flourish. 

The Pure Land Foundation is reinventing itself as a creative proponent of using Buddhism-inspired teachings to tackle the mental health crisis head-on by availing more people, especially Gen Z, to frameworks that support effectively managing their mental wellbeing through original content on YouTube and on social media.

The Pure Land Foundation is creating a host of creative, engaging and educational content, from bite-sized learning animations to audio-based meditations, to videos featuring talks with influential and globally renowned practitioners of spiritual principles. Its aim is to answer through a Buddhist-inspired lens, some of the biggest questions that people are searching for about mental wellness in the modern world.

 

 

Tackling the most Googled topics

 

The Pure Land Foundation’s inaugural Q&A style-series is being produced using in-house research undertaken by the Foundation to find out the most common questions that people are asking Google that are relevant to mental wellness and spirituality. Each video will pose a question, which will then be answered, through the lens of Buddhism-inspired teachings and secular principles of spirituality.

The content will debut with an episode tackling the very relevant subject of empathy burnout, entitled: “What Is Empathy Burnout And How To Manage It?”. Empathy burnout will be a familiar concept to those living a life of service to others, particularly the likes of teachers, nurses and healthcare practitioners.  

The episode explains the Buddhist inspired precept that empathy burnout is a natural part of human existence, and then continues to provide tips on how to manage this better using Buddhist inspired techniques. With the help of this video, those experiencing empathy burnout will be more resilient to its effects and can continue to be effective for others but without compromising their own mental wellness.

 

Success through community healing

 

A further video series that the Pure Land Foundation has in development is based on the intensive research on “the power of community-based healing circles” that is conducted by Professor Scherto Gill, a senior fellow at the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation and Director of Global Humanity for Peace Institute at the University of Wales and a coordinator of the UNESCO Collective Healing Initiative.

The series will look to understand the concept of healing from external environments that inflict pain, suffering, anxiety and trauma upon people. To combat the negative feelings that emerge within an individual, a healing circle, which is a community of people who come together to share their experiences, will act as a safe space for discussions and to facilitate the process of collective healing, which is based on indigenous teachings from around the world.

Professor Scherto Gill’s projects also include wellbeing and flourishing circles that take place around the world, which engage young people in the process of building a healthy, meaningful future where humans can maximise their potential and flourish. The Pure Land Foundation will explore the application of these practices in modern life, particularly in the Western world where young people are becoming more individualistic and socially isolated, and will share it through engaging content.

 

Discovering the true origins of love

 

Another video series the Pure Land Foundation is about to launch is the “Series on Love”, which aims to take its viewers on an informative journey through the origins, psychology and neuroscience of love.  The series is built around the findings of David Cadman, a Harmony Professor of Practice at the University of Wales, Trinity St David. 

The extensive video series explains and explores how love is the essence of life, and how a lack of love is at the heart of many of the problems that society faces today. It will also explore the importance of adopting life-affirming practices for better mental health and wellness, which will encourage people to achieve greater success.

 

An collaboration with a rebel monk

 

Aside from creating visually engaging content online, the Pure Land Foundation is spreading Buddhism-inspired teachings in the physical world too. In October 2024, the charity will host a one-of-a-kind dialogue with Japanese monk Osho Taigu, who specialises in talking about how individuals can achieve success in business through the application of Buddhist principles.

Osho Taigu is a unique monk who embodies the concept of “being simultaneously a monk and layman while being neither at all”. Growing up as a monk in a 540-year-old Fukugonji Temple in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan, he rebelled against this very establishment and left it. 

After founding his own business at the age of 32, he returned to the Fukugonji Temple before he turned 40.  Today the monk has become a major name in Japan, where he works with individuals and companies to improve mental wellness.

The Pure Land Foundation is collaborating with Osho Taigu to produce engaging video content and to introduce the monk’s message on spirituality, success, mental health and wellness, to Western and Gen Z audiences who are seeking answers.

 

Building upon a legacy of success

 

The Pure Land Foundation’s renewed focus as a digital-first advocacy organisation is built upon a rich legacy of successful projects. Amongst its many past projects was a standout collaboration with The China Exchange to create The Pure Land Series of talks featuring the likes of Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Goldie Hawn and Bianca Jagger. The series covered important topics ranging from men’s mental health to mindfulness and the healing power of music.

Now through its focus on digital advocacy content, the Pure Land Foundation is more determined than ever to build upon its legacy to help build a more resilient, socially connected world that is enriched with Buddhism-inspired teachings to combat the mental health crisis and enable more people to thrive and succeed.

By engaging with the Pure Land Foundation’s educational content, individuals in the Western world, particularly Gen Z, will be able to set themselves on a pathway to achieving mental wellness inspired by the precepts of Buddhism and other ancient teachings.

The charity’s platforms are listed below:

https://www.youtube.com/@ThePureLandFoundation

https://www.instagram.com/thepurelandfoundation/

https://twitter.com/purelandfound

https://x.com/PureLandSeries