White Collar Zen: Using Zen Principles to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Your Career Goals - Hardcover

Heine, Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195160037 ISBN 13: 9780195160031

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2005

Synopsis

It is said that in traditional Japan the samurai embraced Zen because it helped them to be fearless in adversity, to act quickly and decisively, and to keep focused on their ultimate goal. In White Collar Zen, Steven Heine shows how, by applying Zen principles in our working lives, we can achieve the same results for ourselves.
Heine describes the way Zen embraces two different yet harmonious paths. The Way of the Hermit teaches detachment--the mental clarity you need to view your situation dispassionately and impartially, to perceive who is an ally and who is a competitor, to understand what is possible and what is not. The Way of the Warrior teaches the ability to act without hesitation at the proper moment. Together, they can prepare you to meet the challenges of the modern professional world. Heine offers a step-by-step approach to attaining these skills and applying them in daily life. Using real-world examples interwoven with sayings and stories from the Zen tradition, he shows how Zen can help in situations ranging from gaining a deserved promotion to overcoming obstacles that arise from a breakdown in teamwork. He makes it clear that in Zen the path to personal success must be one that values integrity, respects every individual, emphasizes cooperation, and serves the goals of the larger group.
Replete with practical advice, White Collar Zen will appeal to many of the same readers who have made The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings so successful. It will certainly fascinate anyone interested in applying Zen principles to achieving professional excellence.

About this title

About the Author

Steven Heine is Professor of Religious Studies and History and Director of Asian Studies at Florida International University. A well-known authority on Buddhism and Japanese culture, he gives workshops based on the techniques described in this book. His books include Opening a Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters and Buddhism in the Modern World: Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition. Dr. Heine was recently awarded the Kauffman Professorship in Entrepreneurship Studies at the Florida International University Business School.

Reviews

The workplace is often a forum where aggressive competition, underappreciation, and self-doubt rule the day. Heine shows how the principles of Zen Buddhism can effectively dissipate stress and anxiety in the professional world. In dealing with conflict, Heine brings to light two seemingly contradictory Zen mindsets: the "Way of the Hermit," which requires one to step back and view the situation in contemplative objectivity, and the "Way of the Warrior," which requires quick and decisive action without hesitation. It is only through practice and intuition that the student of Zen will utilize the appropriate method in any given situation. Heine wisely avoids pop spirituality and instead uses thoughtful examples straight out of the Zen tradition, including effective use of stories and quotations, some from Eastern philosophies and others that may be familiar yet are very Zen-like. Heine, a recognized authority on Buddhism and Japanese culture, gives workshops on the techniques described in this book. David Siegfried
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Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195160037
• ISBN 13: 9780195160031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 198