Work as a Spiritual Practice - Hardcover

Richmond, Lewis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767902327 ISBN 13: 9780767902328

Publisher: Broadway, 1999

Synopsis

A guide to developing and maintaining a spiritual life on the job, drawn from the teachings and practices of Buddhist tradition.

Most people associate Buddhism with developing calm, kindness, and compassion through meditation. Lewis Richmond's Work as a Spiritual Practice shows us another aspect of Buddhism: the active, engaged side that allows us to find creativity, inspiration, and accomplishment in our work lives.

With over forty spiritual exercises that can be practiced in the middle of a busy workday, Work as a Spiritual Practice is based on the principle that "regardless of your rank and title at work, you are always the chief executive of your inner life." Its core message is one of spiritual empowerment, where every workplace situation, no matter how challenging, can become an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Drawn from the author's diverse professional experience--as a Buddhist meditation teacher, business executive, musician, and high-tech entrepreneur--as well as from his "Workplace Spirituality" workshops, Work as a Spiritual Practice addresses a wide variety of on-the-job problems. It adapts traditional Buddhist psychology to divide common workplace situations into four main categories--conflict, stagnation, inspiration, and accomplishment--and offers a variety of practices appropriate for each. Here you'll learn how to:
Turn ordinary worry into a form of concentrated spiritual inquiry
Meditate while sitting, walking, or standing--a minute at a time
Perform spiritual practices while commuting to and from work
Manage stress by learning to cultivate an awareness of the body
Understand ambition, money, and power from a spiritual perspective
Deal with boredom, discouragement, and failure
Each chapter is liberally illustrated with real-life stories of people from many walks of life--nurses, plumbers, receptionists, taxi drivers, executives, office managers, musicians, and home office workers--each of whom has found ways to apply the practices described in the book. Some of these stories are told by people who attended the author's workshops; others are told by people he has met in the workplace. These experiences join with the author's own to provide a rich and diverse offering of teaching, practical advice, and inspiration.

Work as a Spiritual Practice is an essential guide for anyone who wants to bring his or her spiritual life and work life together. A fascinating combination of traditional Buddhist teachings, illustrative anecdotes, and practical business savvy, this innovative spiritual guidebook teaches us that finding joy in our work is the best definition of success.

About this title

Review:

Spirituality at work? Isn't that the oxymoron to end all oxymorons? Not according to Lewis Richmond, a veteran corporate executive and former Zen Buddhist priest who convincingly disputes the phrase's inherent contradictions in Work as a Spiritual Practice. "Even people who are comfortable with the notion of spiritual practice," he concedes, "are skeptical when I say that it can be done not just at home or at a retreat center but in the workplace." Nonetheless, he maintains, "this book is based on the premise that it can be done, and the circumstances and challenges of our work life can be transformed into opportunities for inner growth." After explaining how common mental and emotional experiences can be parceled into four distinct categories (conflict, inspiration, accomplishment, and stagnation), he effectively shows how Buddhist principles might be employed to mitigate related problems and enhance associated opportunities. The bulk of this satisfying book is divided into sections that correspond to these categories, with each exploring appropriate practices followed by real-life examples that illustrate their power and applicability. Recommended. --Howard Rothman

From the Back Cover:

Advance praise for Work as a Spiritual Practice:

"This book on utilizing the workplace as a place for spiritual growth comes straight from the workshop of the heart and stirs both our timeless Buddha-mind and postmodern Judeo-Christian soul. I read this fascinating book avidly and with delight."
--Lama Surya Das, author of Awakening the Buddha Within

"This timely book is the one the workaday world has been waiting for. Lewis Richmond is the ideal person to explore the application of Buddhist practices to the workplace. [This is] an accessible, personal, witty, and poetic book that will be helpful, even transformative, for anyone who works for a living."
--Sylvia Boorstein, author of It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness

"Work as a Spiritual Practice is full of excellent, wise, simple advice to transform work into awakening. Lewis Richmond really shows how Right Livelihood is possible in almost any job. Bravo!"
--Jack Kornfield, author of Buddha's Little Instruction Book

About this edition

• Publisher: Broadway
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0767902327
• ISBN 13: 9780767902328
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272