Work as a Spiritual Practice: A Practical Buddhist Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction

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.

Lewis Richmond is a Buddhist teacher, workshop leader, software entrepreneur, and musician/composer. Formerly Executive Vice President of Smith & Hawken, Ltd., he is the founder and owner of Forerunner Systems, Inc., the leading provider of inventory management software to the catalog industry. Lake of No Shore, his debut solo piano album, was released by Artifex Records in February 1999. An ordained disciple of Buddhist master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Mr. Richmond co-leads Dharma Friends, a meditation group in Mill Valley, California, where he lives.