Buddha’s Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well by Dan Zigmond
In this follow-up to Buddha’s Diet, ordained Zen monk Dan Zigmond uses the tenets of Buddhism to help readers find fulfillment at work through mindful living, told with humor and heart.
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Not enough of us truly enjoy our work. Too many are working long hours at jobs they can’t stand. Many are suffering from non-stop stress or lack of resources or miserable behavior from colleagues and clients. Maybe you love your work, but you just wish there was a little less of it.
Does anyone really enjoy answering emails and texts at all hours?
It doesn’t have to be this way. Buddha knew this, without ever setting foot in an office. Though he never held a job, Buddha knew that helping ordinary people work right was essential to helping them find their own path to awakening. Buddha’s Office will help you do just that — find a way of working that is “right” in every sense of the word: right for you, right for your health, right for your sanity, and right for the world.
Zigmond begins by emphasizing the importance of balance in our lives. While leaving our jobs and spending our days on the golf course or at the beach seems like the clear path to happiness, Buddha believed this was a terrible idea. If you’ve ever eaten too much ice cream, you know it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Lying around all day makes us lazy and restless, which are huge obstacles to fulfillment. Of course, our lives can’t only be about work — Buddha described learning, hobbies, socializing, and family as some of the highest blessings.
The trick is to combine it all.
Zigmond then suggests practices to help readers combine all life’s blessings in a balanced way, through mindfulness, ambition and more, as well as examining the roadblocks that can cause us to stumble on our way, and what all this ultimately means for readers.
You don’t have to become Buddhist to apply these teachings to your own life.
Buddha never used that word, and might not be thrilled with the way people use it today. He believed in paying attention, taking care of ourselves, and waking up. Like anything worth doing, there are no shortcuts, but this book will show you how Buddha’s simple instructions apply to our everyday lives in the office or on the job. Before long, you’ll find yourself waking up while working well.
Ssouthernlifestyle ~ Buddha’s Office reminds you that you are not your work. Your work doesn’t define who you are as a person but by being mindful you can better manage people, stress and challenges. No matter what type of job you have or what religion you follow you can appreciate the values that Buddha’s Office offers. I definitely recommend this book to anyone searching to find a work-life balance.
About the author: Dan Zigmond is a writer, data scientist, and Zen priest. As a former executive at Instagram, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, he was named one of the “20 Business Geniuses You Need to Know” by Wired magazine. He lives with his family in Menlo Park, CA.
If you have read this book, leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Don’t forget to sign up for a weekly email from Ssouthernlifestyle and as always have a blessed day!
Other posts that might interest you: Work Freely, What Makes a Leader Great?, How to Stay Positive in a Chaotic Work Environment
