Customer Reviews

Work As a Spiritual Practice : A Practical Buddhist Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction on the Job

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read a lot of buddhist and other religious/spiritual/contemplative sorts of books, and I've always been interested in reading about and exploring ways of incorporating spirituality and religious belief into the "secular" world of work. I've read several good books that relate to this (Charlotte Joko Beck's are particularly good), but there's also a lot of fluff and hooey out there on this topic as well. Richmond's book is right up there with Beck's, and really as far as relating to the actual work place it is probably even more directly on target.

The two things I liked the best about the book are these: (1) The buddhist thought has real rigor behind it. Richmond was a Zen priest who, to be brief, knows what he's talking about. (2) The overall tone of the discussion of how spirtuality relates to work is direct and practical (many different sorts of interesting practices and exercises are suggested)but also open-ended enough that I found plenty of "room" for my own experiences and interpretations to come through.

Richmond writes from the perspective of his experience as the head of a start-up software firm in California - a situation designed to challenge (or perhaps to develop) a spiritual, moral sense if there ever was one.

Our work environments need this kind of message in a big way. And individuals, whether they are in very good or very bad (or everything in between) current work situations will find something of value in this book. This is not new age hang-a-crystal-over-your-desk BS - it is an intelligent application of millenia-old religious and philosophical thought to one of the biggest problems we each face in our daily lives.

This ought to be required reading! :)

Let's face it, if you study Buddhism you probably have at least a dozen solid theoretical texts lining your bookshelves. And if there is any area in which those texts seem to be weak, it is in their approach to applying Buddhist tenets to the modern workplace. At first glance, Western capitalism and Eastern spirituality appear distinctly at oods. How is it possible to follow Buddha's Right Livelihood tenet and still succeed in the cutthroat workplace?

Mr. Richmond has been there and done that. He brings practical advice that is soundly grounded in Buddhist thought and tradition. He doesn't try to pretend that it is realistic to construct an altar at your desk, but provides reasonable ways to extend your spirituality to the workplace. Above all else, this book is a practical set of guidelines for maintaining your spirituality in America's competitive workplace. I've only just read it, but it has helped me immensely to find ways to make my worklife simply an extension of the rest of my life.

You will find something that applies to whatever kind of work day you are having. I read it as I struggled with a decision to quit or not quit; to compromise my personal beliefs or keep my job. I already knew the answers, but this book was comfortingly reassuring and supportive of the path I knew was correct for me. Now when I go back to reread, and reread sections, I always find something that helps me survive whatever work situation with which I'm dealing.

This is an excellent book. It was very easy to read, and provided lots of practical advice on all sorts of work problems ranging from stress to stagnation. It accepts the premise that emotions (such as anger) do happen at work, and provides advice on how to diffuse the negative aspects of emotions and harness the positive energy. This book was very helpful to me and probably would be helpful for many people.

Over the years, I've gotten in the habit of taking this book out if any work environment I found myself in started to feel, shall we say, un-zen-like. Addressing issues of anger ("hot truth"), worry, ambition, and yes, quitting, Mr. Richmond gives work a new perspective. In this book, he has turned work into a mental discipline and even provides some guides to meditation, trying to show us that work doesn't have to be some chore we do because we're not independently wealthy. Did you ever imagine that the concept of 'generosity' may have a constructive role at work? As someone who's been in the workforce since high-school and who has done many different things for money (washing dishes, caring for farm animals, answering phones, fetching tea for visiting dignitaries, designing databases, and managing marketing campaigns), this book does not seem to be exclusively for those in white-collar industries.

I firmly believe that work really doesn't, and shouldn't, have to suck. But I wish Mr. Richmond would address the powerful, universal force of entropy, which may be why most workplaces tend towards disfunction in the first place.

This is an excellent book for those seeking to integrate spirituality into their workplace. It covers many common concerns and issues, but also leaves enough flexibility for the reader to adapt the content to their own situation. A good and easy read--I read it during breaks at work!

Picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend after making a job change that I wasn't sure was the right fit for me. It was interesting and helped me clarify some of my non-negotiables in the workplace. Though there were no truly new ideas for those who are already grounded, it was easy and pleasant reading.

I read this book.What I like about it is that he gives real life stories of people.He tells them in a way to help the reader out .It is worthwhile for anyone to read and then apply to their own work lives.

Got it at the used book store. I liked the title and concept of the book, but the book itself wasn't that great. To me this
book was less about spiritual practice and more about reframing and working with work problems through a spiritual context.

Heres' what's covered:
definition of spiritual practioe
Koan of life: Koan is a problem or spiritual question.
energy wheel: for mapping our mental and emotional experiences
stress
worry
anger
meditation
boredom
failure
discouragement
ambition
money and time
forgiveness
quitting
control
generosity
gratitude
power
transformation of work
visualizing the workplace as sacred

This book is a wonderful book to have on a nearby bookshelf to refer to on a regular basis. It's simply-written chapters, which are each devoted to a specific subject (i.e. boredom, frustration, anxiety, etc.), are great to read in the evening while reflecting on one's work life. It brings me a general sense of calm and peace every time I pick it up.