Work as a Spiritual Practice

·期刊原文
Work as a Spiritual Practice:
A Practical Buddhist Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction on the Job
by Lewis Richmond
Reviewed by David Rouse
Booklist
Jan 1, 1999
p.810
COPYRIGHT 1999 American Library Association

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Richmond, Lewis. Work as a Spiritual Practice: A Practical Buddhist
Approach to Inner Growth and Satisfaction on the Job. Feb. 1999.

The principles of the Protestant ethic and its message that work is
good played a role in helping capitalism gain a foothold at the
start of this century. As the century ends, Richmond's message is
that we should embrace Buddhist tenets to help transform free-market
capitalism, "the most dominant system of human commerce," to include
spiritual as well as material values. Richmond lauds the empowering
aspects of capitalism and says the free-market system "brings out
the best" in people. He acknowledges, however, that it sometimes
also brings out the worst, but that Buddhism can help reconcile this
contradiction. After Sausalito-based Richmond lost his job as
executive vice-president for catalog merchandiser Smith & Hawken, he
started his own company producing inventory-management software. He
is also an ordained disciple of Buddhist teacher Shunryu Suzuki,
heads a meditation group, and cofounded the Buddhist Business guild
of San Francisco. Here he explains what "spiritual practice" is and
details the four sectors of the "Energy Wheel," showing how "to move
around and through" conflict, inspiration, accomplishment, and
stagnation.