Buddha’s Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well

Data scientist and Zen priest Zigmond (Buddha’s Diet) turns to Buddhist wisdom in this insightful guide to addressing the stresses of the modern workplace. Though the Buddha “never worked a day in his life,” Zigmond writes, his teachings offer guidelines for “right livelihood,” one of the steps of the Eightfold Path to enlightenment. Zigmond suggests that work, being such a critical part of modern life, is “an integral part of truly waking up.” He asks readers to take a step back, pay attention, and be more conscious in creating and sustaining healthy relationships with oneself and workplace colleagues. Along the way, Zigmond covers the fundamentals of Buddhist thought and encourages mindfulness meditation as the basis for everyday navigation of work situations, among them office disagreements, career advancement, workplace friendships and romances, work-life balance, and multitasking. Working Buddhists and those interested in Buddhist mindfulness will find this to be an accessible, down-to-earth handbook for finding a “middle path” while at the office. (Jan.)