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

by Dan Zigmond

Overview

Can enlightenment be found at the office? From the co-author of Buddha's Diet comes another book that shows how the wisdom of Buddha can apply to our modern lives — this time exploring how Buddha's guidance can help us navigate the perils of work life.

There's not enough of us who are truly enjoying 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 or clients. Or maybe work is just fine for you, 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.

You don't have to become Buddhist either. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781549129407
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 5.60(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dan Zigmond is a Zen priest who lives and works in Silicon Valley.

Editorial Reviews

11/04/2019

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.)

Publishers Weekly

"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."—Publishers Weekly

"This book may well transform your life at work!"
—Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram

"A delightful read. A practical, sensible, and unvarnished look at how we might apply the ancient wisdom of Buddha's basic instructions to modern daily life."
—Chris Cox, former Chief Product Officer at Facebook

"Buddha's Office beautifully links the worlds of Buddha and business. Author Dan Zigmond is both an ordained Zen monk and a highly effective people manager. This book is a wise exploration of how those two are less different than you might think."
—Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram

"What every book about mindfulness and work should be: thoughtful, accessible, practical without being formulaic. Yes, it's about how to work more mindfully, but it's really about how to live more mindfully."
—Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of The Distraction Addiction and Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less

"A wise and compassionate workbook for bringing more humanity and connection into the workplace and into your life. Dan Zigmond has a clear and powerful way of making a case for the value of working and living with more awareness and heart."
—Marc Lesser, author of Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader

"Offers the perfect antidote for our current unsatisfactory work culture. We're conditioned to believe work has to be something we try to escape, but Zigmond shows us how to bring Buddhust principles into the art of work and make it a joyful and relaxing part of your life."
—Ginny Hogan, comedian and author of Toxic Femininity in the Workplace

"This small book is packed with insights, practices, wisdom and humor, all guaranteed to make you the most popular bodhisattva at the water cooler."
—Eddie Stern, author of One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life

"A refreshingly practical guide . . . Zigmond brings a light touch to meaty content."
—Randy Komisar, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, author of The Monk and the Riddle

"Can you actually find happiness and fulfillment and even 'wake up' at work? Buddha's Office provides readers with a path to help you do just that. Warm, funny, and packed with practical wisdom, this book by Dan Zigmond might just change your life."
—Amy Sandler, CMO and Coach at Radical Candor

"We all struggle with finding fulfillment and happiness in the daily grind of our careers. Thankfully, Dan Zigmond has brought to life the answers to our challenges with the timeless wisdom of Buddha translated to the realities of our modern workplace. You can find success and joy in your work, all you have to do is act on the recommendations of this delightful book."—Mike Steib, CEO of Artsy and author of The Career Manifesto

"It's the definitive text on how to ensure work isn't a distraction from our spiritual life but an integral part of it."—-Lion's Roar

"Buddha's Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well combines Buddhist principles with business management advice. The result is an inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally practical, and thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of insight, advice and inspiration for improving our professional and personal lives with respect to whatever form of workplace that employs us."—-Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher