Being Buddha at Work: 108 Ancient Truths on Change, Stress, Money, and Success ~ B J Gallagher, Franz Metcalf

There are lots of books that address how we should take care of ourselves, find calm, and enjoy happiness in a hectic work world. But few of those books apply the lessons of Buddhist thinking as resolution and guidance tools. These questions, though found in the modern day, are actually the core of all Buddha’s teachings – impermanence, suffering, and the quest for happiness (freedom from suffering). This makes Buddha the kind of consultant or coach we need today in our workplaces.

Following in the tradition of the authors’ first bestseller, this work goes on to explore and answer 101 dilemmas that we encounter at work, with topics ranging from time management, goal-setting, conflict to job dissatisfaction, unemployment, and even workplace trysts. The authors emphasize practical learning and coping, not esoteric insights or metaphysics, applying concrete solutions from Buddhist teachings to real problems in easily digestible chunks.

BJ Gallagher is a sociologist, Huffington Post blogger, and accomplished management consultant and workplace expert who has worked with many corporate clients, professional associations, and government agencies. She is the author of many bestselling books, including A Peacock in the Land of Penguins, which has sold over 350,000 copies and been translated into 23 languages. BJ and her books have been featured on CBS Evening News, The Today Show, Fox News, PBS, CNN, and she is quoted weekly in newspapers, magazines, and websites, including O the Oprah Magazine, Redbook, Woman’s World, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Careerbuilder.com, MSNBC.com, and CNN.com.

Franz Metcalf is the author of the bestselling What Would Buddha Do?, published in a dozen languages, and three other books applying Buddhist teachings to everyday life. Franz received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and teaches religion at California State University, Los Angeles. He serves as book review editor for The Journal of Global Buddhism and is currently president of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region.

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Listen to an audio interview HERE

View a short film HERE

The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them by David Richo

Why is it that despite our best efforts, many of us remain fundamentally unhappy and unfulfilled in our lives? In this provocative and inspiring book, David Richo distills thirty years of experience as a therapist to explain the underlying roots of unhappiness—and the surprising secret to finding freedom and fulfillment.

There are certain facts of life that we cannot change—the unavoidable “givens” of human existence: (1) everything changes and ends, (2) things do not always go according to plan, (3) life is not always fair, (4) pain is a part of life, and (5) people are not loving and loyal all the time. Richo shows us that by dropping our deep-seated resistance to these givens, we can find liberation and discover the true richness that life has to offer. Blending Western psychology and Eastern spirituality, including practical exercises, Richo shows us how to open up to our lives—including to what is frightening, painful, or disappointing—and discover our greatest gifts.

David Richo, PhD, is a therapist and author who leads popular workshops on personal and spiritual growth.

He received his BA in psychology from Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, in 1962, his MA in counseling psychology from Fairfield University in 1969, and his PhD in clinical psychology from Sierra University in 1984. Since 1976, Richo has been a licensed marriage, family, and child counselor in California. In addition to practicing psychotherapy, Richo teaches courses at Santa Barbara City College and the University of California Berkeley at Berkeley, and has taught at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. He is a clinical supervisor for the Community Counseling Center in Santa Barbara, California.

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The Great Misunderstanding: Discover Your True Happiness With A Simple New Understanding by Premananda

The Great Misunderstanding shows us that we are conditioned to believe in duality, perceiving ourselves as separate from the world. We deeply misunderstand who we really are. We try to change our lives to be better, more happy and content.

Premananda’s playful Zen stick deconstructs our misunderstanding. Using actual meetings and situations from his life, he intertwines the ordinary with the extraordinary to deliver a profound and life-changing message.

Nothing is missing! What is really true is just now. We only have this moment. With this understanding life becomes a paradise and we are truly free. Being quiet, empty, we discover that we are happiness itself.

Then there is this void, the Self, God, Consciousness.
We are not separate from that.
Just Be Quiet. And there you are.
Premananda

The Book

The great misunderstanding is that we are not who we think we are, and follow a mistaken conditioning. We experience ourselves as separated from everything. This misunderstanding is the cause of all our suffering. We believe that everything we experience and feel is caused by the world and from other people. This book explains how to develop self-awareness, and how we can calm the mind, and be a witness of our lives.

The book is compact and sleek, with a beautiful design and color pages with each chapter.

The Film

An intense experiment in conscious living. One spiritual teacher and twenty people with a strong longing for a true understanding of what is real, living together in one house. This film shows the residents in their search for Awakening, with Premananda guiding them from the misunderstanding of separation to oneness. He explains clearly how we are trapped in our conditioning and points us to our true nature.

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The Cure Is… World Premiere Trailer

Genetics No Longer Blamed for Majority of Disease:

New Film Unveils Health Breakthrough & Distributed Free to the Sick

Life-changing film gifted to patient communities to inspire and give hope

A revolutionary film featuring top doctors, scientists and spiritual leaders shows thoughts and emotions have the power to contribute to and create disease, as well as aid the healing process. It also:

*dispels the myth that most of our disease is genetic and introduce a new health order. Facts show less than 10% of all disease is passed on through genes.
*proves that our thoughts, beliefs and unresolved emotions may be one of the greatest threats to our health.
*explains there is one major factor that may determine whether we stay healthy or succumb to a disease—and it is within our control.
*inspires through personal accounts of people who overcame extreme health challenges, when doctors had lost hope and given them just days to live.

Every human body is brilliantly designed for vitality and longevity. Why then is our health and life expectancy declining? Have we lost our connection to our natural way of living? Is it possible there is a powerful and effective means to address our health and disease that can assist in tapping into our natural healing capacity of our profoundly powerful human body?

The Cure Is… unveils one of the most profound ancient health formulas to be released in over a century. Amazing true stories, woven with testimonials from top scientists, doctors and evolutionary leaders creates a mind-blowing journey of self-discovery that will radically shift the way you look at health and disease forever

It is time for us look beyond the band aid approach of medicine in our western culture and deeper into the unlimited healing capacity of the human body.

The Cure Is… Join the revolution to health and happiness!

http://www.thecureismovie.com

Beauty and the Soul: The Extraordinary Power of Everyday Beauty to Heal Your Life By Piero Ferrucci

The bestselling author of The Power of Kindness shows how the ability to appreciate beauty-far from being a luxury or an afterthought-is vital to leading a happy, balanced, and satisfying life.

Beauty is all around us-in a flower, a song, the sound of falling water, or a dramatic painting. We often think of it as just “window dressing.” But it’s not. It is the balm of our existence, and we cannot live full and satisfying lives without it.

Transpersonal psychologist Piero Ferrucci helps us to see everyday beauty in a whole new way-and to understand its powers to guide us through periods of darkness or stress, to speed recovery, to make life feel purposeful. He uses stories, case studies, clinical histories, and anecdotes to explain how different kinds of beauty complement and complete our lives in different ways.

So much of the malaise and low-grade depression we may find in our lives and those of people we love is due to our inability to understand the extraordinary power-and necessity-of taking time to “smell the flowers.” Ferrucci shows how we can place ourselves in closer proximity to the therapeutic healing that only beauty can bring.
Piero Ferrucci is a psychotherapist and philosopher. He has been a student and collaborator of Roberto Assagioli, the founder of psychosynthesis. He is the author of What We May Be, Inevitable Grace, What Our Children Teach Us, The Power of Kindness, Beauty and the Soul; the co-author, with Laura Huxley, of The Child of Your Dreams; and the editor of The Human Situation, a book of Aldous Huxley’s lectures. He lives near Florence with his wife and two sons.

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Conversations with Remarkable Minds: Dr. Piero Ferrucci.

Flowerspeak: The Flower Whisperer’s Guide to Health, Happiness, and Awakening – How the Flowers Assist in the Expansion of our Consciousness By Elizabeth M. Patric

Flowerspeak offers unique wisdom about the world of flowers and how their spiritual and medicinal properties can serve each of us. This book provides a beautiful perspective on our deep connection to the earth. A wonderful read. Marci Shimoff (#1 NY Times Best Selling Author of Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason, and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul).

Flowerspeak shares the role of flowers for your healing and for the evolution of your unique soul destiny path. You will learn through inquiry and ritual, how to connect more fully with your natural surroundings, to co-create with non-physical nature beings to make your own flower preparations, and to listen to the flowers and their “speak,” through their subtle promptings and language.

Elizabeth Patric

Elizabeth Patric is a spiritual healer and environmentalist, offering soul healings to both her clients and the Earth. She grew up in the heart of the Adirondack Wilderness in upstate New York and formally studied plant ecology and landscape architecture. Elizabeth is a widely known flower-essence therapist, energetic healer, author, and certified yoga and meditation teacher. She has co-created collections of flower essences with the assistance of non-physical natural realms. Elizabeth currently lives in northern Wisconsin and is studying astral biology and remote healing with Mahendra Trivedi.

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Google+ Hangout with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Full Video)

Streamed live on Jan 26, 2013

Google+ Hangout with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Founder The Art of Living)
To view questions or any of the moment in this G+ Hangout click on the timing shown in next to the details in description of this video.

Welcome To the Event 0:20:00
Voice of Peace Video 0:21:20
Welcoming Sri Sri Ravi Shankar by MC´s 0:23:48
Invocation by Bhanumathi Narasimhan 0:24:01
Words from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 0:27:10
Audience Question India (Bastar) 0:29:08
Audience Question Taiwan 0:30:51
Sandra : Mother of a child in Connecticut (USA) 0:03:14

Deepak Chopra : Spiritual Guru (USA) 0:36:28
Civil Society Australia Audience Question Australia 0:41:13
Arnab Goswami : Tv Anchor (India) 0:42:48
Bothaina Kamel : First woman Presidential Candidate (Egypt) 0:46:22
Sanjay Pradhan : Vice President Word Bank Institute (USA) 0:50:07
Kumara Sangakkara : Cricketer (Sri Lanka) 0:56:05
Elizabeth Fayt : Writer and International Speaker Writer (Canada) 0:58:20
Mia Gundersen : Actress & Singer (Norway) 1:01:32
Dhamma Master (Taiwan) 1:06:48
Deo : Youth Icon & Singer (Bulgaria) 1:10:13
Civil Society Zimbabwe Audience 1:15:53
Jo Leinen : Hon. Member of European Parliament (Germany) 1:17:09
Annika Dopping : Film Maker (Sweden) 1:21:02
Fiorella Migliore : Actress (Paraguay) 1:26:42
Natalie Becker : Actor & Spiritual Film Anchor (South Africa) 1:29:54
Shaggy : Singer (Jamaica) 1:33:38
Juliana Paes : Actrees (Brazil) 1:39:05
Sequoa Trueblood 1:41:25
Blossom Taiton Lindquist : Singer (Sweden) 1:44:50
Strings Band (Pakistan) 1:47:30
Guided Meditation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 1:49:33
Patricia Sosa : Singer (Argentina) 1:58:19

Slovenia Audience (Slovenia) 2:00:12
Myron Scholes : Nobel Laureate, Economics (USA) 2:03:17
Israel audience (Israel) 2:07:55
Dr. Kiran Bedi : Ex-police officer (India) 2:12:39
Lex Mellink : Former Dir. Of Police (Holland) 2:17:12
RajKumar Hirani : Film Director (India) 2:22:20
Youth Oman Audience Question (Oman) 2:27:05
Alberto Simone : Film Director (Italy) 2:35:12
Germany Audience (Germany) 2:39:35
Sri Sri University Students (India) 2:42:09
Victor : Singer (Russia) 2:43:28
Ahmed Katrada : Political Reformer (South Africa) 2:45:52

Rapid fire Qs from audience 2:51:51
Call to Action by Sri Sri 2:56:00
Bhavini and Jony – Amazing Grace Performers (UK) 2:59:00
Vote of Thanks 3:02:00

How to Meet Yourself: …and find true happiness By Dennis Waite

A work of popular philosophy from an Eastern perspective, this analyses our perennial search for happiness and explains why we can’t find it in modern lifestyles, pleasure or fame. It enlists the help of polls by sociologists, findings of evolutionary psychologists, historians, philosophers and others, as well as drawing on personal experience and examples, to show that true happiness is to be found in realizing that we are not separate from everything else-whether people, objects, or happiness itself.

Dennis Waite has previously published The Book of One (O Books), and is recognized as a world authority on Advaita, maintaining the largest website on the subject. He lives in Bournemouth, England.

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Questions and Answers
Dennis Waite

Enlightenment

Q. I would like to refer to the notion that enlightenment requires a path that leads to it, which you have discussed before. I do not want to argue for or against this, and I do not know if I’m about to present anything new on this. I just have this feeling that it is simply ‘horses for courses’. There are going to be some who do see themselves on a path heading towards an endpoint or goal. Then there are going to be others who may have been on a path for a while until they realize that they are already what they are searching for, and that they always were. Furthermore, there might be some who never knew of any path or anything called enlightenment, who one day find that they are ‘no longer in Kansas anymore’.

So, there are many ways to ‘skin a cat’, and yes I do feel sorry for all these cats. The point is that I do not know what good it makes claiming that one way is better than another. I would rather people make up their own minds, instead of being influenced by experts in a particular field.

A. All that you say may be true to some degree. The bottom line, however, is that enlightenment = Self-knowledge and Self-knowledge is prevented by ignorance. So the ONLY way to attain enlightenment is to remove the ignorance. This is a mental activity and a still, perceptive mind, able to exercise discrimination etc. is the one most likely to succeed. An approach is needed which cultivates this condition of mind and simultaneously provides knowledge appropriate to removing the ignorance. Traditional Advaita is such an approach. Some other “paths” do not provide either.

Q: Is enlightenment personal?

A: This question arises as a result of the mistaken concept that there are individuals who are not currently enlightened but may become so at a future time.

In reality, there is only brahman and it is obviously not meaningful to speak of brahman becoming enlightened – brahman IS unlimited light, consciousness etc. And in reality, there are no persons, egos or individuals – no one who could become enlightened.

At the level of the apparent world, there appear to be jIva-s as a result of Atman seemingly being limited by ignorance. Why this should be the case is not a question that can meaningfully be addressed. The mechanism by which this confusion is resolved, however, is to bring in knowledge to eliminate the ignorance. When this occurs, it can be said that it is now understood (at the level of mind) that there never was a separate individual. This process is called ‘enlightenment’. So it is not altogether meaningful to speak of the person having become enlightened (but then, if anyone has become enlightened, it has to be the person)!

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (IV.4.19) states that “It is only through the mind that the truth can be realized.” And when so-called realization occurs, it is seen that nothing has actually changed. It is simply that the mistaken view of a “world” and “separation” has now disappeared.

Hence the expression of Sri Poonja (?): ‘Nothing ever happened’ or the Zen term: ‘the gateless gate’.

In another one of those frequent examples of ‘synchronicity’, I read the following extract last night from David Carse’s book ‘Perfect Brilliant Stillness‘ in which he addresses precisely this question (his material is specifically not copyrighted, in case anyone should wonder):

There is a sense in which there is no ‘awakening,’ no enlightenment, because there is no ‘one’ to awaken. Who would this be? Who is awakened?

‘Me,’ david? Of course not: david is a dream character, an idea, a fiction; not the dreamer, and therefore obvi­ously cannot awaken. There is no ‘david’ to do anything, including awaken.

Or is it ‘Who I Really Am’ that has ‘awakened;’ Presence, Awareness, All That Is?

But of course Awareness has never been asleep, has no need to awaken to anything; Awareness is always already All There Is.

Clearly then, there is no one to awaken. ‘Awakening’ is only an analogy, a concept, a pointer. The seeker commu­nity tends to take it literally, but like most analogies it only takes you so far.

What has happened is more like this: in the dream, in the case of the dream character ‘david,’ All That Is stops pretending that ‘It’ is asleep. What has always been awake lets the misunderstanding that there is some one to be asleep and some one to awaken, fall away.

That is all. And the dream continues, as before. The misunderstanding has fallen away, but the misunderstanding was not real anyway, so what has happened? Nothing. The character ‘david’ now knows he is only a dream, not ‘real;’ knows it is all a dream. But even this dream character’s ‘knowing’ is part of the dream, part of the unfolding of the script of the dream for that dream character, and nothing has happened. The dream character goes on being the dream character.

Q: Can meditation bring about enlightenment?

A: Meditation is a valuable rest for the mind, providing some welcome freedom from thoughts. But the point to bear in mind is that the root cause of all of our problems is ignorance and the only thing that can remove that is knowledge. Experiencing a still mind is nothing more than an experience. Even an ascetic who goes into a cave to meditate for days at a time will come out and be no more enlightened than when he went in – just thinner!

Meditation is of value when the mind is very active. If thoughts, objections, problems, ideas etc. are continually being thrown up, the mind is not going to be receptive to knowledge – a still mind is sAttvika. But nothing can take ‘you’ (the ego) anywhere, whether to enlightenment or hell, because ‘you’ do not exist. Who you really are must already be ‘enlightened’. The problem is simply that there are thoughts that there is a separate entity that exists and is not enlightened. These thoughts (ignorance) have to be shown to be mistaken. This involves the mind, paradoxically. New knowledge is input, from scriptures or a teacher, and reason shows the previous notions to be false. Obviously this process cannot happen in the absence of mind.

Hence, meditation could never itself bring about recognition of Self; it can only help prepare the mind to be more receptive to the knowledge. In fact, meditation (dhyAna) is not even part of the traditional preparation of Shankara’s Advaita ( sAdhana chatuShTaya sampatti). It is the seventh of the eight steps of aShTA~Nga yoga.

Q: I went to a satsang a few weeks ago. At the end of the last session, someone came forward to ask to be accepted as a disciple (at least I think that was what was going on). The teacher put his hands on the man’s head and there was a moment of quiet. I wondered if you could explain what the implication of this ritual is?

A: Regarding your description of the satsang, I do not actually know the teacher or his writing. I have heard that he does have a strong presence but you should be careful not to be taken in by this. The way in which anyone ‘presents’ themselves is part of the nature of the body-mind organism. This is obvious in the case of a deep, commanding voice for example, which is clearly dictated by the construction of the larynx etc. But things such as self-confidence, persuasive power, oratory ability etc. are all learned or conceivably inherited characteristics and have nothing at all to do with non-duality. I cannot imagine what he was doing in respect of the ‘laying on of hands’ but this could never achieve anything other than simple physical reassurance or comfort. If someone makes a habit of this one would have to assume it was an affectation to encourage guru worship – hardly something which could be interpreted as authentic. All of our ‘suffering’ (or whatever you want to call it) is the result of ignorance and ignorance can only be removed by knowledge. Knowledge cannot be transferred by touch unfortunately!

Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit Nourishing the Soul When Lifes Just Too Much by Karen Horneffer-Ginter

It seems that everyone is busy these days. The world is full of information, full of obligations, full of friends and family, full of everything-except fulfillment. Rushing has become a national epidemic. And even if you’re rushing between good things-if you have a happy family and a good job, if you have great friends and wonderful colleagues-you can feel drained and exhausted.

In Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit, psychologist Karen Horneffer-Ginter reaches out to readers who are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of life. In this beautifully written book, she helps readers understand that it is this volume, this busyness, that creates a disconnect between their outer lives and inner selves. This separation causes our souls to wilt, and prevents us from experiencing joy and hearing our own wisdom about what needs to happen in our lives.

With an elegant narrative voice and the ability to inspire both laughter and compassion, Horneffer-Ginter takes readers on a journey to help them live more fully by exploring six shifts-learning to pause, turn within, fill up, come back to life, remember lightness, and embrace difficulty. Through a weave of personal stories, client experiences, and practical exercises, readers will learn to find balance in the swirl of daily life while reconnecting with what matters most.

Karen Horneffer-Ginter has been practicing psychology and teaching yoga and contemplative practices for over 16 years. She has also taught graduate students and health care professionals, along with directing a university-based holistic health care program, and co-founding the Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The aim of Karen’s work is to reconnect people with the wisdom of their inner-life by reclaiming what gets lost amidst the busyness of day-to-day life: qualities such as stillness, self-care, creativity, joy, humor, gratitude, and compassion. Her intention is to support people in finding a sense of balance and sacredness in their lives.

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Behind the Scenes of Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit

Karen Horneffer-Ginter discusses her upcoming book

Author Karen Horneffer-Ginter discusses her book, “Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit

The Cup of Our Life: A Guide for Spiritual Growth ~ Joyce Rupp

From the publisher…

Anyone thirsting for a more intimate and disciplined life of prayer will find a rich wellspring in The Cup of Our Life. In this original and practical book Joyce Rupp shares how the ordinary cups that we use each day can become sacred vessels that connect us with life and draw us ever closer to God. She explores how the cup is a rich symbol of life, with it emptiness and fullness, its brokenness and flaws, and all of its blessings.

This creative guide for individual and group prayer offers six weekly themes based on different images of the cup. The open cup, the chipped cup, the broken cup, the blessing cup … each in turn becomes a teacher in prayer. For each day the author offers a short inviting essay, a wisdom saying, a scripture verse, a brief meditation, questions for journaling, and a suggestion for keeping the theme close to one’s heart throughout the day. The reflective art that accompanies each theme offers yet another inspiration for prayer. The Cup of Our Life can also be used with groups that meet regularly for spiritual growth. Simple, helpful suggestions for group sharing and ritual are provided for each of the six weeks.

The Cup of Our Life will both revitalize and enrich your relationships with the Divine.

Thoughts from the Author…

“…I have found the cup to be a powerful teacher for my inner life. The ordinariness of the cup reminds me that my personal transformation occurs in the common crevices of each day. The cup is an apt image for the inner process of growth. The cup has been a reminder of my spiritual thirst. As I’ve held it, filled it, drunk from it, emptied it and washed it, I’ve learned that it is through my ordinary human experineces that my thirst for God is quenched. In the cup I see life, with its emptiness, fullness, brokenness, flaws, and blessings.

A cup is a container for holding something. Whatever it holds has to eventually be emptied out so that something more can be put into it. I have learned that I cannot always expect my life to by full. There has to be some emptying, some pouring out, if I am to make room for the new. The spiritual journey is like that–a constant process of emptying and filling, of giving and receiving, of accepting and letting go.

“…the main purpose of a cup is to have its contents given away.”

The cup has taught me many valuable lessons for my spiritual growth. I have learned that my life holds stale things that need to be discarded and that sometimes my life feels as wounded as a broken cup. I have learned that I have flaws, chips, and stains, just as any well-used cup may have, but that these markings of a well traveled life need not prevent me from being a valuable gift for others. I have learned that the contents of my life are meant to be constantly given and shared in a generous gesture of compassion, just as the main purpose of a cup is to have its contents given away. I have especially learned gratitude for all those moments when the unexpected has transformed my life into an abundant cup of blessings.
“…The spiritual life is a journey toward becoming whole, a day-to-day movement of continually growing into the person we are meant to be.”

(The) yearning for greater spiritual oneness with God is the foundation of The Cup of Our Life. I hope that this six-week guide, which is centered around the many facets of the cup, will inspire you to grow in your relationship with God and will fill your cup of life to overflowing. – Joyce Rupp

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Click here to view her previous book “The Cosmic Dance – an invitation to experience our oneness”