Practising dharma at work

jackal33 SG

Being a devout buddhist, we should learn to practice dharma everyday. Adding dharma into our lives and eventually becoming dharma. However, in a workplace where everyone is forming either allies or enemies, how do you suggest adding dharma spices into a scary place?

Furthermore, your workplace is the place where you spent most of your time at unlike monks or nuns who stay at monastries. In 24 hours a day, you sleep 6 hours, have 3 hours of meals, 8 hours of work, the other 7 hours either with your friends, family or computer.

sinweiy SG

How do we practise Buddhism when we are so busy with our careers and constantly facing a shortage of time?

Cultivating amid our activities

Many of us think that learning and practising Buddhism means utilising Sundays, our rest days or daily, to pray or meditate in temples. This perception is neither right nor wrong. We may be busy with our work and other activities, but, Buddhism is best practised amid these activities. Should one be totally inactive or free, what else is there to practise?
It is common to see people working and singing at the same time; machinists talking while working the machines; housewives working on their chores and exhorting their children at the same time; others work with their minds preoccupied with all sorts of other problems not related to their work. In short, they may be occupied physically, but mentally, their minds are not free or empty. As such, does learning and practising Buddhism really pose a problem to our heavy schedules? This is definitely not so. A verse from the "Seven Buddhas" reads: "Avoid all evils; do all that are good; purify ones mind. These are the teachings of all Buddhas".

So, we just need to purify our minds. While at work, although our body may be in action, it is actually amid these actions that we cultivate. The mind should not wander and the mouth should not chatter unnecessarily. We should concentrate on the work wholeheartedly, and constantly act on purifying our thoughts. This is practising Buddhism, and in fact it is the right approach. With this in mind,
the busier we are, the more opportunities we have in cultivating. Let us not treat Buddhism as a form of superstition and think that to practise means having to make extraordinary efforts such as going to the forests or temples to meditate or to chant.

A commuter, when travelling in a train for example, may emulate the mental purity of the Buddha, and listen to the rumbling of the wheels and at the same time rythmically chant the name of the Buddha or Bodhisattva so that the mind does not wander. Naturally the mind will become pure and calm. Learning Buddhism means emulating the mental purity of the Buddha. Buddha is one who has already attained perfect enlightenment, sublime wisdom and blessings. On the other hand the commoner has lesser blessings and wisdom. Still, he would have made tremendous advancements if he merely practises Buddhism amid his daily activities to the extent that he attains purity in his bodily actions, speech and thoughts.

Thus, no matter what we do, where we are or how busy we may be, we can still practise Buddhism. As long as we put this into practise, our wisdom will develop and our blessings will gradually grow. For this reason, Jen Chen Buddhism advocates practising amid the activities of our daily lives; practising without attaching to the notion of practice; maintaining awareness without attaching to the notion of awareness; and attaining without attaching to the notion of attainment. When we understand this principle and have no more confusions, we can be considered great practitioners of Buddhism.

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/cultivat.htm

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jackal33 SG

Thanks. That was some nice advice. Its rather brief though. Anyone who actually has a real life example of how they practice dharma at work? I do understand that dharma can be practice in a busy life as a simple act of giving up your seat to someone who needs it is already a simple act of compassion. However, i was thinking that is it really possible to have compassion in work?

For example; showing compassion to a boss who just hates you so much and he always give you the black face or always put blames on you? (just an example not my personal experience)

sinweiy SG

just posted a while ago, thought it's useful here:

try, instead of keep concluding other's are at fault, give reasons to yourself as to why others commit fault. like oh maybe they have some other problems etcs.

sinweiy SG

i normal practice shui2yuan2. improperly curious about the affairs of others are pretty tiring. when the help comes to you, then you try to help. if not don't purposely go look for people to help.

http://sg.search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGk5hXF9VGXjMB8nkj4gt.?p=%E5%A4%9A%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%8B%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E5%B0%91%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%8B%2C%E5%B0%91%E4%B8%80%E4%BA%8B%E4%B8%8D%E5%A6%82%E6%97%A0%E4%BA%8B&y=All+the+Web&fr=yfp-t-web

less a matter is better than one extra matter;
no matter is even better than less a matter.

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jackal33 SG

I agree too. Thanks

AndrewPKYap SG

er... what is your idea of practicing dharma? When you live life realizing dharma, then you are practicing dharma no matter where you are or what you are doing... IMHO

An Eternal Now SG

I'm still a student so not much experience.

But I think working environment can give you lots of trying situations, and therefore creates a good setting for practise. Even if we can't be perfect all at once (i.e love the boss unconditionally), we can practise step by step and progress from there.

Isis SG

I could say the most basic thing is to keep your five precepts and trying to practice the ten virtuous deeds.

The best deal is realizing Dharma so when someone had scolded you sh!thead, you will not even flinch and naturally have compassionate for there person.. for there person is feeling sh!thead himself. Laughing

And one more thing, if you practice Dana and compassionate for your boss.. be mindful of having no unwholesome thought arise in you.

Lastly, be mindful of intention, speech and action.

My one cent.

cheers.