This Moment

Dharma in the Workplace

According to Eric Klein of Dharma Consulting, we spend, on average, 56 percent of our waking hours at work. If we are fortunate, we have found work that we love. But some of us struggle with finding the work or work environment that suits us and end up feeling cynical, frustrated, angry, and wanting to be somewhere else. Regardless of our work situation, our coworkers and work-related situations can often push our buttons or throw us off center. With so much time invested in the workplace, our work setting offers a great opportunity to practice mindfulness.

Positive, meaningful, and deep change can occur for ourselves, others, and the overall work environment when we bring our mindfulness practice to work. As mindfulness practice transforms our daily life, so should it transform our work. Work provides a rich opportunity to test and work with dharma practice and wisdom. The main thrust of dharma practice is to take the self-centeredness out of our life, and work affords a rich environment to illuminate our clinging, grasping ego-identification. We have many opportunities to reveal the ways we are holding or are bound.

There are many ways to apply the dharma at work and in the context of our work relationships. For instance, we can take time to make formal practice a part of our day. Ideally, we can schedule ten or even five minutes during our day to simply "sit." We can close our door, sit, breathe, and observe.

Informally, opportunities for bringing mindfulness to our daily experiences abound. When the mind drifts away from being present with "what is" or moves toward judging, agitation, defending, planning, anticipating, jealousy, grasping, or clinging—either while in a meeting or while listening to another or communicating one-on-one in person or on the phone—we can notice our lack of presence, and come back, over and over if necessary, to what is actually occurring in the moment. Is there tension in the shoulders, ego defense, heart-closing, boredom, or impatience? Then, we can ground back in our body and in our breath and relax. We can observe whether we are closing down to "what is," or opening up to it. It takes courage to feel our own feelings and to let them arise, making room for them without acting them out in all the unskillful ways we might.

Tonglen practice can provide a "skillful means" for working with our own edges. According to author Pema Chodron, "The tonglen practice is a method for connecting with suffering—ours and that which is all around us—everywhere we go. It is a method for overcoming fear of suffering and for dissolving the tightness of our heart. Primarily it is a method for awakening the compassion that is inherent in all of us, no matter how cruel or cold we might seem to be." Applying the principles of tonglen practice, we can take just a moment to breathe in the heat or the dark of the tension, frustration, or grasping, and breath out coolness or light to ventilate and move it. Tonglen provides a very practical way to deal with our own inner conflict and transform it.

Practicing loving kindness is always good medicine. Loving kindness, a particular kind of meditation practice, brings about positive attitudinal changes as it systematically develops the quality of "loving-acceptance." It helps to heal the mind of pain and confusion. It is said that "of all Buddhist meditations, loving kindness has the immediate benefit of sweetening and changing old habituated negative patterns of mind." By practicing loving kindness, we can breathe in another’s distress, frustration, fear, sourness, or apathy and extend loving kindness on the out-breath. The practice is certain to change the flavor of the engagement or interaction. It may just also bring about a bit of healing, both for self and other.

If we are paying attention, we can always find a moment to share a kind word, an expression of interest and concern, a helping gesture, or a word of appreciation. All are simple extensions of the dharma. We should ask ourselves: Is there room for a heart connection here? Is there a meaning-making opportunity and how can I bring it forward? How can I embody the potential for awakening and living with wisdom and compassion?

"Be grateful to everyone," as the slogans remind us; for everyone provides us with the opportunity to explore our edges, stuck places and capacity for an open heart.

Cheryl Rapose, M.Ed., L.I.S.W. is the Behavioral Health Programs Coordinator for the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, Riverside Methodist Hospital. She teaches the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on a quarterly basis. She can be reached at (614) 566-4448.