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Chan Practice for a Happier Workplace

Work takes up almost one-third of our lives. People work hard to gain resources in exchange for happiness. However, despite continually increasing working hours, people's sense of happiness does not really grow as a result. Thus, all around the world, people are encouraged to use Chan practice to untangle themselves from the stress, competition, and conflicts at the workplace. Chan at work has become an approach to training our mind in modern workplaces, for us to rediscover joy.


What does work mean to you? Is it merely a necessary way to sustain ourselves materially? Or is it also a way to realize our goals, as an inexhaustible source of motivation in our lives? On the long journey of a career, with increased age and seniority, some are still filled with vitality, holding onto the ideal and passion as they first entered the job market. Others, on the other hand, see work in a passive light, as though it were forced upon them by an inescapable fate.

Life is like a test. Most of us spend one third of our life in work, and may encounter various challenges while there. How do we face various workplace obstacles, such as a fast-paced work environment, intense competition among peers and businesses, or involuntary adaptation to re-employment due to changes in the overall economy? Be it praise, criticism, drastic change in job position, or the pursuit of growth and job promotion, by applying Chan practice at work, we can face challenges calmly and maintain an ordinary mind in any situations.


Staying relaxed and focused improves the quality and quantity of work

Moderate pressure helps people proactively complete a task. However, excessive nervousness or maladjustment not only flusters people, causing poor circulation, but may also induce many illnesses. As TIME magazine indicated in its August 2003 issue, more and more office workers started to follow a trend of finding a quiet place at their workplace to settle their mind, sitting in meditation to harmonize their breathing and enhance their concentration, in order to relieve stress and fatigue.

Master Sheng Yen, who taught Chan practice around the world, always guided people to practice meditation by starting off with "relaxation." Starting off by relaxing the head, facial muscles, the joints, the limbs, and then the whole body, can lead to relaxation of the mind. "Make an effort to practice meditation, and we can settle the illusory and distracting thoughts in our mind, single-mindedly focusing on the method." As Master Sheng Yen explained in his book The World of Chan, after relaxation, the next step is to settle our scattered thoughts.

On the other hand, "concentration" can help us unite our body and mind by keeping our mind where our body is. During a meeting, if we have all sorts of distracting thoughts going on in our mind, such as: "When will this guy finish his clichés? He has nothing new to say." "Oh no, the meeting isn't over yet. I'm going to be late to pick up my child after school." Absentmindedness actually causes us to have to spend even more time dealing with the present task, thus making us more anxious. Relaxation and concentration, on the other hand, can bring about positive changes in both the quality and quantity of our work.


Applying cessation and contemplation to view competition and conflict objectively

Competition and conflict in the workplace is another test. For example, peers in the same industry compete for market shares, or co-workers fight for acknowledgement and recognition from their supervisors, as well as better sales performance. Whether it is between departments, between supervisors and subordinates, or between individuals, conflicts may arise due to conflicting opinions.

It requires a settled mind to find out the fundamental cause behind competition and conflict, and to look at it objectively, turning it into a supporting force. In addition to positive interpretations, applying the methods of cessation (śamatha) and contemplation (vipaśyanā) in Chan practice can help us better face competition and conflict. "Contemplation" means clear awareness of our own state of being at all times. When being cursed, even if our emotion of anger and rage has arisen, we should try to remain clearly aware of it. "Cessation", in contrast, means to immediately cut off our attachment to these negative mental conditions as soon as we realize their existence, stop ruminating about them, and not follow along with the other person's reactions.

The Chan practice of cessation and contemplation can be applied in a dynamic interpersonal environment. To look at ourselves with a clear mind is "contemplating;" not subjecting ourselves to other people's comments, whether they praise or slander us, and maintaining a stable, concentrated mind is "ceasing." The more we practice, the more likely we will be able to look at our own performance objectively.


Letting go and taking on—crossing the crises and bottlenecks

People experience barriers and bottlenecks in the workplace partly because they find the work they are doing no longer aligns with their personal goals, resulting in loss of their vitality. Crises may also occur as one's work experience increases in a seemingly stable working life. For example, people might be forced to adapt to new employment or even lose their jobs if the company they work for is having financial issues or when under the stress of peer competition. It is even more burdensome to encounter such workplace hurdles during one's middle age.

When facing workplace crises and hurdles, only through completely letting go can we start again with a fresh motivation. To do this, we should let go our mind that is concerned about gain and loss, our sense of frustration, as well as our abundant experiences that we seem to be denied by others. Difficulties will not automatically disappear because of our frustration or anger. When we look at events from an objective point of view by keeping a distance between "I" and the events, we will be able to see their nature clearly, and thereby really let go of it.

In addition, it is important to adjust and transform our existing concepts when necessary. As Master Sheng Yen pointed out in his book The Path of Practice (人行道), "Since birth, from going to school, entering the job market, to getting married, when are we actually not in the state of wandering? Especially in modern society with such a high social mobility, everyone is essentially a wanderer. Therefore, wandering is the nature of life, and there is nothing to be worried about and afraid of." In face of a crisis, accepting it and adjusting our mindset is the first step to regaining our motivation, as well as the starting point to turning things around.


Chan at Work, the Practice of Restoring our "Ordinary Mind"

Crisis can also be an opportunity, as an ideal moment to re-examine our original value systems. The concept of "letting go" and the method of "taking on" in Chan practice enable people to overcome bottlenecks and grow during a crisis. Experience in the workplace can make us become more mature and stable. As a result even while living in a fast-paced environment, we can remain calm when encountering a crisis and accept things with an ordinary mind. An "ordinary mind" is simply a natural state of mind. However, in a stressful setting, having to manage complex interpersonal interactions, we have gradually lost our stability and peace of mind, making the "ordinary mind" a rare and precious state of being. Incorporating Chan practice into our work allows us to slowly restore our ordinary mind, at which point we will no longer find work a sheer burden. Rather, through the events in our workplace, we can in turn get to understand ourselves better and find the value and meaning of life.



Related articles:

Chan Practice for a Happier Workplace

Efficiency and Speed vs. Relaxation and Concentration: Work Efficiently in a Relaxed Mood

Relaxation and Concentration as a Path to Self-Healing

Conflict and Competition vs. Cessation and Contemplation

Crises and Bottlenecks vs. Letting Go and Getting Motivated



Resource: Issue 271 of Humanity Magazine (March 2006), Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation and illustration: Li Siang-ling (李祥苓)
Editing: Keith Brown, Chang Chia-cheng (張家誠)