047 ｜ "Six Degrees and Ten Thousand Actions" in the workplace

Many people may think that to study Buddhism, practice, and meditate, you need to stay away from the mundane world, go to the mountains, cut off the mobile phone signal, and even cut off all contact with your relatives and friends.

After a little understanding of Buddhism, I discovered an amazing thing, that is, at any time, in any occasion, and in any role in life, there is an opportunity to practice the Buddha's wisdom - the "six degrees and ten thousand actions" . This article, based on modern workplace thinking, hopes to inspire some of your different thinking.

What is "Six Degrees of Ten Thousand Actions" ? The Six Degrees (Sanskrit: ṣaḍ-pāramitā) is the Six Paramitas , a Buddhist term that refers to the six qualities of bodhisattva practice, which are believed to be able to cross the ocean of life and death suffering and reach the other shore of Nirvana. (from Wikipedia)

The specific six degrees refer to:

① Giving: It refers to giving to others what one has or knows. Increase compassion and combat greed.

② Precepts: keep the corresponding precepts. To cure all afflictions of greed, hatred and delusion.

③ Endurance: To deal with anger and greed arising from external conditions.

④ Progressive progress: (in Buddhism) Always seek the right Dharma, and stay true to right knowledge and righteous thoughts.

⑤ Meditation degree: After entering samadhi, the mind is free of distracting thoughts, the body and mind are calm, and it can cure the distraction of the mind.

⑥ Prajna Degree (Wisdom Degree): Observe emptiness and eliminate ignorance, stay away from troubles and wrong views and gain freedom.

If we take our daily work and work as the "dojo" for our practice, how should we understand the "six degrees and ten thousand actions"?

① Giving: It refers to giving to others what one has or knows. Increase compassion and combat greed.

Workplace application — → Share what you have learned without reservation, and devote your time and energy to the outside world with a serious and responsible attitude. A willingness to give and an attitude of kindness to others.

② Precepts: keep the corresponding precepts. To cure all afflictions of greed, hatred and delusion.

Workplace application - -> Respect the company's rules and regulations, uphold professional ethics, abide by the law, and work with integrity, integrity and fairness.

③ Endurance : To deal with anger and greed arising from external conditions.

Workplace application — -> Don't get upset because of gossip, gossip, and slander from others, and don't be a microphone for workplace gossip. Endure the troubles of work and not get bored by boring work.

④ Progressive progress: (in Buddhism) Always seek the right Dharma, and stay true to right knowledge and righteous thoughts.

Workplace application — -> Continuously improve your skills, knowledge, vision, and connections in your professional field.

⑤ Meditation degree: After entering samadhi, the mind is free of distracting thoughts, the body and mind are calm, and it can cure the distraction of the mind.

Workplace application — -> At work, the motivation is good, and the selfishness is not. (from Kazuo Inamori)

⑥ Prajna Degree (Wisdom Degree): By observing emptiness and eliminating ignorance, keeping away from afflictions and wrong views

Workplace application - -> Not obsessed, not obsessed, and the heart does not follow the external environment. A workplace prajna (wisdom) that is not afraid of changes and copes with ease

Based on the above "six degrees" , in the "ten thousand actions" in the workplace, for each behavior, you can find a corresponding practice method.

This kind of thinking inspired me, on the one hand, it liberated me from the restrictive misunderstanding of "cultivating the mind (learning Buddhism)", and corrected my previous thought that "the only way to practice is to read books and take classes at home". On the other hand, it deepened my understanding of the "meaning of work" and made work a "very meaningful to me" thing.

Although it is very slow, it is true that in work and life, I feel that there is a lot less trouble. And because of this, it becomes easier to be happy. This kind of happiness because of less troubles is not as violent as material stimulation, but it is a deeper and more peaceful joy .

In the Buddha's philosophy, the quality of your practice does not depend on the depth of your insights, the length of time you practice, your name, etc., but on whether you have truly reduced your "afflictions" . Since we are still in the workplace, there is an "unfinished business" to accomplish. Many of the troubles of people in modern life are also related to the workplace. Why not turn the workplace into your own "dojo" and your desk into a "mandala"?

May you become a better version of yourself and gain peace and love.

 About Korgi Chu (Grilled Chicken)
International Coach Federation ICF Certified Life Coach / Rainbow Coach 🌈
(Member number 009600446I) 👉🏻 The personal website is committed to promoting the "output" thinking system, and using "output" to promote the growth of more people.
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