Playing Buddha At Work

Think about Buddha, and a serene, calm, meditative and enlightened image flashes across our mind. But Buddha isn't just a reference to an enlightened soul, it's so much more - it's about a way of living, a process, a disposition towards life and events. The more deep we dig into what Buddha denotes, the more we know that Buddha has many connotations related to mind, body and soul. Among the many connotations, the two I talk about here are - 1. An Awakened One, and 2. An Enlightened One. It's appropriate to mention that Buddha is not only referred to in context of spiritual upliftment but holds  an equal relevance in our mortal presence as well i.e. in our personal and professional sphere. In fact, never has there been a greater need to play Buddha at work than now, especially when chaos, commotion and confusion rule the workplace and just too many things seem to occur or pass us by in the "moment". All this leaves us completely disconnected with the present and to ponder over the following:

1. Why do i need to play Buddha at Work ? What if i don't ?
2. What if i ignore or miss the "moment" ?
3. How, playing Buddha, would help me at workplace ?

Let's try and answer the above

Defining a typical workplace in today's VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) environment is quite simple, obvious and easy. It would suffice to say that "Emotions running high and Camaraderie running dry" is what symbolises a typical workplace today and such a workplace is totally bereft of energy, excitement, enthusiasm, collaboration, productivity and results. 

It's well known that an organisation or workplace is all about people therein and creating a good workplace is an outcome of  building it (workplace) on the bedrock of relationships, which in turn is  built on the bedrock of positive interactions. Ever imagined, how every moment provides us with an opportunity to impact our interactions (positively or negatively) ? - by way of the small but consequential things we do during that moment, like the decisions we make, chances we take, collaboration we enter, work we delegate and the appreciation/ reprimand we offer.  Each of these interactions (with self or others) either makes or mars our chances of success and growth in the workplace, based on how we "involve" with the moment. Playing Buddha and engaging with the moment is a sure shot way to ensure that these interactions lead to success and happiness for us.

Now, moving to the most relevant piece - How to prepare ourself to play Buddha at work ? Well, ironically, the answer is much simpler than anyone could envisage and it's all about incorporating the following four fundamental elements in our every interaction, till it becomes a part of our DNA. Let us look at what these four fundamental elements are

• Understanding - Before starting to play Buddha, it makes good sense to gather an understanding of the same. Among the many connotations, one that best fits in the context here is "being an awakened one". Being awakened enables one to recognise the opportunities that exist in every occuring moment and capitalise on them in a productive way. Also, an understanding of the fact that each moment and each interaction is life defining for us makes it all the more imperative for us to build an understanding about expectations from us when we play Buddha. 
• Acknowledging - Addressing a situation is possible only when we notice it happening. Once acknowledged, we actually start to feel the moment and the interaction occuring therein which helps us to avoid taking the moment and the interaction lightly and not mess it up because of our oversight or inability to observe things closely.  
• Appreciating - Affirming (saying YES) and Approving (being OKAY) the moment and the interaction occuring therein is what Appreciating is all about. This is the step that prepares us to take constructive and productive action on what is occuring/ happening and that too without being judgemental or biased. 
• Acting (Taking Action) - This is where the rubber meets the road and every element imbibed by us is put to test against reality, comprising of the actual moments and the interactions happening in those moments. The actualisation of the intent of playing buddha happens here.  The outcome of this element is solely determined by the intent with which the other three elements have been imbibed. The foundation laid out by the other three defines whether this element will catapult us to success and productivity or push us down in the dungeons of failure and frustration.    

In a nutshell, the golden rules to play Buddha at work could be summarised as

• connect to the self and develop realisation of what's happening inside 
• connect to the moment, acknowledge it and accept it
• deal with the moment in a productive and constructive was, by being non-judgemental and unbiased  

So, always remember that "Playing Buddha is all about playing the moment well"

N.B : Image source: https://tricycle.org/magazine-issue/winter-2018/