Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
We might not think of Buddhism as something that takes place at work. Normally we think of Buddhism as something that we learn at the church or temple, or through books or lectures. Ultimately, however, we want the teachings to become one with our everyday life, such that there is no dichotomy between myself, and living Buddhism. Buddhism is my life, and my life is Buddhism. When that occurs, then Buddhism is present no matter what I am doing, whether it is being at work or play. With that in mind, I would like to reflect on Buddhism and the workplace.
In a book I read recently, it quoted a statistic that I found quite alarming, which stated that roughly fifty percent of people who work are unhappy or dissatisfied with their work in some manner. To think that half of all the people who work are unhappy, is quite a staggering figure. How can people find greater fulfillment or satisfaction in their work? What are the problems that they face that would cause them to be so unhappy?
There are various circumstances of course that cause a person to be unhappy at work. You might feel that you are unappreciated and underpaid for what you do and all the time and effort you give to your company. You might be unhappy with your boss, or if you are the boss, you might be unhappy with your workers. You could be unhappy about office politics, or the fellow workers that you have to deal with on a daily basis. You could also feel bored, or unchallenged by your work, or that you have no freedom to be creative or innovative in your work. All of these could be significant factors for unhappiness at work.
How can Buddhism helps us to deal with such problems at work? Does Buddhism have something to say about such issues?
I think that Buddhism can offer us tremendous help in finding greater meaning and satisfaction in our work.
First of all, we have to ask ourselves if our work is a means to an end, or if the means itself is the end. By that I mean, do we work just to receive the paycheck (the end) which allows us to pay for all the things we need in life, both necessities and luxuries. If we work only for the end, then the means can be quite boring or miserable.
If, however, we find fulfillment in the means (the work), and not just the end (the paycheck), then our feeling about work would be quite different. When we lived in Japan and I was studying for the ministry, we used to go to this real dive of a place that had good gyoza and ramen. It was a small place and we would sit at the counter and could watch the cook actually making the gyoza and also working the cash register. This cook would move so quickly but yet gracefully, making gyoza, serving customers, and running the cash register as well. He was always smiling and greeting the customers cheerfully. Despite the fact that he was so busy and had to work so hard, he seemed to really love his work. I thought to myself, "I doubt if there are many CEOs who love their work as much as this cook does." Truly, job satisfaction cannot be measured by one's salary or position alone. If you are dependent on job satisfaction only by your salary or position, then what happens when you are not able to achieve that? If you don't get your annual raise are you miserable? If you don't get the promotion do you become despondent? If your job satisfaction comes from external conditions, then it will be hard to find real happiness at work.
If your job satisfaction comes from something internal, then that is another story. Let's take an example of two nurses who work in a hospital. Nurse "A" works for external reasons, to get a nice paycheck and to get a nice retirement. As Nurse "A" goes about her work, she constantly complains about her working conditions. Doctors are so difficult, patients are so demanding, and they give me too many patients to try to take care of in an eight hour shift. Nurse "B" has a different attitude. Nurse "B" has a wish, an aspiration for her life. Her wish is to heal all the sick of the world, to ease the pain of those who suffer. As Nurse "B" goes about her job, the day flies by. She goes from patient to patient helping as many people as she can. At the end of the day she says, "Is it quitting time already? I wish I had more time. I didn't get to help this patient or that patient." Nurse B goes home feeling fulfilled about her work, and looks forward to helping patients the next day. Nurse A goes home thinking, "As long as I can make it to Friday I will be okay."
The contrasting attitudes of Nurse A and Nurse B applies to all occupations, whether it is a school teacher, an engineer, a businessman, or even a minister. Are we working just for the end or is the means the end in itself? Is work itself the real reward, or are we working only for the reward?
In Buddhism, the path is the goal. To be on the path to truth or enlightenment is the goal in itself. The goal is not a pot of gold at the end a long journey, but the journey itself is the pot of gold. That is because the path and the goal are inseparable, they are one and the same reality. To be on the path is to be a part of the goal. To listen to the Dharma, is itself to have the truth of enlightenment unfold in your life. Each step of the journey is the reward.
When we apply that way of living to our work, then work itself becomes a fulfillment. Work becomes a privilege, an honor. Instead of thinking, "I deserve this or that, or I should be getting this or that," one thinks, "I am privileged to be able to do this work. Doing this work gives me the opportunity to do something for others."
The Buddhist teaching of interdependence also means it applies to the workplace. As a worker, you have no work if not for the company. A company cannot operate without workers. Management and labor, employers and employees, all need to understand the interdependent relationship that they all have together and treat one another with mutual respect and trust. I think that a truly successful company has to have such a philosophy and understanding, such that every single person, from management to labor is regarded as most significant and instrumental in the success of the whole company.
Namuamidabutsu,
Rev. Marvin Harada
February 2008
