The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life

Abstract

The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally Harmony, MN 2009 278 pp. $11.07 paperback ISBN: 0-38552-868-X

The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally Harmony, MN 2009 278 pp. $11.07 paperback ISBN: 0-38552-868-X

This book is intended for business leaders and entrepreneurs looking for some practical advice to overcome their day-to-day challenges in business. The authors draw on their experience of running the sales division of a successful diamond business in New York City to demonstrate the practical relevance of their advice. The principles described in the book are based on ancient Buddhist philosophy and were successfully used by the authors to turn a start-up company into a multi-million dollar one in less than three years. Essentially, the book is divided into three sections.

The first section describes the three principles of the Buddhist philosophy of Diamond Sutra and their relevance to modern-day business challenges. The first principle is the "emptiness of all things", which emphasizes that every situation is devoid of any absolute meaning and derives its meaning from one's interpretation. The second principle states that it is imperative to understand that our perceptions shape our reality. The third principle is that positive mental imprints or actions taken in good faith can lead to success. The authors suggest moving from a "stingy state of mind" to a "generous state of mind."

The second section provides three practical suggestions for leaders to align their personal life with their business practices. The first suggestion is to start the day with some silent time set aside. This quiet time helps plant the mental imprints needed to react the right way and thus, prove to be an invaluable investment for the rest of the day. The second suggestion is to stay healthy while engaging in the process of creating and enjoying wealth. The activity of creating wealth should not exhaust us so much that we are not able to enjoy the wealth we create. The final advice is to get away from work every once in a while and go off somewhere else where one can sit quietly and think.

The third section of the book, "Looking back and knowing it was worth it" builds on the Buddhist philosophy of "Death Meditation." The idea behind this meditation is to anticipate where one is going in life and to look back at life with total joy and satisfaction. Another important point made in this section is that those who can give away enough to others and plant positive mental imprints as a result of their actions can expect to see a great deal of wealth coming their way. The authors close by giving accounts of numerous business leaders from across the globe explaining how they successfully followed the advice in the book and the results they achieved.

It is rare to find a book which recommends spirituality as a means to achieve material success. This book provides actionable guidance on shaping one's lifestyle to become successful at business. Recent literature emphasizes the importance of empathy for the leader and his/her ability to understand and act on other people's needs and desires at the workplace. This helps the leader and the organization gain happy and productive employees who work with passion and commitment. By touching on the personal side of a leader and how it impacts the organization, this book provides a holistic approach to creating and running a successful business.