Once a philosopher visited an enlightened Zen master. Eager to get to the heart of the matter, the philosopher asked, ‘What is the essential teaching of Zen?’ ‘Attention,’ the teacher replied. The scholar was taken aback by this unexpected answer. ‘I didn’t ask you...
I define mindfulness as an awareness of our thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and environment in the present moment. It is paying attention in the present moment purposefully and non-judgementally. It is experiencing and accepting reality as it really is—not how we...
Mindful leadership requires presence—being in tune with our feelings, thoughts, and experiences in the present moment. The value of staying present can be brought home by understanding what we habitually do in its place: engage in absentmindedness. Much of the time...
When I started my personal transformation journey at the age of 22, I had no idea what I was signing up for. I started taking classes in practical philosophy, depth psychology and mindfulness meditation. I thought this would somehow make me special. What I did not...
Self-awareness does more than improve leader-employee relations. According to research by Korn Ferry, the world’s largest executive search firm, there is a direct correlation between leaders’ self-awareness and company profitability. The company analysed almost 7000...
A professor of Buddhism once visited a Japanese Zen master. After listening to the professor’s impressive level of intellectual knowledge of Zen, the master served tea. When his visitor’s cup was full, the master kept pouring. Tea spilled out of the cup and over the...
