July | 2012 | Balanced Action

Monkey Business: Did you ever get soaked, while trying to grab a Banana?

July 22, 2012 by philipp68

In 1967 G. R. Stephenson conducted an experiment with a group of rhesus monkeys. The experiment shows how we acquire behavior. I think studying the way the experiment was conduced shows something else: It shows that monkeys would never have acted the way they did, if they had been left alone to live their life in peace. I believe the natural state of monkeys and humans is to be good. It’s the experiments, which drive us crazy. The experiment went […]

Categories: Life & Work • Tags: Buddhism, Compassion, Heart, Illusion

Merit or Duty Part 2: Breaking out of the imaginary caste system at work

July 13, 2012 by philipp68

In the last post I briefly outlined how believing in “merit” shapes the way we look at the world. How the moment we start comparing ourselves with the people around us can create a deep sense of anxiety. What if we would believe in our dharma, our duty? Would this help to look at work and life with more compassion? Be more forgiving towards us, if things don’t turn out as expected? Let’s find out. Dharma can be understood as […]

Categories: Bhagavad Gita, Life & Work • Tags: Bhagavad Gita, Dharma, Heart, Meritocracy

Merit or Duty Part 1: What will make us happier?

July 10, 2012 by philipp68

In the next two posts I would like to compare two completely different preconceptions how we look at life and work. One is a western ideal, meritocracy. The other is one of the fundaments of Hinduism and Buddhism, dharma. I believe that understanding both these concepts in context is important, in order to benefit from both western and eastern wisdom. My hope being, that this understanding can bring you some peace of mind, when struggling at work. Let’s start with […]

Categories: Bhagavad Gita, Life & Work • Tags: Bhagavad Gita, Dharma, Meritocracy

The Bhagavad Gita Part 3: The Art of Action

July 4, 2012 by philipp68

The last post ended with the mental image of the “battlefield of life”. On one side the strong army of negativity, on the other the fighters for positivity. We in the middle, afraid that we might loose the battle, that things could turn out even worse than they feel at the moment. The drawing above represents the moment the battle starts. A moment on the journey of life, hesitating to take the next step. Looking back, remembering past experiences, constructing […]

Categories: Bhagavad Gita, Life & Work • Tags: Action, Bhagavad Gita, Body, Compassion, Decision, Heart, Wisdom