Bhagavad Gita | Balanced Action

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

The Bhagavad Gita Part 2: What types of Actions exist?

June 25, 2012 by philipp68

To understand how to take difficult decisions and engage in all type of actions with a positive attitude, we first have to understand what the Gita means by action. My reflections are primarily based on notes I took during a reading of the Bhagavad Gita by Andrea Boni. I scribbled, abstracted, combined Andrea’s passionate words with my thoughts and experiences. Thank you so much, Andrea! The Gita is a poetic text. I apologize if during my attempt to apply its […]

Categories: Bhagavad Gita, Life & Work • Tags: Action, Bhagavad Gita, Decision

The Bhagavad Gita Part 1: Facing a difficult Decision?

June 12, 2012 by philipp68

This is the first of a series of posts, where I would like to explore how an ancient text like the Bhagavad Gita can help us taking overdue decisions and engaging in action. I use the example of decision making, because in life and at work we often hesitate to take decisions, especially if a decisions leads to actions we would like to avoid. We act a little bit like Arjuna, the hero of the Gita, in the opening of […]

Categories: Bhagavad Gita, Life & Work • Tags: Action, Bhagavad Gita, Body, Decision, Dharma, Heart, Intuition, Mind, Wisdom