Office Sutras: Exercises for Your Soul at Work

by Marcia Menter

Is it possible to seek enlightenmentto feel alive and whole and useful and joyfulin an imperfect job? The Office Sutras can help transform any jobeven one you hateinto an active part of spiritual practice. Work can be an arena that challenges you spiritually as well as professionally. With humor and wit, Marcia Menter helps readers recognize that the things that drive them craziest at work can be doorways to growth and understanding in their lives, if they are approached with an open mind and heart. Chapters like "The Slough of Suckiness," "Are They Paying Me Enough?," and "The Dream That Got Away," share practical techniques, exercises, and mantras for finding divinity in the resentments that can make anyone's job miserable. Each chapter includes inspiring Mantras for the Bad Days, such as "If God had wanted me to spend my whole life in my office, he would have given me a nicer office." Menter contends that the job you have right now, for all its imperfections, may be just the spiritual challenge you need to confront the most important issues of lifeissues like selfworth and fulfillment and paying your way in the world. Office Sutras will help readers find opportunities for growth and peace in even the most stultifying of work situations.

Genres: Self Help

230 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Office Sutras sums itself up in the first couple of pages: "The basic premise of this book is that we're on a spiritual journey every second of our lives, not just during those times we set aside to contemplate the cosmos. The job you have right now, no matter how frustrating, no matter how screamingly imperfect, is part of your spiritual path. The work you're doing right now, no matter how thankless or inane, is noble work, because it presents you with exactly what you need for your spiritual growth, assuming you pay the right kind of attention to it." pg 3 And then every page there after pretty much repeats that.

This book just wasn't for me. Every chapter presents a common problem that one can encounter at work and then gives exercises that you can use to examine the issue in a different way and come to some understanding about it. I realized that I was never going to do any of the exercises and I didn't regret that in any way. Big fail.

If you're going to read a self help book that deals with work and has a Buddhist vibe, I'd suggest Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives. Thich Nhat Hanh is brilliant and I find his writing to be more appealing than this offering.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I went into reading this book with an open mind. Stressful job was causing me to seek an mental break. There are many valid point and practices I have put into place that are allowing me to focus on why I love my job and enjoy going to it every day, even when I’m dead tired like today.

[Kellyann · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.43things.com/entries/view/...

[Annm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike most, this self help book actually seems to have been written by a human being, i’m Going to give some of her ideas a try