"BUDDHA NEVER WORKED A DAY IN HIS LIFE," Dan Zigmond tells us--and you may think "what a sweeping generalization" about a "pampered prince" who left his riches behind to become a wandering monk and spiritual teacher, "all without ever earning a salary." There is work, however, and there are "works," and if you get past that opening paragraph, you'll find plenty to learn in this book. Even if you've studied the teachings of the Buddha and internalized the philosophy, you can find something fresh and relevant in this book.
Granted, it's a trendy thing to do, invoking the familiarity of Buddha's name for a book title. "Customers who bought this book also bought..."
... Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson
... Buddha's Diet: The Ancient Art of Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind by Tara Cottrell
So, yes, you can see a pattern here. The question is, what new insights can your $12 buy with these ebooks?
Chapter 19, "Dealing with Distractions," reminds us of things that Buddha never dealt with, like smartphones and laptops. "Buddha placed great value on concentration," and "you don't have to be an experienced contemplative or yogi" to experience being fully absorbed in some activity, i.e., an exhilarating and productive state known as "the flow." Zigmond undermines the delusion that we 21st C workers are good at "multitasking." A distracted mind "is not fit for any work," as 8th-century CE Indian Buddhist monk Sativeda (I think Zigmond is referring to Shantiveda) said. And that was more than a thousand years ago.
Zigmond makes more sweeping, attention-getting generalizations at the start of each chapter, e.g., "By modern standards, Buddha was even worse at parenting and relationships than he was at holding a job," but he soon clarifies and qualifies that, and Chapter 17 tackles the concept of "work-life balance."
"You are not your job" is the message of Chapter 18, and it may sound like a no-brainer, but Zigmond calls on Buddha's insight, "You do not exist," and puts it into context with a metaphor of the car.
"Data-Driven Dharma," as the title suggests, brings Chapter 23 squarely into our world. I'll offer just one excerpt: "Pay attention to the data around you and learn from everything you try. Don't let willful arrogance or blind faith lead you astray." Your first thought may be, "That doesn't apply to me," but read the whole chapter. You'll see.
Chapter 6 is timely for me: breathing lessons. Become aware of this basic, involuntary action of the body. Not just a mental awareness but physical as well: "You should notice the way the breath enters your body and leaves your body. You should feel it against your mouth or nose." So far, so good. Then: "You should notice the way your chest rises and falls. you should *feel* your chest rise and fall."
Uh, just this week, a physical therapist informed me I've been breathing incorrectly all my life. Engaging "secondary" muscles in the chest and neck (for more than half a century) led to my chronic daily tension headaches, it seems. Now I have to be trained to breath from the diaphragm, not just when singing (I know about this stuff!), but always. Habitually. Diaphragmatic breathing is the basis for almost all meditation or relaxation techniques. "Belly breathing," engaging the intercostal muscles of the rib cage, not the chest, is prescribed by medical professionals to reduce stress. Apparently the Buddha (known for his belly in all those iconic statues) did not offer us the anatomical details of how to breathe, and Dan Zigmond apparently hasn't been enlightened on this one. It's ok. I'm still disgruntled and mad at myself for suffering a lifetime of headaches and other malaise in large part because I screwed up the simple act of breathing.
"Awakening" is the theme of chapter 4, and I'm always in the process--never fully "woke," as popular slang has coined it. Only this morning, a wise soul at Steemit articulated it so well:
**The problem with being "woke" is that the moment you think you are, you're most likely not.**
But don't despair! This book, and many others, show us how to manage the stress and challenges of our modern world.