A Whole Life's Work
Living Passionately, Growing Spiritually
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
What is work, truly? In its widest sense, work is not just a job. It is the sum of all our purposeful activities. Seen in this light, work is our whole life.
In a continuation of his national bestseller, Work as a Spiritual Practice, Lewis Richmond's latest effort, A Whole Life's Work, explores the many facets of work as a means to cultivate inner life and contribute to the developing consciousness of all humanity.
A Whole Life's Work defines eight important modes of work -- the Earner, the Hobbyist, the Creator, the Monk, the Helper, the Parent, the Learner, and the Elder -- along with their corresponding eight modes of inner work: Precepts, Vitality, Patience, Calm, Equanimity, Giving, Humility, and Wisdom. These inner modes are drawn from the author's Buddhist training, but in some form they can be found in most other spiritual traditions, demonstrating the recognition throughout history that our whole life's work has inner as well as outer dimensions.
Here Lewis Richmond addresses a primary struggle of contemporary life: how to strike a balance between achievement and ambition on the one hand, and happiness and fulfillment on the other. Whether we are professionals, artists, hobbyists, parents, or students, Lewis helps us recognize the larger picture, too -- our contributions and responsibilities to the wider consciousness of the planet. Through teaching stories, spiritual exercises, and interviews, A Whole Life's Work provides an invaluable roadmap toward the ultimate reconciliation of outer livelihood with inner life, so that when we have grown old we can look back and say: I did the best I could, what I did counted, I am satisfied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Buddhist teacher and author Richmond (Healing Lazarus) accomplishes a marvelous feat with this outstanding book on life and work. More than helping readers find their calling or pursue more spiritually fulfilling employment, this is a book that shifts and broadens the meaning of a life's work. Lewis helps readers see the importance of daily acts that do not earn income but certainly advance that most powerful of human ambitions to reach spiritual maturity, to wake up, to become Buddha. Lewis calls this process of awakening "The Consciousness Project" and shows how raising children, making friends, pursuing careers, going fishing and climbing mountains are all equally valuable aspects of a life's work. He clarifies the "modes of work" into eight categories (earner, hobbyist, creator, monk, helper, parent, learner and elder) and devotes an extensive chapter to each. Richmond argues that we all possess numerous archetypes at any given moment. For instance, we may earn money as a teacher (helper, earner), but when we face unexpected unemployment and pursue a year of self-discovery, we become the monk and the learner. Likewise, when we go on a solo hiking trip, we embody the hobbyist as well as the monk. Each mode offers opportunities for spiritual growth the earner might learn how to "carry the burden lightly" and the helper may need to learn the art of tough love, for example. A book structure like this runs the risk of becoming confining rather than offering clarity and enlightenment but, fortunately, Lewis offers us his finest "elder" mode. He is an experienced teacher who shares his wisdom with generosity and integrity.
