I feel very honoured to be asked to give a short insight in our experiences and our work with the Diamond Cutter of the last five years.
Right now we are all witnessing the dramatic development of the US financial crises and its effect on the world economy and our lives. I believe that Buddhism can give us valuable hints on how to use this incident for our lives and for our future. If we look through the glasses of cause and effect we understand that this is not a sudden incident and there are not "the others" that have made it. We all have to understand that we are harvesting what we have planted before. It is the benefit of The Diamond Cutter to present the core principles of Buddhism in a way that anyone can use it. It is not important if you consider yourself as a Buddhist or not. Rather, do you believe in cause and effect?
LotusConsult
It was early 2003 when my friend Michael (an editor for the German publisher of the The Diamond Cutter) said to me: "I've been working on a book about Buddhism and business. I’d like to know what you and Irmi [my wife] think about the book!" My wife and I were working as coaches and consultants, and we had started LotusConsult to deliver our service in accordance with our Buddhist background. Until then our Buddhist practice had been a more of a personal affair.
So we read The Diamond Cutter, and I said to my wife, "Here is a book that brings Buddhism and business together without softening the main principle of Buddhism: bodhisattva mind!" (compassionate mind). In fact, it gives a clear explanation of how bodhisattva mind is the first condition for a successful and fulfilling business.
We have been working hard on the Diamond Cutter Discussion Groups website and are very happy to announce some new additions:
List of Worldwide Discussion Groups
We have now released our first list of Discussion Groups and moderators worldwide, so that people can find support in their neighborhoods....you can view the growing list under "Find a Group" and "Groups Near You". The worldwide community is growing and it has been inspiring to meet so many people around the world who have been moved by the book and are testing and applying the principles.
One of our main objectives is to bring people together in discussion around The Diamond Cutter and make more people aware of the vast culture and variety of extraordinary teaching that Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally have created. There are already many groups meeting regularly worldwide to talk about the ideas and learn how to use them. Want to become a moderator in your area? Let us know!
Online Discussion Forum
The Online Forum is up and running under "Find a Group" and "Online Forum." Join the worldwide conversation... post your questions and comments on the Forum! Read comments from others across the globe about their experiences. What was it that struck you about The Diamond Cutter? Do you have any personal stories about applications of the principles found in the book? What do you like about the website? Are there any additional features you would like to see? If there is anything you would like to say or ask about The Diamond Cutter or website, we invite you to sign on to the Forum and do so. The book is oriented toward success in business and in life, so please feel free to share any thoughts you have.
Six-Time Book
We now have an explanation of the "Six-Time Book" referred to in The Diamond Cutter, which can be used to guide you in starting your own daily practice. This can be found under "Learning More" and "Keeping a Six-Time Book."
Worldwide Translations of The Diamond Cutter
Did you know that The Diamond Cutter has been translated into a dozen languages, with more being created right now? You can see all of them here, with links to where they can be purchased online. You may have a friend or relative in another country that could benefit from one of these translations.
Sneak Preview: New Features Coming Online Soon
Stay tuned for some other new items in progress:
"Diamond Commerce" Networking
In the spirit of Benjamin Franklin creating the first Chamber of Commerce, we would like to create an online community of businesses that subscribe to the ideas found in The Diamond Cutter. It will probably start as a list of businesses or individuals/professionals and their contact info, with a description of what they do and perhaps any stories they have of how they apply the principles. The possibilities here are exciting - the ability to network with businesses that openly advocate this kind of thinking could be an amazing new opportunity to create business alliances that have a strong foundation from the beginning. We at Diamond Cutter Discussion Groups are very interested to know: Would you join such a thing? Would you find it beneficial or inspiring to see a list of businesses and professionals that openly subscribe to the principles of the book, and network with each other with this in mind? Please contact us to share any thoughts you have about this.
The Perfect Gift (AKA, "the best five bucks you've ever spent")
The book teaches the value of helping others and other businesses as a path to our own success, and in this spirit we will be listing charities, non-profits, and little-known entities that provide opportunities to plant seeds for success by supporting them. We will provide a short review of The Diamond Cutter's technique of creating imprints for your own business's success by helping other businesses grow.
"The Best Five Dollars You Ever Spent" will be a short teaching about using wisdom during giving to make the seeds stronger, with an immediate exercise of choosing one charity to make a donation to online, while being aware of emptiness throughout the entire transaction, and then dedicating to the success of your business (and more).
“...The minute that talented people are truly working in unison and personal harmony, half the problems that prevent a company from reaching its true potential disappear.” – Geshe Michael Roach, The Diamond Cutter
Worldwide translations of the book
Lahav Ha-Yaalom (Hebrew)
Looking for Enlightened Business?
The Enlightened Business Institute is being expanded to provide a wider variety of services. Karmic Management (KM) offers an extensive series of 12 business educational courses which are based on ancient principles of management such as those found in the Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese Taoist traditions, as described in The Diamond Cutter. KM offers its courses throughout the world for corporate executives and business-degree students.
KM's website is under development, but if you want to learn more about KM just contact us.
I feel very honoured to be asked to give a short insight in our experiences and our work with the Diamond Cutter of the last five years.
