Happy New Year to one and all! I trust you are all on top form and the year has started well.
This year my blog will be dedicated to interviewing leaders and subject matter experts to help promote healthier work life balance. With any luck this will enable us to create better relationships, productivity and performance.
I am convinced that this is an idea that needs to reverberate from the top and therefore will devote this year focusing on just that …. with a little help from my friends!
This January, I have been lucky enough to interview Genpo Roshi, founder of the Big Mind Process www.bigmind.org.
I really hope you enjoy his interview as much as I did.
Best wishes,
Sunita
Genpo Roshi Big Mind Source www.bigmind.org
Sunita Sehmi: How did you get to where you are today?
Genpo Roshi: Back in February of 1971, I found myself in a bad situation and I just kept thinking how could I have screwed up so badly? The normal thing was to blame others but I couldn’t do that this time… I was having trouble in my relationship and I needed to have some space and time to think. I left my career as a schoolteacher and lifeguard and lived alone in a rustic cabin deep in the mountains near San Luis Obispo. All I did was chop wood and carry water. I spent four to five hours a day in meditation. In March of 1972, I met Zen Master Taizan Maezumi Roshi, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to study closely with him. In 1980, a year after completing formal koan study, I became Maezumi Roshi’s second Dharma heir.
SS: What is the Big Mind Process?
GR: The "Big Mind Process" is a technique that merges Western psychological techniques with Buddhist conceptions of self and mind. The process works with your own mind, with your states of consciousness.
SS: In your opinion why are people finding it hard to balance work and life?
GR: We are so interconnected now, we have so many tools for communication and yet there are so many problems with communication. These tools have been created to make life easier and yet I find people seem so tired now. I think the reason is that people can’t disconnect. They are mentally attached all the time and it’s exhausting. When connecting becomes a central theme in our lives then disconnecting becomes very difficult. Abraham Maslow did a study in the 1970's and noticed that the one feature self-actualized people had in common is that they spent an hour a day doing their own form of meditation. That could be listening to music, walking, whatever… but they were alone. The fact they disconnected for an hour every day allowed them to just be.
SS: You talk about communicating with more compassion and more empathy, how can we practice that in the workplace?
GR: This is where the Big Mind comes in. One of the hardest things is to stop playing the “blame game.” If you are having a problem with someone higher or lower in your company make sure that you are communicating with compassion and empathy. We forget to focus on the listener. Put yourself in their head.
SS: Could you share the best piece of advice you were ever given?
GR: Surrender your ego. When you work as a team, think of the bigger picture and don't be so centered on yourself. Play as one, not against each other. The other great piece of advice I got was: if you can’t let go, let be.
SS: What's the next challenge for us?
GR: I have to say it’s about living in a world where we are available all the time, hyper connected and always on call. It is a universal problem. I believe that we are more stressed than ever before. I think to manage this stress it is very important to set boundaries. I understand this is not easy, but I think it could be a lifesaver. We have to find time for ourselves, a fixed time every day, no matter what. It has to become a routine, a ritual that works for you.
SS: What's next for you?
GR: I will be offering three paths for those who wish to study with me. I have spent the past three years in self-reflection, deepening my practice and working on acknowledging my own shadows and deeply rooted patterns. It is my intention to devote the remainder of my life to integrating the Zen Tradition and Big Mind and the challenges of continuing, endless practice with those who would like to share them. The Path of the Big Heart Zen Lineage: The Big Mind Zen Secular Path: The Path of Personal Exploration and Growth:
“When we put the blame out there we lose the key to unlock what’s stuck.”
Genpo Roshi
Bio Genpo Merzel was a champion swimmer and All-American water polo player in his youth; Merzel received a Master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Southern California in 1968. In 1999 he created what he named the Big Mind Process, also known as Big Mind/Big Heart. His publications include The Eye Never Sleeps, Beyond Sanity and Madness, 24/7 Dharma, and The Path of The Human Being, and many DVDs. His latest book, Big Mind/Big Heart: Finding Your Way is also available as an e-Book and has been published in twelve other languages: For more information please visit www.bigmind.org/contact
Bio
Sunita has a passion for helping individuals, teams and companies to maximize their potential. With over 20 years experience both in the UK & Switzerland, she created Walk The Talk, with the sole aim, to help professionals improve their Business Communication Skills. She is of Indian origin but was born and raised in Britain before she moved to Geneva in 1991. She has a Psychology background, (specializing in Occupational Psychology) and a Post Graduate in the Development and Training of Adults from the University of Surrey. Furthermore, she recently completed a Masters of Advanced Studies in "Gestion des RH et des Carrières," (Specialising in Career Management and Coaching), at the Universities of Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel & Fribourg.
Having successfully worked and operated in different cultures and languages, Sunita's strength lies in her ability to totally empathize with her clients and help them to perform their best.
