Diamond Cutter Discussion Groups

I feel very honored 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.

The Workshops

Shortly afterwards we had the chance to meet Gary Hirsch, the former director of  EBI (Enlightened Business Institute), and then we began our training to lead one-day workshops on The Diamond Cutter, together with Anna Matzenauer of Heidelberg who joined LotusConsult in 2005. I have to express my deep gratitude to Gary ? we still benefit from his work!  Since 2006, roughly 100 people have participated in our workshop "Erf?llung und Erfolg" (Fulfilment and Success) all over Germany. Even "old" Buddhists are pleased by how this workshop imparts the core principles of Buddhist philosophy (karma & emptiness) and gives concrete advice on applying them in their lives and businesses.

Clients

Most of our clients are either self-employed, proprietor of a small- or medium-sized business or ? if employed by well-known companies like Daimler or Siemens ? coming for their personal interest. Many share a common interest: they are or wish to become coaches and consultants. We believe they are sensing a deep and growing need among the people working in our modern capital economy.

Experiences

Of course a one-day workshop is just the start. We want our clients to realise that there is another way to look at our lives and to try something new. That is a challenge! Because we all have strong habits, especially in interpreting our world and acting the way we believe is "the right thing" to do.

Integrity

If I want to explain the connection of Buddhism and business I always refer to integrity. Integrity means "I am living my life according to my values ? no corruption."  And there is a compass for that: suffering (business/carrier failed, conflicts etc.) ? my own suffering and the suffering of other beings. There is no difference between you and me. If suffering appears, I want to get out of it and check my life. For the next step I need two important things: training and trust. Training means I continue to plant the right seeds even if I am not experiencing "the right" results yet. Trust means I believe that these seeds will grow and ripen.

No easy solution

We heard often as a critique that The Diamond Cutter addresses people's wish for easy solutions: Just give away your money and you'll get it back many times! Due to karma and emptiness, anybody will find in the book what ever is his or her karma is. If you have understood that message it is only 50%. Generosity is an important aspect of working with your mind. If you just want to make a deal ("I'll give you this if you give me that"), you are making it too simple. But if you honestly start to make changes in your life by working with your mind, you will notice that this subject is more complex and you need the courage to put down your old mind habits ? that is the difficult part.

Action

Buddhism is not a "think about it", it is a "do it!"  Merely listening to and discussing the teachings is not enough. You need to be proactive. So we want our clients to define their personal actions in terms of seed and harvest: What do I want in life and what seeds do I need to plant? It is one thing to understand this; it is another thing to do it and to keep doing it!

Results

It takes at least three months of clear, committed effort to bring about changes in real life. We offer each workshop participant a coaching session after the workshops to examine their situation more closely.  Some clients request a longer coaching process to keep their focus and not fall back into old habits.

What you put in, you?ll get back. The louder you shout, the stronger the echo.  With our support and with regular coaching, a number of our clients have achieved professional and personal success.

Things to do

We have the particular challenge of teaching the principles of seed and harvest without relying on Buddhist terminology, since some of our clients are not interested in religion, spirituality or Buddhism. There are effective coaching and consulting tools that can be combined with this karmic approach to support our clients as they make their first steps. We need people who are very well qualified in both fields: the Dharma and consulting. In this way, we are able to help the entire world.

About the Author

Arne Schaefer, LotusConsult

Arne lives in Berlin, Germany, where he works as a self-employed coach and consultant. He leads seminars on self- and stress-management, communication and negotiations (for clients such as Daimler AG, Siemens AG). Together with his wife he founded LotusConsult to offer value-based services, and they have been leading workshops based on The Diamond Cutter since 2006.
More information: www.lotus-consult.de, www.lotus-netzwerk.com