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Nyingma Psychology Series #5
Skillful Means
"Only in our work can we discover the satisfying sense of accomplishment that makes life truly worth living. Yet for most of us today, work has lost its power to inspire; we view it only as a necessary but frustrating part of our lives. This book shows us how to reawaken the joy of work, and to cultivate the richness of our inner being in all that we dio. Every experience becomes a challenge, inviting us to work and live to the full extent of our human potential."
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
23 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Tarthang Tulku
165 books78 followersTarthang Tulku Rinpoche (དར་ཐན་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ dar-than sprul-sku rin-po-che) is a Tibetan teacher ("lama") in the Nyingma ("old translation") tradition. Having received a complete Buddhist education in pre-diaspora Tibet, he taught philosophy at Sanskrit University in India from 1962 to 1968, and emigrated to America in 1969, where he settled in Berkeley, CA. He is often credited as having introduced the Tibetan medicine practice of Kum Nye (སྐུ་མཉེ sku mnye་, "subtle-body massage") to the West.
In 1963, he founded Dharma Publishing in Varanasi, India, moving it to California in 1971. The main purpose of the publishing house is to preserve and distribute Tibetan Buddhist teachings and to bring these teachings to the West.
Neither Rinpoche nor Tulku are surnames; the former is an honorific applied to respected teachers meaning "Precious One," while the latter is a title given to those who have be recognized an the reincarnation of a previous lama.
In 1963, he founded Dharma Publishing in Varanasi, India, moving it to California in 1971. The main purpose of the publishing house is to preserve and distribute Tibetan Buddhist teachings and to bring these teachings to the West.
Neither Rinpoche nor Tulku are surnames; the former is an honorific applied to respected teachers meaning "Precious One," while the latter is a title given to those who have be recognized an the reincarnation of a previous lama.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 15, 2008
How much work do you actually get done each day? Be honest. How much time do you spend putting off tasks that you hate, making excuses about why something isn't complete, or playing little scenarios in your head about what could happen if you don't get that job complete? Maybe you find yourself filling you coffee cup more times than you should, chatting with a colleague about last night's hockey game, or find yourself planning your weekend. The end result is usually hurried work filled with mistakes.
Although work apathy is common, it doesn't have to be. Much of the problem is that we find no value in our work. Basically, we spend eight hours working today and tomorrow we have to come back to do it all again. However, if we mindfully focused on the job at hand like it was the most important thing to do, like we had a deadline in one hour, and like it was our life's passion we'd get more quality work done in far less time.
Skillful Means: Patterns for Success teaches the reader about how to get rid of work apathy while increasing self confidence, self esteem, and personal energy. Some of the topics explored include caring about work, wasting energy, relaxation, concentration, time, how to cope, superficiality, competition, communication, and cooperation. Most of the sections are complete with easy to try exercises to increase skills in these various aspects.
Although work apathy is common, it doesn't have to be. Much of the problem is that we find no value in our work. Basically, we spend eight hours working today and tomorrow we have to come back to do it all again. However, if we mindfully focused on the job at hand like it was the most important thing to do, like we had a deadline in one hour, and like it was our life's passion we'd get more quality work done in far less time.
Skillful Means: Patterns for Success teaches the reader about how to get rid of work apathy while increasing self confidence, self esteem, and personal energy. Some of the topics explored include caring about work, wasting energy, relaxation, concentration, time, how to cope, superficiality, competition, communication, and cooperation. Most of the sections are complete with easy to try exercises to increase skills in these various aspects.
June 21, 2022
Work is not something to quickly get away from; instead, work for a human being is an important part of living a fulfilled life. In Skillful Means, Tulku shares about the way work allows us to utilize talents, abilities, and energies to enjoy life and interact with the world around us. This books required reading for a grad level psychology class and I have kept a copy of it in our library for many years because of Tulku's patterns for success. Main topics covered include self-awareness, coping with change, and ideas for sharing our gifts and resources.
July 6, 2018
I'll keep coming back to this book and may never be done reading it. In a city where people are fond of repeating "work hard, play hard" as a kind of mantra, yet often without thinking about what that means, this book has helped me (alongside a host of other resources--other texts, therapy, meditation, conversation) to think differently about work, concentration and about the importance of play, and to allow them to flow into and out of each other.
March 23, 2012
Anyone who has felt frustrated by work and frustrated by themselves when it comes to their work habits will find this book useful. I have already felt a shift in myself, as I approach my work with a fresh mind. Tulku's writing style is accessible and inspiring.
February 1, 2011
I couldn't finish this one. Language and tone too ambiguous to be of value. took me 13 pages to make a hard stop. don't waste your time on this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews