Dalai Lama’s Views on Happiness at Work

By Tanis Helliwell

“Strive to engage in an activity that has no potential to harm others, either directly or indirectly.” —H.H. Dalai Lama

In honour of the Dalai Lama this article is dedicated to his views expressed in his book The Art of Happiness at Work by HH. The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. According to a recent study over half of the people are unhappy with their jobs and over the past six years this dissatisfaction has increased by eight percent. What then can we do?

What can we do to find happiness at work?

1) Develop a Calling: The Dalai Lama states that if you view your work as worthwhile, and of benefit to others, that you will have a greater willingness to undergo hardship at work than if your work does not benefits others.

2) Address Work Overload and Unfairness at Work: The Dali Lama does not recommend passivity when confronted by unfair working conditions. He says, “We need to fight injustice outwardly, but at the same time we have to find ways to cope inwardly and to train the mind to remain calm and not develop frustration, hatred, or despair. That is the only solution.”

3) Practice Analytic Meditation: Use your intelligence to analyze the situation and to see it from a different perspective. For example, ask yourself the question, “Will anger, jealousy and other negative emotions benefit you in the long run to create physical, emotional and mental health?”

4) Cultivate a Wider Perspective: Learn to see that no job is 100% good or bad. For example, you might be promoted and make more money, but now you have to work longer hours and have less time with your family.

5) Be Content with Your Work: According to a study by Robert Rice, people with more important jobs (with more status or money) were no happier than people with less important jobs. So rather than thinking that another job would make you happier be glad you have work. Of course, sometimes you would be better suited to other work, in which case change jobs

6) You Can Make a Difference: Each of us can have a positive effect on our work environment. As His Holiness says, “If you have a warm heart, human affection, your mind will be clam and more peaceful, which will give you a certain strength and allow your mental faculties to function better.”

7) Real Power: Power based on one’s wealth is artificial and not lasting. Real power is one’s ability to influence the hearts and minds of others.

8) Transform Challenges into Opportunities: Seligman, in his research for his book Authentic Happiness, discovered that personal satisfaction is starting to replace financial rewards in determining the choice of people’s work. The Dalai Lama agrees and states that we feel better about ourselves when our work is creating greater happiness for others. This allows us to see our difficulties in our work as an opportunity to create more long term happiness.

 9) Realistic Sense of Self: An inflated sense of self leads to unrealistic expectations and excessive pressure and results in perpetual dissatisfaction. Also, low self esteem leads to little hope, or faith, and results in not getting what you want, which leads to dissatisfaction. The solution in both cases is to have a sense of self grounded in the reality of your abilities. Know what these are so that you can more easily apply these to accomplishing your goals in life.

10) Right Livelihood: It’s essential to engage in an activity that has no potential to harm others, either directly or indirectly. Greed, anger and hostility always lead to long term unhappiness.

11) Interconnection: All aspects of your life are interconnected. The more you are the same person with your friends, family, your work colleagues and a stranger the less stress in your life. As you integrate your personal life and work the more effortless your work will become. Then there will be no such thing as an “off duty” personality as you are fully yourself in all situations.

Tanis Helliwell, a mystic in the modern world, has brought spiritual consciousness into the mainstream for over 30 years. Since childhood, she has seen and heard elementals, angels, and master teachers in higher dimensions. Tanis is the founder of the International Institute for Transformation (IIT), which offers programs to assist individuals to become conscious creators to work with the spiritual laws that govern our world.

Tanis is the author of The High Beings of Hawaii, Summer with the Leprechauns, Pilgrimage with the Leprechauns, Embraced by Love, Manifest Your Soul’s Purpose, Hybrids: So You Think You Are Human and Decoding Your Destiny.

For information on Tanis’ courses, click here.