Tips On The Business Of Spiritually Based Business
Thoughts on Conscious Commerce…From Ask Lewis
My first spiritual teacher, Vincent, always told me stories that supported the notion that,
“In life, you come to the truth voluntarily or you get dragged to it kicking and screaming.”
I have always remembered this saying. It is one of my favorites and often influences important choices in my life.
For the most part, these stories were an extension of the law of cause and effect. “Is this the truth”, I would ask him.
This is the truth!
“Is there any escape?”
“Well…. yes and no. It is what it is, every moment our sense of reality moves from one extreme to the other. “Wuwei” — non-action, non-interference, or non-assertion of the self — is a tool for living in the world without creating new attachments. The ego resists and creates efforts and actions that in the end are an obstruction to spiritual freedom.”
Spiritual essence or life essence — for those who react negatively to words like God, divine, and spirit — will reach a climax in movement and revert from expansion to contraction or vice versa. There is always a movement from one pole to the opposite pole. The lesson is that the spirit never goes anywhere; instead encompasses all of it as well as remains in the center of all of it as well. Spirit, whatever it may be, flows like the tides of the ocean first expanding and then contracting. It does so within its natural rhythm.
Spirit never actually flows from one extreme or another. It is just our perception of it. This is the secret of moderation and contentment. It requires that you ignore the extremes and stay in the center. To do otherwise is to court reaction and struggle. To many sages, this action-reaction cycle and the struggle that comes with it is a true reflection of the law of Karma.
“Rejection is an opportunity for your selection.”
― Bernard Branson
But though knowledge of spiritually based business principles will give you freedom, your attachment to the short-term profit and greed-based business practices will draw you into a cycle of action and then reaction. Attachment to the world arises in many shapes and forms. It may be greed, envy, emotional attachment, or the desire for power and influence. In the end, this attachment creates poor business decisions and suffering. It is an understanding of spiritually based thought that will help you to reduce and finally end this attachment and suffering.
I have taken Vincent’s message and softened it a bit. Let’s put it this way. Many spiritual seekers like to say “Life is a school where you learn lessons.” It is a sweet saying and does have some truth to it. I however would prefer to frame it in the following way — Life is not school, it is a message center. If you don’t hear and see the message, then you will have to learn the lesson!
The Illusion is the Reality
Many students of the spiritual life like to say “everything is an illusion.” The fact is that you cannot live sanely without some sense of reality. Most individuals live from day to day without being conscious of who they truly are and what the nature of the world truly is. For others, this is not so easy a task. Throughout their lives, some extraordinary individuals have a calling to expand or recreate their understanding of reality. The Western philosopher Descartes asked, “How can we be certain that what we think we see is what is there?” There are things that we understood to be real when we were young that no longer seem real when seen through adult eyes. That youthful reality did exist but those perceptions from the past may not fit neatly into your adult reality.
There are as many different realities as there are people, and there are many business realities as well. Reality is not limited by the mind, the senses, or what you have been told it is. Creating a spiritually-based model for your business will give you a deeply penetrating insight and can offer you knowledge of a reality that is beyond intellectual or emotional comprehension. Many visionary entrepreneurs speak about thinking “out of the box.” What do you think that means? My teachers have often said that “at times the extraordinary businessperson must act insane to themselves to appear normal to the ordinary person.”
The Takeaway
Through this way of thinking, you must create two business realities — an extraordinary reality that reflects your spiritual commitments and conscious business practices, and an ordinary reality that will allow you to function in the world of ordinary businesspeople — individuals who are comfortable living from day to day without being conscious of who they truly are, what the nature of the world truly is, where they are going, etc. Their only concern is buying and selling. They have explored concepts like service, value, education, community, and long-term relationships.
This story is an excerpt from my course “How to Become Really Wealthy”
©Lewis Harrison, all rights reserved.
Here are a few stories in a similar vein
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Before you go…
I am Lewis Harrison, a successful entrepreneur, and advisor to philanthropists. I am also the award-winning author of over twenty books on business, leadership, personal growth, and strategic thinking. I offer programs, courses, and coaching. I also teach seminars and speak on personal development and life strategies. Reach out to me at askLewis.com
Here are links to three of my best-selling business books: