Before retiring last year, Scotty McLennan spent 14 years as the dean for religious life at Stanford University, where, among other things, he interviewed the Dalai Lama and worked to create a campus meditative center, which opened last summer.
As he returns to teach at Stanford Graduate School of Business this spring, the Unitarian Universalist minister sat down to discuss the benefits of quiet reflection, and why people do not need to check their religion at the door when they go to work on Monday morning.
When visiting Windhover contemplative center, which you had a key role in creating on the Stanford University campus, I noticed that some visitors could not help but chat with each other, and one was even texting on her mobile phone.
Why is it so difficult for us to be still, even in a center intended for that purpose?
Windhover is meant to be a technology-free zone, knowing that our mobile phones and other electronic devices can not only be addictive, consuming our attention, but also can keep us tense, stressed, and even unable to relax and sleep, as much current research is showing.
They can also be disturbing to others. Of course we’re social beings, so chatting with each other and chatting online are normal and routine.
But meditation is meant to break the normal and the routine in service of radically expanded breadth and depth of experience, of enhanced awareness, of mindfulness.
It’s not easy, though, and it takes discipline, precisely because it takes us far from our normal and routine life.
You actually have to sit still and do nothing. Ideally, you have to concentrate on only one thing, like following your breath in and out, rather than being scattered and consumed by many things.
It is hard for me to imagine that you, while a student, who played ice hockey in high school at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut (and was on the freshman and club hockey teams at Yale) would be able to stay still during meditation.
I was an activist in many ways — physically, intellectually, politically, spiritually.
But learning how a great activist like Gandhi found his strength in quiet meditation helped me try it out, and the Hindu priest I lived with one summer in India insisted on it as a daily exercise.
Practice makes perfect. Or makes it easier, since it’s certainly never been perfect for me.
Recommended : 8 Methods to Raise the Vibration of Your Home & Workplace
The more I meditated, the more I learned the value of stillness in many realms: listening to others more patiently and empathetically, smelling the flowers rather than missing them in the rush
becoming slower to anger, breathing intentionally when I feel stressed, feeling connected to the larger universe or Ultimacy.
Meditation is a central practice for many Buddhists and Hindus, and we in America often attribute it to traditions other than Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Yet, all religious traditions have something akin to meditation, especially through various forms of centering prayer, but also through silent recitation of scripture or poetry, veneration of icons
handling prayer beads, rocking rhythmically, mental visualization, muscle relaxation, contemplating nature, and enjoying art, to name a few techniques and methods.
No one has a lock on quietude, reflection, stillness, and serenity.
I think some people are surprised to know that a minister teaches at a business school. How do these lessons translate to business?
Business people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, and many of them want to find it meaningful.
Rev. Scotty McLennan
Business people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, and many of them want to find it meaningful.
Many also want to conduct their business affairs ethically, and most of us worldwide learn our ethics through our religious traditions or through philosophical understanding of morality that we inherit from our families, education and surrounding culture.
I wrote a book with a colleague at Harvard Business School where we tried to help readers integrate their spirituality and ethical commitments with their daily work lives.
Ultimately, I believe this leads to more successful businesses and to greater satisfaction of customers and other stakeholders.
There seems to be a renewed interest among business people to make space for finding their inner calm, such as through the practice of mindfulness.
But how do you convince CEOs and other high-achieving leaders that it is a worthwhile thing to do?
It doesn’t take much to convince business leaders and others that they should take a coffee break from time to time. Taking 10 or 15 minutes off ultimately increases productivity rather than decreasing it.
How much more useful and fulfilling to stimulate one’s “relaxation response” through a meditational or prayer practice during one of those break times.
If nothing else, there’s good medical evidence that it helps you to reduce stress, limit negative emotions, lower blood pressure, restore calmness, and increase your overall sense of well-being.
You are just finishing up a sabbatical before you return to lecture at Stanford Graduate School of Business. How did you spend your time off? What will you teach at Stanford GSB?
I’ve used my leave to travel and write and explore areas of interest that I’ve had for a very long time but not been able actively to pursue, like listening to classical music, spending time outdoors in nature, learning about digital photography, watching great movies, and catching up on developments in constitutional law.
Recommended: Feng Shui: 10 Tips to Decorate Your Home
And I’ve been developing two new courses. One is tentatively titled “Business Biography: Finding Spiritual Meaning at Work.” We’ll look at biographies of respected people in business to see how they integrate what ultimately really matters to them with their business careers, and how they fail in this regard.
In the other course, I want to help students understand the etiquette of doing business in quite different cultures: say, Japan, China, India, Egypt, Israel, Russia, Brazil, and Great Britain.
They will learn about the deeper cultural ethos from which that etiquette emerges, and finally be introduced to the dominant religious traditions which I believe underlie both etiquette and ethos.
qiyezp.com
그는 북직예에서 가장 뛰어난 유학자로서 그의 제자와 옛 관리들이 천하를 누비고 있다.
The latest news and reviews in the world of tech, automotive, gaming, science, and entertainment
The Voice of Alaska’s Capital Since 1912 juneau news
Progenifix is a revolutionary wellness and vitality supplement that is designed to promote overall health and vitality.
ZenCortex Research’s contains only the natural ingredients that are effective in supporting incredible hearing naturally.
Find the latest technology news and expert tech product reviews. Learn about the latest gadgets and consumer tech products for entertainment, gaming, lifestyle and more.
fpparisshop.com
このブログはいつも私の期待を超えてきます。本当に感謝しています。
Market Analyst specializes in must-know news highlights, in-depth analysis, and overviews of companies as well as industries. https://marketanalyst.us/
Green Lovers is dedicated to making news and topics across sustainability and innovation accessible to all. We help bring awareness to global issues and solutions, and hope to inspire you to make simple changes to your daily habits and lifestyle. https://greenlovers.us/
DreamDive specializes in content that sparks conversations around news, entertainment and pop culture. https://dreamdive.us/
otraresacamas.com
驚くべき洞察力です。とても参考になりました。
largestcatbreed.com
거대한 파도와 조수 소리처럼 그들도 갑자기 멈췄습니다.
ilogidis.com
전투가 격렬해 지므로 걱정할 필요가 없습니다. “이리와 그의 긴급 보고서를 받으십시오.”
PBN sites
We will create a structure of PBN sites!
Advantages of our PBN network:
We execute everything so google doesn’t grasp that this is A privately-owned blog network!!!
1- We buy domain names from separate registrars
2- The primary site is hosted on a VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server is rapid hosting)
3- Other sites are on separate hostings
4- We designate a individual Google profile to each site with confirmation in Google Search Console.
5- We make websites on WordPress, we don’t utilise plugins with aided by which malware penetrate and through which pages on your websites are established.
6- We refrain from reproduce templates and use only individual text and pictures
We do not work with website design; the client, if wanted, can then edit the websites to suit his wishes
sandyterrace.com
왕부시는 총각의 수행원으로서 황실을 관장하며 그의 지위를 상상할 수 있다.
freeflowincome.com
이 말을 들은 홍치제는 문득 깨달았다. 이것이 바로 국부론의 내용이 아닌가?
sandyterrace.com
이틀 후 배가 출발하여 지중해로 들어갔습니다.
toasterovensplus.com
素晴らしい情報源です。これからもフォローします。
onair2tv.com
이 시점에서 인구가 갑자기 재배치되는 것은 안타까운 일입니다.
PBN sites
We shall build a web of private blog network sites!
Merits of our self-owned blog network:
We carry out everything so Google doesn’t realize that THIS IS A private blog network!!!
1- We purchase web domains from various registrars
2- The primary site is hosted on a VPS hosting (VPS is rapid hosting)
3- Additional sites are on different hostings
4- We assign a separate Google account to each site with confirmation in Google Search Console.
5- We develop websites on WordPress, we do not use plugins with the help of which malware penetrate and through which pages on your websites are produced.
6- We do not duplicate templates and employ only distinct text and pictures
We refrain from work with website design; the client, if desired, can then edit the websites to suit his wishes
Bazopril is an advanced blood pressure support formula intended to help regulate blood flow and blood vessel health. https://bazoprilbuynow.us/
cougarsbkjersey.com
読んでいて心が動かされる素晴らしい記事でした。
NanoDefense Pro utilizes a potent blend of meticulously chosen components aimed at enhancing the wellness of both your nails and skin. https://nanodefensebuynow.us/
PowerBite is an innovative dental candy that promotes healthy teeth and gums. It’s a powerful formula that supports a strong and vibrant smile. https://powerbitebuynow.us/
Puralean incorporates blends of Mediterranean plant-based nutrients, specifically formulated to support healthy liver function. https://puraleanbuynow.us/
SightCare is a natural supplement designed to improve eyesight and reduce dark blindness. With its potent blend of ingredients. https://sightcare-try.us/
GutOptim is a digestive health supplement designed to support your gut and stomach. It restore balance in gut flora and reduce the symptoms of digestive disorders. https://gutoptimstore.us/
Sugar Defender is a natural supplement that helps control blood sugar levels, lower the risk of diabetes, improve heart health, and boost energy. https://sugardefendertry.us/
thephotoretouch.com
그의 눈은 불을 뿜는 것처럼 붉었고 분노로 떨고 있었다.
mikaspa.com
그러나 그는 결국 소수자이기 때문에 여기서는 할 말이 없다.