The recognition of meditations professional application, in my view, is such a welcome sign. I should also say that I’ve enjoyed my experiences at Wisdom 2.0 conferences.
My only concern with the article centers around the suggestion in the piece that the “code” of “enlightenment” is something that some teachers say can be cracked. While I agree that it’s reproducible – traditionally called transmission – treating awakening as something that can be commodified can’t help but water-down the teaching as well as its expression.
Its not just Google thats embracing Eastern traditions. Across the Valley, quiet contemplation is seen as the new caffeine, the fuel that allegedly unlocks productivity and creative bursts. Classes in meditation and mindfulnesspaying close, nonjudgmental attentionhave become staples at many of the regions most prominent companies. Theres a Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute now teaching the Google meditation method to whoever wants it. The cofounders of Twitter and Facebook have made contemplative practices key features of their new enterprises, holding regular in-office meditation sessions and arranging for work routines that maximize mindfulness. Some 1,700 people showed up at a Wisdom 2.0 conference held in San Francisco this winter, with top executives from LinkedIn, Cisco, and Ford featured among the headliners.
Call me old-school, but spending time at the feet of masters helps prevent the proliferation of limited selves that think they’re Absolute.
Read on: In Silicon Valley, Meditation Is No Fad. It Could Make Your Career | Wired Business | Wired.com.