1. Home
  2. Students
  3. Chapter 8 - How the Everyday Becomes the Eternal

Chapter 8 - How the Everyday Becomes the Eternal

Boris H. J. M. Brummans

Synopsis

Hank is an anthropology student at UC Berkeley who goes to Northern India to live with monks in a Buddhist monastery. His observations and experiences help us understand the monks’ mindful organizing and encourage us to think about the value of practicing this mindfulness in modern organizations. In addition, Hank’s actions invite reflection on the academic pursuit of knowledge.

Keywords: Buddhism, Ethnography, Mindful Organizing, Enactment, Verbal/Non-verbal Communication

1This case study was inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’s (1969/1998) short story, “The Ethnographer,” knowing full well that the Argentine author’s masterful prose and poetry are inimitable. See: Borges, J. L. (1969/1998). The ethnographer. In A. Hurley (Trans.), Collected fictions (pp. 334-335). New York, NY: Penguin.

Key Takeaways and Take a Stand Form

Key Takeaways

At the end of this case, students should be able to

  1. understand and describe the key characteristics of Buddhist mindful organizing;
  2. reflect on and discuss the potential benefits practicing this mindful organizing in different types of modern organizations;
  3. reflect on and discuss the potential benefits for society and the world at-large of practicing this mindful organizing;
  4. reflect on and discuss the potential challenges of practicing this mindful organizing in modern organizations;
  5. reflect on and discuss the role of simple verbal and non-verbal communication in creating connections between organizational members during organizational crises;
  6. reflect on and discuss the limited role of language (words and concepts) in understanding certain forms of organizing.

Take a Stand Form