The MBA and the Eight Worldly Winds

 

I completed the Inner MBA over the weekend! Well done, me! ⭐️

But wait! Don't go.

Before clicking "Like" and moving on, read about how earning this Certificate is interconnected with The Eight Worldly Winds.

What are The Eight Worldly Winds?

According to Buddhist teachings, our human nature necessarily means that we will all experience, at one time or another, being "blown about" (that's deeply affected in the moment) by the Eight Worldly Winds (or Conditions):

• gain and loss
• status and disgrace (or success and failure)
• praise and censure (or praise and blame)
• pleasure and pain

This is great news when the Winds brings gain, status/success, praise and pleasure, but not so good when they carry loss, disgrace/failure, censure/blame, or pain. We all try to find ways of reducing our distress when the winds of the world bring devastating storms of suffering to our doorstep. It is our natural instinct to protect ourselves from the pain of the four (unpleasant) Worldly Winds.

How to deal with the Four (Unpleasant) Worldly Winds?

Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master, Peace Activist, Poet, Writer and Founder of the Plum Village tradition, often encourages us to cultivate the qualities of a tree: beautiful, free and grounded. 

A tree is beautiful because it isn't trying to be anything other than what it is. It's free because it isn't worried about the future, or stuck in the past. 

With strong, firm roots, the trunk of the tree is still, grounded, stable and safe, even when the high winds of a heavy storm shake its branches and leaves powerfully from one side to the other. 

We cultivate these qualities in ourselves through the practice of mindfulness, that is, by sitting in silent contemplation for a few minutes every day, either on our own, or preferably, with a group of practitioners, a Sangha, and by becoming observers of our own inner experience.

After practising diligently for some time, we become, to some fair degree anyway, what The Eight Worldly Winds teaching calls "a well instructed disciple of the noble ones". In other words, we experience the exact same Eight Worldly Winds as "the run-of-the-mill person", but are able to discern them for what they are: inconstant, stressful and subject to change, instead of being consumed by them. 

What about the Four (Pleasant) Worldly Winds?

Knowing that all Eight Worldly Winds are inconstant, stressful and subject to change, I enjoy the pleasure and welcome any and all praise that comes with having completed the Inner MBA. 

There's relief and a sense of accomplishment for having concluded a project (however skillfully or otherwise), but I don't let it go to my head.

The practice brings stability and make us more resilient when things are going badly, and they also provide stability when things are going well. We enjoy our accomplishments deeply, while being mindful of keeping our pride and arrogance in check. We remember to nurture and care for our level-headedness.

What does any of this have to do with gaining confidence and fluency in English?

1. Confidence and fluency are not things we can learn intellectually, memorise, or fake in the long term. They come from a deeper knowing, from being prepared to sit patiently with ourselves and investigate our experience with a friendly, calm mind and an open, accepting heart. Imagine what this does to your English skills!

2. If you're going to invest in your personal and professional development by improving your English, choose to get help from someone who knows what it's like to step out of their comfort zone and invest in their own personal and professional development.

3. If you've tried everything to improve your English but haven't seen any concrete results, how about trying a more holistic approach? The Confident English Training program is a blended and ongoing English training program (online) for expert professionals at a minimum level of B1 (intermediate), looking to make true progress and feel natural and comfortable in English.

Are you ready to find out more? Click here to choose a day and time that suits you to speak to me about your English needs and goals, and we'll put together the best path ahead for you.

Speak soon!