Zen, Leadership, And The Art of Being with Peter Corbett
How we can apply Zen principles to daily living
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Some people venture into the exploration of spirituality and tend to withdraw from the world.
This never resonated with me.
I was always interested in pursuing a deep inner exploration while simultaneously engaging life fully. On this path, life unfolding becomes the primary teacher.
I find myself attracted to people who have a similar disposition.
Today’s guest Peter Corbett is one of those people. After selling his last business to the world’s largest publicly traded marketing services company, Peter decided it was time to go sit in a Zen monastery.
Since then he has taken on roles such as coach, meditation teacher, spiritual caregiver, and community builder to name a few. I wanted to have Peter on the show because he’s a unique combination of someone with tremendous business success that has also gone to profound depths on the spiritual path. I also don’t have a ton of direct experience studying Zen and thought it’d be fun to go there with Peter.
In this conversation, we explore his experience with the Zen tradition and how he has helped himself and others integrate its wisdom into everyday life to improve well-being and fulfillment.
A personal highlight of the conversation for me was the discussion around how increasing spiritual illumination engenders responsibility and inspiration. I think a lot of people think enlightenment is a way we can escape the chaos of the world. Peter’s perspective is that often the opposite occurs.
Other interesting discussion points:
The continuous practice of being present in every moment
Why Zen resonated with Peter
Aligning with what is and accepting the things we cannot control can lead to greater peace and fulfillment
Finding the right livelihood involves patience and trust in the process of self-discovery
Our purpose is more an emergence that reveals itself on the path we are already on vs. something we need to go seek
Sticking to a lineage can provide depth and wisdom and help you avoid some less savory actors in new age culture
The importance of trust in the unfolding process and benefits of going easy on yourself during a midlife search
One of the things I admire about Peter is his sense of service and contribution. You can just tell when someone is genuine and seeks to help others without expecting anything.
I think that really shines through in our conversation alongside lots of wisdom you can apply to your life immediately.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!
-Scott
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Episode Transcript
Show notes:
00:00 - Introduction and Background
03:44 - Exploration of Zen and Wisdom Traditions
08:21 - Zen and Leadership
12:04 - Karma Yoga and Continuous Practice
15:26 - Accepting What Is and Letting Go of Control
22:26 - Finding Your Right Livelihood
26:03 - How Others Reveal Truths to Us
29:28 - The Nature of Reality
32:20 - Reconnecting with Our True Nature
32:52 - The Desire to Help Others
33:21 - The Bodhisattva Vow
34:01 - Attending to Others' Pain and Suffering
35:14 - Enlightenment and Taking Action
36:41 - Embracing the Whole Catastrophe
38:18 - Attunement and Alleviating Suffering
40:09 - Allowing the Unfolding Process
41:27 - The Search and the End of the Search
46:26 - The Depth of Zen Practice
48:52 - Somatic Practices and Zen
53:10 - The Benefits of Sticking to a Lineage
59:08 - The Perfection of Intelligent Design
01:01:26 - Trusting the Unfolding Process
01:03:16 - Going Easy in Midlife
01:03:34 - Connecting with Peter Corbett