BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success By Pranay | Book Review

It is rightly said that the modern world is very different than the world that existed centuries ago. Even the basic requirements of a human being are also changed, but the principles of life are the same.

There was a time when Bharatiya (that is Indian) way of living was admired around the world and it has the richest literature. Due to a large number of foreign invasions and their unthoughtful acts of burning libraries, a large chunk of the same is lost forever.

The remains are still auspicious and holds the power to guide the entire humanity.

But, a valid question is, “does these old rules/sutras/advices hold the same meaning in current time?”. Are they worth to follow?

Some authors tries to look into the ancient Bharatiya literature to analyse the same and find the contemporariness of the golden rules mentioned in the same. Be it Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai’s works on Chanakya or modern retellings of Indian mythology, the goal is the same.

Does spirituality and modern lifestyle has a connect?

Recently, we came across a few books by Pranay, exploring the theme of Spirituality for leadership and success. And we liked them for their contemporariness. Here are quick links to his books in the same series we’ve reviewed so far.

• Hinduism: Spirituality for Leadership and Success
• GITA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success By Pranay

Today we are going to talk about his book BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success. We are thankful to “Fingerprint! Publishing” house for providing us the review copy of the book. The review is unbiased and uninfluenced by all means, as always.

Book Cover:

Being an entry point to a virtual world explored within, the book cover serves as the gateway to the same. An appealing cover page helps the book to stand out on the display where it is surrounded by many other books.

Let us take a look at the cover page of this book.

Like the cover pages of all the books in this series, this one is also has white background, reflecting purity and vastness. The illustration of Gautam Buddha in his iconic meditation pose in multicolor line drawing looks really appealing. The thin fonts used for the title and tagline adds to the positive attributes of the cover.

Overall, a simple and attractive cover page. The design team deserves an appreciation for this elegant work.

The Book And My Views For The Same:

Usually we talk about the book’s plot and our views for the book in two separate segment. The genre of the book is quite different, though. So, we will be sharing some content highlights along with our views in the same segment.

What I like the most if the concept of the book. Looking at the life of Gautam Buddha, one of the most prominent figures from not-so-old times and his lessons of empathy and spirituality from a management perspective, is a fantastic idea.

I also like the way the author has expanded the canvas by including examples and/or advices by contemporary (comparatively) figures like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Nelson Mandela and others. The author keeps mentioning scientists, industrialists, entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world in his work. It not only makes his message clear but also makes it even easy to understand and relate to the same.

In beginning of the book, the author clearly summarizes Buddha’s life and message:

The Buddha’s greatest gift to the world is the idea of serene and blissful awareness within ourselves: if that is established, you excel in all things and realize your biggest potential.

When talking about Buddha, most people think of empathy and translates it into “non-violence”; while it is more about the courage and forgiveness. Or in other words, about letting go the unnecessary emotional burden, to move ahead in your journey. It is obvious that if you are too much loaded, it will affect your movement and progress.

The author clearly says:

It is not about being ‘slapped on one cheek and turning the other cheek’ (which is perhaps more of a ‘moral’ attitude! Rather it is about a mutual recognition of each other’s human values and attributes!

The problem with half-learning is that half-understood things are often mis-understood.

A leader, while respecting the others, needs to have the courage to take right decisions and even go ahead on less-travelled or even most-opposed path, when required so. And, if you can do it by convincing your team/fellows/sub-ordinates, rather then just forcing them. I think the goal is well-achieved. And, probably it is the center-thought of “non-violence”. Remember the incident of a snake who stopped biting people on Buddha’s advise. And, when Buddha found him on a death-bed he explained him what he actually meant by “not biting” people.

I would like to quote a few lines from the book reflecting the above message.

…it is the combination of courage and coolness which is the hallmark of a great leader.

You’ll never find Mandela with a facial visage which is not col, calm, and collected.

And when you are more angry? When the things are not going according to your vision or plan, right? It also angers you when your fellow team member’s vision is conflicting with yours. Instead of thinking it as an opposite behavior, consider it as a different perspective and your behavior and “course of action” will also be updated.

The author says:

The main problem between people is that they think their ideology is different from the other person’s.

If you are wondering, why you need to learn leadership lessons? Well, the answer is simple:

Every individual is a potential leader.

The book also talks about a very important quality of leadership – confidence. And, rather than trying to “fake” it, be really confident.

People are always responsive to a vibe of true confidence.

And, how can you have real confidence? Well, if you are well-prepared – with the knowledge, with the resources, with proper analysis of the task ahead, you have a clear map of the path you are going to follow, making you confident. Its simple :). To add to that the author also says:

Dynamism is being yourself.

The author also says:

Gone are the days when leadership simply meant cracking the hip or giving a great speech without really meaning it.

It reflects the same thought as this wisdom lines in Sanskrit.

कुसुमं वर्णसंपन्नं गन्धहीनं न शोभते |
न शोभते क्रिया हीनं मधुरं वचनं तथा ||

These quotes must have given you a fair idea about the quality and type of writing you can expect from the book. If you want me to quote a single wisdom line from the book, I will quote the following:

The only thing which is ‘yours’ is within you.

So, as a leader, you have to keep updating yourself and lead your team/family/fellows on the right path. As management is using all your resources in optimum manner with least friction.

Reading this book is an interesting experience for me. It gives you a feeling of attending a management lecture. I liked reading it.

Summary:

Go for it if you want to read something meaningful and have an open mind. Such book requires re-reading the same, and even more importantly, implementation of the wisdom/management lessons in the real life, to get maximum of it.

ThinkerViews Rating:

Around 7.5 stars out of 10.

Quick Purchase Links:

• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Paperback - Amazon IN
• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Kindle EBook - Amazon IN
• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Audiobook - Amazon IN
• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Paperback - Amazon US
• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Kindle EBook - Amazon US
• Buy - BUDDHA: Spirituality for Leadership and Success by Pranay - Audiobook - Amazon US

Over To You:

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