Zen, Leadership, And The Art of Being with Peter Corbett

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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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Recommended Resources:

• About Peter Corbett

• Still Rush

• Twitter 

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Episode Transcript

• Peter Corbett Full 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