What is *The Diamond Cutter* by Michael Roach about?

*The Diamond Cutter* blends Tibetan Buddhist philosophy with business strategy, teaching how to achieve success through ethical practices and mental discipline. Geshe Michael Roach, a former diamond executive and ordained monk, explains how "emptiness" and "mental imprints" shape reality. The book offers 46 solutions to common business problems using ancient Buddhist principles, emphasizing generosity, mindfulness, and intentional action as keys to professional and personal fulfillment.

Who should read *The Diamond Cutter*?

Entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals seeking ethical frameworks for decision-making will benefit from this book. It’s also ideal for readers interested in integrating mindfulness into business or exploring nontraditional success strategies. Spiritual seekers attracted to practical applications of Buddhist philosophy will find actionable insights.

Is *The Diamond Cutter* worth reading?

Yes, for its unique fusion of spirituality and business practicality. Roach’s system, tested during his tenure growing a $100M diamond company, provides tools to reframe challenges as opportunities. Critics note its esoteric concepts, but its actionable advice on mindset and karma makes it valuable for leadership and personal growth.

What is the concept of "emptiness" in *The Diamond Cutter*?

Emptiness refers to the idea that objects and events lack inherent meaning—their value is shaped by our perceptions. Roach argues reality is a projection of past mental imprints, urging readers to consciously create positive imprints through ethical actions to manifest desired outcomes.

How does mental imprinting work in *The Diamond Cutter*?

Every thought, word, or action creates "imprints" in the mind, which later surface as experiences. For example, aggressive competition plants imprints of conflict, while generosity fosters abundance. By managing imprints, you control future results—a core strategy for business success in the book.

What are the 46 business problems addressed in *The Diamond Cutter*?

Roach details solutions to issues like financial instability, workplace conflict, and stagnation. Each ties to a Buddhist principle: e.g., overcoming distrust by practicing honesty or resolving team disputes through compassionate communication. These frameworks aim to create sustainable, ethical success.

What are key quotes from *The Diamond Cutter*?

- **"Reality has no meaning"**: Experiences reflect past mental habits, not inherent truths. - **"Your world is your actions coming back to you"**: Success stems from intentional, ethical behavior. - **"Generosity is the seed of wealth"**: Giving strategically plants imprints for future abundance.

How does *The Diamond Cutter* compare to *The Alchemist* or *The 7 Habits*?

Unlike *The Alchemist*’s narrative focus, Roach offers structured Buddhist-business frameworks. Compared to *The 7 Habits*, it emphasizes karma and perception over habit formation. It’s ideal for readers seeking spiritually grounded, ethics-driven success strategies.

The Diamond Cutter

The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life

Michael Roach

4.09(2036 Reviews)

Overview of The Diamond Cutter

Ancient Buddhist wisdom meets modern business strategy in "The Diamond Cutter," where Geshe Michael Roach reveals how karmic principles transformed a diamond startup into a global powerhouse. What if the secret to ethical prosperity was hidden in 2,500-year-old teachings that quietly revolutionized corporate thinking?

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Chapter 1

The Diamond Cutter: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Business Success

When Michael Roach joined a diamond company as a seven-dollar-per-hour errand boy, no one could have predicted he would help transform it into a $100 million enterprise. What made this journey extraordinary wasn't just the financial success, but the secret behind it: Roach was simultaneously a Buddhist monk applying 2,500-year-old wisdom to modern business challenges. The Diamond Cutter has become a global phenomenon, translated into over 15 languages and embraced by business leaders worldwide, from Wall Street executives to Chinese entrepreneurs. Even celebrities like Russell Simmons have incorporated its principles into their business empires. What makes this approach so powerful? It offers something radical: the idea that business success doesn't come from ruthless competition but from understanding the true nature of reality and practicing genuine generosity. In a world obsessed with scarcity thinking, The Diamond Cutter presents a revolutionary alternative - that wealth creation follows natural laws as predictable as physics, if only we're willing to see them.

Chapter 2

Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Business

The Diamond Cutter's unique approach to business comes from one of humanity's oldest printed texts. Dating back to 868 AD (about 600 years before the Gutenberg Bible), this ancient Buddhist scripture is preserved in the British Museum as the oldest dated printed book in the world. Originally taught by Buddha over 2,500 years ago, the wisdom was initially transmitted orally before being inscribed on palm leaves and eventually printed from woodblocks. What makes this ancient text relevant to modern business? It addresses fundamental questions about how reality works - questions that directly impact our success or failure in any endeavor. The text spread throughout Asia, where families would keep copies in their homes as treasured possessions, inviting monks to read it aloud for blessings. The wisdom isn't easily accessible without proper guidance. When China invaded Tibet in 1950, over 5,000 libraries and monastic colleges were destroyed. Fortunately, the Asian Classics Input Project has worked to preserve these endangered texts by digitizing them. Among their discoveries was a crucial commentary called "Sunlight on the Path to Freedom" by Choney Drakpa Shedrup (1675-1748), which unlocks the practical applications of this ancient wisdom. This commentary reveals something extraordinary - that the principles for achieving business success haven't fundamentally changed in thousands of years. The same mental patterns that created prosperity in ancient India can be applied in today's corporate boardrooms. The Diamond Cutter bridges these worlds, showing how timeless principles of perception, mental imprints, and human potential can transform modern business practices.

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Chapter 3

The Hidden Potential in Everything

The title "The Diamond Cutter" contains profound wisdom about success. In Sanskrit, it includes words meaning "high," "diamond," "cutter," "wisdom," and "perfection." The most crucial concept is "diamond," representing the hidden potential or "emptiness" in all things - the key to achieving both financial and personal success. Diamonds resemble this potential in three important ways. First, pure diamond is absolutely clear, almost invisible. Second, diamond is the hardest substance in the universe. Third, every diamond consists of pure carbon atoms arranged in perfect symmetry, meaning every tiny fragment has exactly the same internal structure. The "cutter" part is equally significant. There are two ways to see the hidden potential in things: intellectually understanding it through explanation, or directly perceiving it through deep meditation. When someone directly perceives this potential, they recognize it as something truly ultimate - even more ultimate than a diamond. This wisdom "cuts" or surpasses even diamond, the hardest thing in our normal world. This concept of hidden potential applies directly to business decisions. Consider Andin International's growth from a small operation to a multi-million dollar business with about a hundred employees. When they needed to decide whether to acquire their own building, the decision perfectly demonstrated emptiness: it was neither inherently good nor bad. For owners, declining real estate values made it bad. For managers, more office space made it good. For New Jersey employees, longer commutes made it bad. For Brooklyn employees, shorter commutes made it good. For suppliers, it could signal either financial strength or exploitation. Nothing has inherent qualities; things appear good or bad depending on perception. This hidden potential, this emptiness, is "the key to success in both our personal lives and our businesses." The same principle applies to everything from business decisions to dental procedures to irritating coworkers. Understanding this concept transforms how we approach challenges and opportunities alike.

Chapter 4

Mental Imprints: How We Create Our Reality

The Buddha teaches that nothing is inherently good or bad "from its own side" - if it were, everyone would experience it identically. When we encounter an irritating person, they aren't inherently irritating (proven by how others may find them pleasant). This person is "blank" or "empty" of inherent qualities, and our experience must come from somewhere else. Our perceptions come from ourselves, specifically from mental imprints (karma) planted by our past actions, words, and thoughts. These imprints function like recordings in our mind that extend through time. The strength of these imprints depends on four factors: our intention (most important), our emotions, proper identification of what we're doing, and the circumstances surrounding our actions. This understanding is key to creating the "perfect business" - recognizing that success or failure doesn't come from things themselves but from how our past actions force us to perceive otherwise neutral events. The diamond industry perfectly illustrates these principles. Diamond cutting shops are gritty places where exquisite gems emerge from dark environments - like lotuses rising from mud, a cherished Buddhist metaphor for transforming pain into compassion. The craft demands precision, with facets cut at exactly forty and three-quarters degrees for proper light refraction. The diamond trade operates on extraordinary trust. When Jorges, a skilled cutter, lost a twelve-carat stone worth over fifty thousand dollars, everyone in the shop immediately dropped their work to help search until dawn. This demonstrates how mental imprints become stronger when kindness is shown to someone in great need. Similarly, the industry operates on "The Mazal" - a verbal commitment that seals multimillion-dollar deals without contracts. Breaking this sacred trust is unheard of. The consignment system operates on trust, with severe consequences for deception. The style of business conduct significantly affects mental imprints - giving excuses for late payments creates stronger negative imprints than simple lateness. Our minds are like sensitive film, recording impressions of everything we do to others, creating tracks that remain long after, like prints in fresh snow.

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Chapter 5

The Four Rules of Mental Imprints

Mental imprints determine our perceptions through four key rules that explain why some business efforts succeed while others fail: First, the content of the experience must match the original imprinting - negative actions lead only to negative results, positive to positive. If you want financial success, you must plant financial success imprints by helping others achieve financial success. Second, imprints continuously expand in strength until they flower. A small act of generosity today grows exponentially in your subconscious, eventually manifesting as much larger returns. Third, no experience happens unless triggered by a previous imprint. This explains why identical business strategies yield different results for different people - they're operating with different mental imprints. Fourth, once planted, every imprint must lead to an experience - none are wasted. This gives us confidence that our positive actions will eventually yield results, even if not immediately visible. Understanding this process allows us to consciously create a perfect life by identifying our goals and planting the appropriate imprints to achieve them. However, the specific imprints needed often contradict human nature. When companies struggle financially, the natural reaction is to cut back - first corporate giving, then perks, bonuses, raises, and benefits. This creates a downward spiral as each cut plants negative imprints in our minds. Every time we deny funds or help to others, we plant imprints that make us see ourselves denied the same. Due to the second rule of imprints, this problem escalates as these negative seeds grow in our subconscious, triggering new financial problems and more stinginess. The most powerful imprints come from our attitudes, not just actions. Even when cuts are financially necessary, maintaining a generous mindset is crucial. The diamond business demonstrates this principle of perception. Diamonds have no intrinsic value beyond perception - they're passed down through generations, creating the "Overhang," a vast accumulated supply. Their market value exists solely through consumer confidence in their perceived rarity. Three buyers seeking identical diamonds can experience completely different outcomes - one succeeds effortlessly through intuition, another struggles but manages, while a third fails entirely. This isn't random luck but the direct result of mental imprints flowering into business instinct.

Chapter 6

The Correlations: Specific Actions for Specific Results

The "correlations" reveal how specific actions create mental imprints that produce business results. When successful people get "feelings" or "instincts" that guide them through markets, these are actually mental imprints flowering into consciousness. The ancient Buddhist master Nagarjuna outlined seven key correlations in his "String of Precious Jewels": 1. Generosity creates wealth 2. Ethical behavior creates a happy environment 3. Patience creates physical health and attractiveness 4. Joyful effort creates leadership 5. Concentration creates mental focus 6. Wisdom about hidden potential creates freedom from unwanted outcomes 7. Compassion creates fulfillment of all wishes These principles operate constantly in business environments, determining how we perceive everything from architectural features to interpersonal interactions. The granite facade of Andin International's building appears beautiful to someone who has planted positive imprints through gentle speech, but dangerous to someone who hasn't respected life. This system provides a method for creating desired outcomes, as proven by the Diamond Division's extraordinary success. The author challenges readers to recognize that success is always the result of specific causes - when you repeat the same causes, you get the same results. If your business approach doesn't consistently produce desired outcomes, you haven't identified the true causes. The human mind has limitless potential, and by understanding how business truly works through these correlations, you can effectively design your future to unfold exactly as you want it.

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Chapter 7

The Act of Truth: Transforming Principles into Practice

The Tibetan concept of an "act of truth" embodies the principle that "if what I have done is true, then may these things come to be." This addresses a common objection: why do good people with integrity sometimes fail while selfish, greedy people prosper? The explanation follows four principles. First, causes precede their results - current financial success comes from past generosity, not necessarily present generosity. A successful businessperson might be enjoying results of past good deeds while simultaneously planting imprints for future disaster through current greed. Second, causes are smaller than results - even minor acts of kindness under powerful circumstances can create tremendous wealth later. Third, growing imprints takes time and patience, requiring consistent practice over months before seeing concrete results. People fail with these principles either by not following them long enough or not following them thoroughly enough. The ancient Tibetan Kadampas used a pebble system to track their daily thoughts and actions, discovering that negative thoughts typically outnumbered positive ones - highlighting that our minds require training but are eminently trainable. To accelerate results, the author recommends a "six-time book" system: a pocket planner divided into six daily sections where you track your three biggest business problems. For each problem, record specific successes (with a "+" sign), failures (with a "-" sign), and a modest "to-do" action. Make entries every two hours throughout the day, not to feel guilty but to consciously track and automatically change your behavior. Understanding the underlying process dramatically increases its effectiveness. Periodically reflect on what's happening: you're having business problems that others don't because your mind contains different imprints that make you perceive things differently. Your quest is to identify these imprints and replace them with better ones. At day's end, perform the act of truth: "If it is true that, during this entire day, I have been mindful of all which I said, did, and thought toward others, and acted with complete honesty toward each person, then may a new power be born. And by force of this new power may I, and all those in my world, achieve through our work true happiness, and prosperity, together."

Chapter 8

Setting the Day with Silent Time

Having mastered The Diamond Cutter's essence - understanding that nothing exists inherently from its own side, that perception comes from your own mental imprints, and that you can design your future through mindful actions - the next step is implementing the practice of "setting the day" (penpa tang in Tibetan). This ancient practice begins the night before. After getting into bed, review your day's three best and worst actions, focusing especially on the positive. As you fall asleep, think ahead to your morning alarm and first waking moments - critical time for setting a positive tone. Find a dedicated physical space for morning silent time, away from your bed which is conditioned for sleep. Choose a quiet corner where you won't be interrupted - perhaps a basement nook, a sectioned-off area with a Japanese blind, or the living room during a designated time. Disconnect phones, minimize external noise, and keep the space immaculately clean. The act of tidying represents cleaning your business, life and mind. Dedicate 15-30 minutes daily to silent time, at exactly the same time each morning. Consistency is crucial - like the author's experience of automatically getting hungry at 1 PM after years of scheduled lunch breaks, your silent time becomes a natural reflex when practiced regularly. Begin by counting ten breaths (outgoing breath as first half, incoming as second half). If distracted, start over. This ancient counting method draws the mind inward. After establishing calm through breathing, consciously address a specific business or personal problem. Visualize a recent instance when the problem occurred - the exact setting, people involved, and your feelings. Analyze how different people perceived the situation differently, recognizing the emptiness or potential present. During silent time, anticipate similar situations that might arise in your coming day. Role-play your response, recognizing that the "normal" reaction (like withholding help from someone who didn't help you) actually plants seeds for experiencing the same problem again. Instead, plan to cooperate unilaterally - giving help even when refused - to plant imprints for seeing cooperation in your future. End your silent time by visualizing yourself as you hope to be - financially successful, mentally balanced, and skilled at applying the principles of potential and imprints. This visualization plants very strong imprints in your mind to become that person.

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Chapter 9

The Circle: Creating Space for Creativity and Renewal

Tibetan wise men use another powerful practice called tsam, meaning "border" or "dividing line" - the art of getting away from work periodically, drawing a circle around yourself where you can sit quietly and think. During his fifteen years at Andin International, the author followed this rule religiously, taking every Wednesday off with the owners' agreement. Initially accepting a salary penalty, his compensation eventually caught up as the benefits became clear. They chose Wednesday to minimize disruption, ensuring he always had two consecutive days for extended negotiations or personnel issues. Circle days weren't mere rest days but strictly organized for maximum benefit - time to consider why rather than how, to plan, reflect, and most importantly, gain new inspiration. After returning from Circle sessions, he'd see familiar objects like diamond stock boxes with entirely new perspective, leading to innovative ideas. After one Circle session, he completely reimagined their inventory system, designing preprinted papers with mandatory entry lines forcing stock clerks to track diamond movements and balances automatically. They color-coded papers for different stone qualities and pre-punched them to be flattened and stored in binders after use. This innovation made Andin's inventory systems the most sophisticated in the stone business, creating a rare competitive advantage and saving millions in inventory losses. The Circle must follow strict rules to be effective. First, it must occur regularly on the same day each week or fortnight, and this time must be inviolable. The morning until 2 PM must be spent alone in complete silence - no phones, TV, radio, reading material, or other distractions. After 60-90 minutes of stillness, light exercise follows. Afternoons should include reading wisdom literature, possibly a nap, and practical study of something unrelated to your regular job. Evenings should be dedicated to helping others. For deeper renewal, the Forest Circle requires complete disconnection from work and everyday stimuli for two full weeks. Find a completely isolated location away from people, traffic, and distractions. Remove all sources of stimulus - pack away books, magazines, TVs, and radios. Avoid all human contact, unplug phones, and bring sufficient groceries to avoid trips to town. Establish a daily rhythm alternating between silent contemplation, studying great minds, quiet walks, and light, healthy meals. Initially, you'll doubt the value of "doing nothing," but trust the process - the silence forces creative energy inward, allowing your mind to work on broader problems with unprecedented clarity.

Chapter 10

The Ultimate Management Tool: Exchanging Yourself and Others

Every business executive instinctively understands the difference between what's meaningful and what's not. Buddhist teachings assert that all people are driven to discover true meaning and cannot be happy until they find it. The Diamond Cutter is explicit about what constitutes meaningful action. The ultimate meaningful action is helping others reach complete freedom from suffering. The Buddha describes this as the source of all happiness itself, and remarkably, it's also the greatest management tool of all time. At Andin's Diamond Division, with over ten different nationalities working together, this philosophy created a unified team with deep mutual love and respect despite vast cultural differences. The division functioned smoothly largely due to "the absence of personal problems that could have happened but never did." This management approach is built on the ancient Buddhist practice of "exchanging yourself and others" - a simple, powerful, and free attitude that starts with leadership and permeates the entire organization without formal implementation. It involves three essential steps: First, the Jampa Method, named after a shy Tibetan monk who serves at a Mongolian monastery in New Jersey. Jampa has mastered the art of observation - watching visitors closely to determine their preferences without them noticing. This method involves becoming exceptionally observant of what others need and want so you can provide it. In business, it requires consciously training yourself to become an expert in the preferences of those around you - how they take their coffee, what chair cushion they prefer, their family details, vacation history - everything that makes them happy. Second, "Switching Bodies" - mentally putting yourself in someone else's position and looking back at yourself through their eyes to understand what they would want from you. This practice is deeper and more challenging than simply observing preferences. When applied consistently, employees become invaluable assets who proactively solve problems before they reach management. Third, the Rope Trick involves imagining dropping a huge lasso around yourself and an employee, visualizing you both as literally one person. When you truly practice this, you treat your welfare and your employees' as one and the same. The resources needed to care for this expanded self come from the very act of expanding - by sharing wealth indiscriminately, we create more wealth.

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Chapter 11

The Economics of Limitlessness: Beyond Scarcity Thinking

All economic systems fundamentally address how we share resources between "me" and "you" based on the premise that things are limited. But both these premises can be discarded according to the Buddha's teachings in The Diamond Cutter, which suggests that merit from giving "without staying" is immeasurable. The apparent randomness of business success reveals that wealth isn't fixed or limited. When we give to others, we plant imprints in our mind that eventually color our perception of the world, creating more abundance. Business transactions are like empty screens - their success is determined not by external factors but by the perceptions forced upon us by our mental imprints. This explains why identical strategies sometimes succeed and sometimes fail, or why seemingly random products become valuable while others don't. Those who succeed financially do so because they've planted imprints to see themselves making money - imprints that can only be created by giving to others. This giving evolves from small kindnesses to colleagues, to broader support across departments, ultimately reaching a point where you invest all your resources in bringing happiness to your expanded concept of "me" that includes everyone. When one wealthy person teaches these principles to another, absolute wealth doubles at no expense to existing wealth. Since wealth is a perception forced on those who've been generous, it could theoretically be available to everyone - making poverty itself unnecessary. The Diamond Cutter has been translated into fifteen languages and implemented by over a million people worldwide. Those who have achieved the greatest success share qualities of high intelligence (needed to embrace the counterintuitive idea that wealth comes from giving) and remarkable persistence in following these principles despite conventional wisdom. After achieving their initial goals of wealth or success, these individuals invariably moved beyond material achievement to find deeper meaning in helping others succeed. The book's success isn't measured in the billions of dollars it has generated, but in the discovery of wisdom in thousands of hearts worldwide. The ultimate vision behind The Diamond Cutter is a world without conflict, where generosity creates limitless resources and words like "poverty" and "war" disappear from our languages. By understanding the true nature of reality and the power of mental imprints, we can transform not just our businesses, but our world.

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Key Themes in The Diamond Cutter

karmic management
mental imprints
hidden potential
ethical wealth creation
buddhist business principles

Quotes from The Diamond Cutter

Wealth creation follows natural laws as predictable as physics.
Our perceptions come from ourselves.
Negative actions lead only to negative results, positive to positive.
Imprints continuously expand in strength until they flower.

Characters in The Diamond Cutter

Michael RoachAuthor and Buddhist monk who applied ancient wisdom to business
Choney Drakpa ShedrupAuthor of the commentary 'Sunlight on the Path to Freedom'
Russell SimmonsCelebrity who incorporated the book's principles into his business

About the Author

Michael Roach, bestselling author of The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life, is a pioneering figure blending ancient Buddhist wisdom with modern business strategy.

A Princeton University graduate and ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk, Roach earned the rare geshe degree after 22 years of study at Sera Mey Monastery. His unique expertise stems from applying Buddhist principles to his role as a director at a New York diamond firm, where he tested the ethical frameworks detailed in his book.

Roach’s works, including Karmic Management and How Yoga Works, explore themes of mindfulness, ethical leadership, and purpose-driven success across 30 translated languages. He founded the Diamond Cutter Institute and Asian Classics Input Project, organizations preserving Tibetan texts and teaching actionable strategies to global audiences.

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The New York Times, Roach’s teachings have impacted executives and entrepreneurs worldwide. The Diamond Cutter has sold millions of copies since its 2003 release, cementing its status as a cross-cultural business classic.

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Chapter 9

The Diamond Cutter

OverviewOverview of The Diamond Cutter

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Diamond Cutter: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Business Success

Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Business

See every word as you hear it

The Hidden Potential in Everything

Mental Imprints: How We Create Our Reality

Get more out of The Diamond Cutter

The Four Rules of Mental Imprints

The Correlations: Specific Actions for Specific Results

See every word as you hear it

The Act of Truth: Transforming Principles into Practice

Setting the Day with Silent Time

Get more out of The Diamond Cutter

The Circle: Creating Space for Creativity and Renewal

The Ultimate Management Tool: Exchanging Yourself and Others

See every word as you hear it

The Economics of Limitlessness: Beyond Scarcity Thinking

You made it to the end of The Diamond Cutter

Key Themes in The Diamond Cutter

Quotes from The Diamond Cutter

Characters in The Diamond Cutter

About the Author

Download Summary of The Diamond Cutter

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FAQs About This Book

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Part of a Learning Plan

Apply Buddhist Teachings at Work

Explore Buddhism for Modern Life

Discover more

1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

One book. Many ways to hear it.

The Diamond Cutter: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Business Success

Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Business

See every word as you hear it

The Hidden Potential in Everything

Mental Imprints: How We Create Our Reality

Get more out of The Diamond Cutter

The Four Rules of Mental Imprints

The Correlations: Specific Actions for Specific Results

See every word as you hear it

The Act of Truth: Transforming Principles into Practice

Setting the Day with Silent Time

Get more out of The Diamond Cutter

The Circle: Creating Space for Creativity and Renewal

The Ultimate Management Tool: Exchanging Yourself and Others

See every word as you hear it

The Economics of Limitlessness: Beyond Scarcity Thinking

You made it to the end of The Diamond Cutter

Users also liked

Part of a Learning Plan

Apply Buddhist Teachings at Work

Explore Buddhism for Modern Life

Discover more

Overview of The Diamond Cutter