World Buddhist Conference in Malaysia

One of my dreams is to meet the living Buddha, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a down-to-earth guru whose key teaching is that through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of the past and future. Dwelling in the present moment is, according to Nhat Hanh, the only way to truly develop peace both in one's self and in the world.Two of his best books are Breathe, You Are Alive and You Are Here.

His hour-long keynote address, Living in Harmony, started with the first noble truth: suffering, and focused on living in peace and harmony in the present. One of his best teachings is the mindfulness training, which he also spoke on.  

Other renowned speakers and practitioners from all over the world were also at the conference -- Ven Wei Wu, Roshi Joan Halifax, Ven Tejadhammo, Ven Thubten Chodron and others. They enlightened us about managing relationships, engaging society, rites of passages and dying, and protecting the world.

I sincerely hope Malaysia can organize more of this beneficial events!

Meeting Jack Canfield

On Wednesday, I attended a seminar by Jack Canfield, called Achieving Breakthrough Results in Work & Life, at Grand Dorsett Subang.

Yes, he's the co-founder of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as the author of other famous books such as The Success Principles and How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.

His talk is basically about guiding ourselves to the path we are seeking in life as well as life, based on ideas from The Success Principles as well as The Secret.

I bought a copy of the book and got him to autograph it.

I'd recommend reading the book How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be, which is a simplified version of The Success Principles.

It's such a great book and I actually bought 10 copies of it as gifts to my comrades who attended the management meeting yesterday. It's a Thank You gift to them for always being there to help make my dreams come through.

Healing Anger - Friends or enemies?

I took this picture and saw the sunshine struggling to penetrate the clouds. It prompted me to share this on my blog and Facebook.

Recently, I was invited for a buka puasa event with some old friends. I found out that some of them didn't want to speak to each other anymore. What surprised me most was the badmouthing and refusal to mend the relationship.

Best friends become enemies due to misunderstandings, and the stubborn belief that they are always right. 

If we do not address these issues, we will never move on in life. Nothing will always remain the "best" in your circumstances.

The philosophy of impermanence teaches us to let go of ourselves. Why let anger and misconception cloud our mind?

This holy month of Ramadan is a good time to mend relationships. Regardless of what religion we follow, we need to heal anger.

I strongly recommend this book, Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective by H.H. the Dalai Lama (translated by Thupten Jinpa) for those who are in a position where they feel angry and unforgiving. Below is the synopsis:

"Buddhist traditions unanimously state that compassion and love are the foundation of all paths of practice. To cultivate the potential for compassion and love inherent within us, it is crucial to counteract their opposing forces of anger and hatred. The Dalai Lama shows how patience and tolerance overcome the obstacles of anger and hatred. His Holiness presents the practice of the Six Perfections, the central role of bodhichitta, the twelve links of dependent origination, and offers a clear road map for the practitioner to achieve the goal of liberation. The techniques and methods are relevant for everyone—the Dalai Lama shows the power that patience and tolerance have to heal anger and to generate peace in the world."

Read 'Leadership Gold'

I'm currently reading John Maxwell's Leadership Gold.

The thing I like most about John Maxwell's style is that he simplifies all the complicated concepts about management and leadership, and more importantly, distinguishes between the two.

Some chapters in Leadership Gold are compelling, like: 'People Quit People, Not Companies'. Most of the time, people talk about companies being incompetent, or that there are office politics. They fail to identify the main source of the problem, which lies with the leader behind the scenes. Good people resign not because of the company but the irresponsible leader who devalues his people.

I particularly enjoy the part where John Maxwell talks about creating a growth environment. At Dorsett International, I'm practising this under Talent Management. Associates have a path charted out for them, determined jointly with the organization.

John Maxwell became a leader at the age of 22. Even though he can retire rich anytime now, he continues to keep learning and improving himself. Not only that, he trains others to become successful leaders! This is my definition of real leading!

To see how a leader is doing, look at the people. It's really as simple as that! Great leaders desire to bring out the greatness in others. Small people will try to put the same constraints on you that they have put on themselves.

Read 'Put Your Dreams to the Test'

I just finished reading Put Your Dream to the Test by John Maxwell, my all-time favourite writer. It is an excellent book that lays down clearly-defined steps to lead you to the path you are seeking.