By Alvin

We live and interact with people on a daily basis. At work or at school, we often have to collaborate with others, be it working with a partner or in teams. As a result, clashes in viewpoints or working styles may arise. 

Once, I was shocked to realize that I had become very competitive – in the midst of a clash in opinions – even when there was not a need to. This happened when I was working on a project with my colleague. We had to brainstorm ideas and organize some activities for a company event. However, my colleague rejected each and every of my ideas which made me really fed up. This ignited the competitive streak in me, I was bent on suggesting better ideas to prove that I am superior to him and his concepts and thinking were not as logical as mine. I became more and more insistent that he should follow my ideas. 

The more competitive I was, the more self-focused I became. And this led to a neglect of my other administrative duties and responsibilities. Furthermore, being irritated by the whole episode, I even complained about the matter to my friend. At the end of the day, not only did I not feel better about myself and the situation, the project did not end well. The outcome was a working relationship turned sour. 

One day on my way to work, as I was listening to Jen Chen Buddhism Dharma Teacher, Reverend Chen Ming-An’s talk from a CD, something he said struck me: 

As Buddhist disciples, while we have good intentions in wanting to contribute and help out at the Buddhist Centre, sometimes these good thoughts turn into frustrations when we do not get to see our expected results from our contributions or when the outcomes do not match our expectations.

For example, not getting any acknowledgement or recognition after we felt that we were a big help to others or others disagreeing with our comments which we deemed as valuable advice. 

His sharing gave me a wake up call! When I first started working in my company, my goals were to learn as much as I can, to have a positive attitude towards work and my colleagues. Yet when I felt that I was not getting any recognition from my colleagues, I became increasingly competitive and unknowingly, my actions at work manifested in a different direction from my original goals. 

Reflecting on that incident, I was too caught up in my own thinking and ideas. I lost my self-awareness, felt trapped to my thoughts and habits, and turned into an ultra competitive person. And yet, at that moment, I had thought that it was the right thing to do! 

From this experience, I realised that it is very important to be aware of our own thoughts. As a very apt phrase from Reverend Chen’s book shares: 

“We always measure others’ attitudes or how others treat us, but we never see ourselves as clearly.”

When we lose our inner compass, we might think that we are on the right track – even when we are not. Given, we should be more mindful, and never underestimate even the smallest inner thought!

By Ee Peng

It’s been a really long time since I had time to sit down properly and write a diary or reflection, and “oh May gosh!” (pun intended), almost half of 2016 is gone just like that… How time flies~~

A lot had happened in the past 2 years, especially during my final year in university. This was when I slogged really hard for that ‘piece of paper’, also known as a ‘ticket to a better career.’ At times, it was so tough that I felt like an imprisoned bird, depressed and deprived of freedom and whatever I was studying became meaningless to me.  

Unlike what many would imagine school life to be, something that is very carefree, enjoyable and worry-free, what I experienced in the last milestone of my education journey was the exact opposite, especially in my graduating year, due mainly to my horrible Final Year Project experience! Of course, this could have been a result of many bad decisions on my part and other factors, but fortunately, I had a very supportive family and group of friends who stood by me throughout, and the Buddhadharma to guide me and steer me back to the right path whenever I strayed off. Otherwise, I would not have made it through one of the toughest times ( so far) in my life.

Looking back to my student days, I feel really thankful and relieved that I got to know and learn the Buddha’s teachings since secondary school. Initially, I had been very reluctant to go to the Buddhist centre, reasons for which I cannot recall exactly, but were probably along the lines of it being a very serious place filled with serious people, and not my idea of a fun place where I can hang out, relax and de-stress. But how wrong I was then! Thankfully, my father and Aunt (Rui Cong), who introduced Jen Chen Buddhism to me, persisted, and eventually I began my journey in practising Jen Chen Buddhism, ever since I joined the guitar class that we had back then. (My aunt sure knows my soft spot for music >p< haha)

Overtime, as I grew up and ploughed through my studies, I started to understand Jen Chen Buddhism better and grew to be a staunch Buddhist. This was because as I started picking up some of the teachings, I realised that Jen Chen Buddhism is a religion that not only educate us of the teachings of the Buddha (佛学), but also advocates the practising and application of these teachings in our daily lives to correct our actions, speech and thoughts (学佛). This is something which I find very meaningful and that will benefit many people greatly, especially in this complicated society and world of ours today, plagued by greed, anger and ignorance.

The lessons I learnt here had also benefitted me greatly both in life and in school. Some lessons learnt include how to be a more considerate and tactful person, sensitive to the needs of others, without which who knows how many people’s toes (and landmines) i would had unknowingly stepped on over the years, knowing how ‘blur’ and direct I can be sometimes! Going for meditation classes has also made me a calmer person, and enable me to control my thoughts and emotions better, things which I feel have made me more matured and understanding in my thinking. 

Just really thankful that Jen Chen Buddhism is still close to heart. Hope to share more in future reflections. 

Be with Buddha!