The Dragon

KARMA
Karma is neither fatalism nor a doctrine of predetermination.
The past influences the present, but does not dominate it,
For Karma is past as well as present.
The past and the present influence the future.
The past is a background against which life goes on from moment to moment.
The future is yet to be.
Only the present moment exists and the responsibility of using the present moment for good or for ill lies with each individual.

The Dragon
W Y Ho, ACIS
Member of Association of Backpackers Malaysia 11th November 2010

LEADERSHIP

What is a leadership?
Generally, a person who is placed in front of the others to lead the way is called the leader, but is he a true leader? What is true leader? A true leader is a person who has leadership qualities in him. What are leadership qualities?

The CHAMBER’S TWENTIRTH CENTURY DICTIONARY has defined leadership as ability to lead. Firstly, one must understand the basis of any leader’s function which can be described as being three skill perimeters. They are:

[1] Technical skill
A leader must have sufficient technical competence to know what is to be expected of him to recognize solutions to respective situations, but not necessary to be technically excellent.

[2] Administrative skill
As a leader, it is necessary to understand the methods, and procedures that are the administrative framework of the organization. Although not necessary to be an administrative expert, a leader must be able to maintain the standards of the procedures and be able to champion for changing those that no longer suit the needs of or are defective in the current operation.





[3] Achieving results
This is the main focus of a leader with leadership qualities. Achieving results is the principle objective of a quality leader. A leader should not be discriminative when putting efforts in execution of projects – he should not habour indifferent attitude towards projects that would not benefit him or towards projects that would benefit some individuals whom he dislikes. As a leader, he must look at projects from a macro prospective of things that would benefit the organization as a whole.

The primary and the most obvious duty of a leader is to accomplish the tasks for which the organization exists. A “leader” who fails or chooses to fail to achieve the organizational targets for the sake of his dislike for some individuals is not a true leader. It is the responsibility of a true leader to build teamwork by directing each individual’s efforts towards the achievement of the organization’s objectives and not towards his own agenda.

“We are never alone.
Therefore we must honour the spiritual beings
With true sincerity,
And we must be careful of our conduct.


The Dragon
W Y Ho, ACIS
Member of Association of Backpackers Malaysia 10th November 2010

The Dragon

Drunkenness
Drunkenness is a thief of my purse.
It not only expel good reasons from my faculty of thinking, but
Also deface my brain and diminishes my strength.
It inflames my blood and causes injuries to my heart.
What a devil to my mind, it keeps my health far, far behind.
[at my age in the 70’s I still climb mountains]

The Dragon
W Y Ho, ACIS
Member of Association of Backpackers Malaysia
7st November 2010

The Dragon

Mountain Climbers

Up, up, and up the mountains we go,
To its summits in the fore.
Through the forests and across the rivers we never fear
As the spirit of our hearts is always near.
Safety is our scripture and respect is our procedure.
Values of safety and respect the laws of the jungles are always dear.
Come, come, up the mountains and down the valleys we go
To enjoy the mountain breeze and let our hearts aglow.


The Dragon
W Y Ho, ACIS
Member of Association of Backpackers Malaysia
31st October 2010

The Dragon

THE CHINESE WAY TO HEALTHY LIVING – Part 1: the 3 Treasures

Wen Tzu Classic says: -

The body is the Temple of Life
The Qi (vital energy) is the force of Life
The Shen [神] (spirit) is the Governor of Life
If any one of them goes off balance, all the three Treasures are damaged.
When the Shen is in command, the body naturally follows it, and this arrangement will benefit all the three Treasures of Life.
When the body leads the way and the Shen follows along, this will harm all the three Treasures of Life. (written in third century B.C.)

At birth, all human beings are endowed with these three Treasures of Life. By virtue of these three Treasures of Life we all are able to exist, function and think as we do. Our health and span o our life depended on how we take care to protect and to preserve the three Treasures of Life inside us, i.e., the ancient Chinese called it the Dao ( or Tao).

What is the Dao? The Dao[道] simply means the “path” or the “way”. A way of life that is guided by the mind. The Dao is a guiding path and in the context of this article, the way to healthy life style. The Dao was established by LaoTzu of Chou Dynasty in his Dao De Zing. The followers of the Dao are referred to the Daoist [Taoist] and this has nothing to do with the Taoist religion.

Since ancient times (about 5,000 years ago) the ancient Chinese emphasized utmost importance to health and longevity. The Daoist view the human organism as a microcosm of the universe. It has its own internal heaven and earth and its own climate and seasons as well as its own cyclic transformations and natural interplay of universal energies. The Daoist School views the three Treasures of Life are [1] Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy) and Shen (spirit).

Generally, Jing refers to as the thick, slow moving, refined substance, which has different aspects – the Pre-natal or Congenital Jing and the Post-natal or Acquired Jing. Pre-natal or Congenital Jing is inherited from the parents and it cannot be increased after birth, but it can be preserved through meditation, qigong and taijiquan exercises, The Post-natal or Acquired Jing is formed by the human body from the nutrients of food and air. The Acquired Jing is constantly replenished to support the Congenital Jing. However, in the Daoist view, Jing refers to the physical human body of flesh and blood and all its basic material constituents including hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters.

The Qi is everything that exists, all changes, all phenomena; all the myriad forms in the universe are made of Qi. The Qi in the human body is constantly changing and takes different roles according to what it needs to do in the body as well as the location in the body. Qi is the vital energy or vital force that activates all the functions of the human body. It drives every voluntary and involuntary process in the human body. The Post-natal Qi is polar and electromagnetic characterized by constant activity and transformation.

The Shen refers to the mind. It includes all its various facets and functions. The Shen consists of the [1] Pre-natal Shen, which is the primordial mind of Dao, the origin of consciousness or the eternal spark of awareness and [2] the Post-natal Shen, which manifests as sensory awareness and thoughts. All human beings have the primordial mind of the Dao within himself or herself.

All diseases and illness are caused by the imbalance of the Yin-Yang Qi in the human body. Health and longevity depend solely on the maintenance of the balance and harmony among the three Treasures of Life, the Yin-Yang Qi of the vital organs of the human body as well as between the human body and the eternal environment.

Through the few thousands of years, ancient Chinese have developed various exercises such as the Qigong and the taijiquan for the purpose of maintaining the balance and harmony among the three Treasures of Life, the Yin-Yang Qi of the vital organs of the human body as well as between the human body and the eternal environment.


W Y Ho, ACIS
25th October 2010