I have just read a book.. it is called "I'm not sick, just a bit unwell - Life with Neurofibromatosis" by Yvonne Foong; winner of the 2005 Dream Malaysia Award.
Yvonne Foong was born and raised in Malaysia. She enjoys writting, reading and devoting her time to charity causes and social developments. She has done freelance assignments for newspaper and magazine.
The book is about her story (yes, most people has a story, i know some don't) and her cause.
Interesting quotes from this book...
A Rude Doctor:
- He lacked compassion and the human touch.
- Praise the lord for teaching me so early in life to be grateful for the things that I have.
Rehabilitation:
- It is strange how we have to go through difficult times in order to appreciate the simplier things in life.
- NF has taught me an invaluable lesson, never be ashamed of one's modesty.
The smile on my face:
- Unless she had gone through the same surgery, she could never comprehend my feelings.
When there's a will, there's a way:
- Life may not be a bed of roses all the time, but the human spirit has no boundaries.
Knowing him:
I started to pray...
I told the lord about my life, my dilemmas and my questions about him.
It was as though I was talking to an old friend. As I carried on, the entire room seemed to light up. I was filled with happiness and a poignant feeling came over my heart as though someone had just presented me with a gift.
God must have heard my cries, because soon after, he began revealing my destiny. I hope that my story will inspire million of less fortunate people around the world to continue believing in God and live life to the fullest.
You just have to read it yourself...
Conclusion:
There are three types of people in this world.
1. People who suffer on behalf of others... such as Jesus Christ, Buddha, Yvonne Foong and etc.
2. People who take things for granted.
3. People who bridge the abovementioned two types of people.
I don't suffer from NF... but I was once sicked big time (at least by my standard). I could level with how Yvonne feels about life. I like to consider myself as belonging to type 1, however as it may not seem easy and I think I will settle with type 3; definitely not type 2.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Becoming successful...
To become successful, you gotta be committed to it.
Being committed to something means that you got to live and eat and sleep it.
Other things will be secondary in the interim basis.
But do u have something to fall back to ?
Because when you are totally committed, you gotta dare to fail.
And how to become really daring to fail ?
You need something to fall back to.
My answer is that you gotta look for something abstract as the falling back cushion. Such as being a nice person, being sincere, truthful, caring and etc.
If you are already committed to something such as religion, marriage and etc, you are already successful. The rest are only secondary.
I found a blog entry through a friend who puts it in a different way..
Being committed to something means that you got to live and eat and sleep it.
Other things will be secondary in the interim basis.
But do u have something to fall back to ?
Because when you are totally committed, you gotta dare to fail.
And how to become really daring to fail ?
You need something to fall back to.
My answer is that you gotta look for something abstract as the falling back cushion. Such as being a nice person, being sincere, truthful, caring and etc.
If you are already committed to something such as religion, marriage and etc, you are already successful. The rest are only secondary.
I found a blog entry through a friend who puts it in a different way..
Monday, November 20, 2006
God did NOT create evil - Albert Einstein
This write-up is taken from forwarded email... Don't know how true Albert Einstein was dragged into this but worth a ponder.
Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?
A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists,and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."
The student became quiet and did not respond to the professor's
hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once morethat the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question,
professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"
The other students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable
of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of
darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young man's name -- Albert Einstein
A true story per se.
As usual, if anyone finds this entry sensitive. You are entitled to comment in many ways preferred. Living up to the spirit of blogger responsibilities.
Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?
A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists,and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."
The student became quiet and did not respond to the professor's
hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once morethat the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question,
professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"
The other students snickered at the young man's question. The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable
of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of
darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young man's name -- Albert Einstein
A true story per se.
As usual, if anyone finds this entry sensitive. You are entitled to comment in many ways preferred. Living up to the spirit of blogger responsibilities.
Monday, October 30, 2006
I want to apologize
I like to apologize for being insensitive towards my blog entries.
This blog has sometimes being morbid inquisitive, cock-talking and etc.
Sensitivity is an important issue for blogger.
This blog has sometimes being morbid inquisitive, cock-talking and etc.
Sensitivity is an important issue for blogger.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Why i fell in love with u ?
I fell in love with you because ...
1. there are a lot of shit out there... I don't want any of it, i'm sick of it, I only want u.
2. there are a lot of pyscho out there... I think you are not.
3. there are many people who give me trouble... I think you won't give me trouble.
4. there are many things which are unreal ... I think you are the real deal.
In short, you are what is not out there and I think it is worth the risk. even if you say no, still okay.
I swear to god/buddha/allah/krisnan/sai baba that if I'm being unsincered, I would be burnt in hell.
Let me burnt in hell if I were to lie.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Buddhist Chief Monk Dies
Buddhist Chief Monk K. Sri Dhammananda dies on 31st
August 2006.
The Star story..
I remember seeing him a few times.... There is one
time I asked "is it true that by visualizing or
contemplate the transfer of invisible energy towards
someone, that person can benefit something ?"
The chief monk answered, but I can't remember the
exact wording, roughly what he told me was that
invisible energy such as thoughts is more powerful
than you think. He gave an example but I can't
remember.
Thus, let's remember him by wishing that ..
People around us would quickly come to realization
about the real meaning of life and cultivate enough to
seek enlightenment.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
world war and free world
Does this world deserves another world war ?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Do u believe in end times ?
People are worried that current events in the middle east is a sign towards the end time as prophesized in the bible. [source here]
Well, if you believe in the bible.. . then you have reasons to go nuts...
Otherwise, I attended a talk from a professor specializes in literature... he is a no-christian and he examines current middle-east crisis in a practical manner..
According to him, there will be no war because non of the big powers ever wanted war.. thus, he said current crisis is only a small fight.
Personally, I think that if the world is going into a bad shape, one day it will have to restart the operating system.
Well, if you believe in the bible.. . then you have reasons to go nuts...
Otherwise, I attended a talk from a professor specializes in literature... he is a no-christian and he examines current middle-east crisis in a practical manner..
According to him, there will be no war because non of the big powers ever wanted war.. thus, he said current crisis is only a small fight.
Personally, I think that if the world is going into a bad shape, one day it will have to restart the operating system.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Fwd Email: DONT USE DISPOSABLE CHOPSTICKS
This is a true case, if you don't believe try the following test:
Soak a pair of disposable chopsticks (usually given to you when you buy pack food from a Chinese take-away) for between 3 to 5 minutes inside hot boiling water. Within minutes and right in front of your eyes, you will noticed that some white colouring matter seems to be dissolved into the hot water from the chopsticks.
What is released from the chopsticks is actually a chemical, a bleaching agent.
In a campaign promoting healthy care in Singapore recently, Professor Jackson Mathis reminds people not to use disposable chopsticks, as almost the majority of them are made in or imported from China.
He explained that during the manufacturing process of disposable chop-sticks before the actual production itself, all raw materials are already cover-grown with germs that make the wood materials look like they are coated in multiple colours or are covered with poisonous fungus.
The first process itself is already frightening as the manufacturer starts the process by soaking up the wooden raw materials inside a very big container that is filled with a very toxic and highly poisonous chemical. This chemical is intentionally added in in order to preserve the materials. After a few days of soaking, they are then washed with an even worse cleaning agent, in this case it is a bleaching agent (which chemical ph level is believe to be more Than a thousand times over the general permissible/acceptable international standards). And guess what? These chemicals itself is likely to cause greater harm to our health (if we continue consuming such chemicals into our body on a daily basis) not forgetting that since these chemicals used
are usually carcinogenic in nature, they are likely to cause cancer.
Since his last visit to a disposable chopsticks manufacturing plant in China 5 years ago, Professor Jackson Mathis has immediately stop using such disposable chopsticks anymore.
In Professor Jackson case, just in case if he ever forgets to bring along his own pair of chopsticks for lunch or dinner, he usually make sure that he do not forget to put one pair of it inside his bag since it can be re-use again and again.
Professor Jackson Mathis said: "If you have been using disposable chopsticks in the past, and you insist on continue using them again, please pause and think for a moment. Why is cancer spreading like wild fire these days throughout the world affecting all sorts of people. After that think of how many pairs of disposable chopsticks a factory in China is producing by the minute. The answer itself is right here !"
Best regards,
Margaret Teow
Production Controller
Vesuvius KSR Sdn Bhd
Tel : 603-3176 0508
Fax : 603-3176 0446 - General
: 603-3176 0891 - Production
-end-
Maybe we can start a business selling quality chopsticks to individual. We have to find a way to dry it... the chopsticks can be kept inside a pen container.
Soak a pair of disposable chopsticks (usually given to you when you buy pack food from a Chinese take-away) for between 3 to 5 minutes inside hot boiling water. Within minutes and right in front of your eyes, you will noticed that some white colouring matter seems to be dissolved into the hot water from the chopsticks.
What is released from the chopsticks is actually a chemical, a bleaching agent.
In a campaign promoting healthy care in Singapore recently, Professor Jackson Mathis reminds people not to use disposable chopsticks, as almost the majority of them are made in or imported from China.
He explained that during the manufacturing process of disposable chop-sticks before the actual production itself, all raw materials are already cover-grown with germs that make the wood materials look like they are coated in multiple colours or are covered with poisonous fungus.
The first process itself is already frightening as the manufacturer starts the process by soaking up the wooden raw materials inside a very big container that is filled with a very toxic and highly poisonous chemical. This chemical is intentionally added in in order to preserve the materials. After a few days of soaking, they are then washed with an even worse cleaning agent, in this case it is a bleaching agent (which chemical ph level is believe to be more Than a thousand times over the general permissible/acceptable international standards). And guess what? These chemicals itself is likely to cause greater harm to our health (if we continue consuming such chemicals into our body on a daily basis) not forgetting that since these chemicals used
are usually carcinogenic in nature, they are likely to cause cancer.
Since his last visit to a disposable chopsticks manufacturing plant in China 5 years ago, Professor Jackson Mathis has immediately stop using such disposable chopsticks anymore.
In Professor Jackson case, just in case if he ever forgets to bring along his own pair of chopsticks for lunch or dinner, he usually make sure that he do not forget to put one pair of it inside his bag since it can be re-use again and again.
Professor Jackson Mathis said: "If you have been using disposable chopsticks in the past, and you insist on continue using them again, please pause and think for a moment. Why is cancer spreading like wild fire these days throughout the world affecting all sorts of people. After that think of how many pairs of disposable chopsticks a factory in China is producing by the minute. The answer itself is right here !"
Best regards,
Margaret Teow
Production Controller
Vesuvius KSR Sdn Bhd
Tel : 603-3176 0508
Fax : 603-3176 0446 - General
: 603-3176 0891 - Production
-end-
Maybe we can start a business selling quality chopsticks to individual. We have to find a way to dry it... the chopsticks can be kept inside a pen container.
Friday, July 07, 2006
The Mind Frame Techniques
Dear Friends of InnerTalk,
InnerTalk and Progressive Awareness Research group of companies are the providers of the powerful and proven mind technology – the InnerTalk subliminal mind tool. Our group aims to continuously provide for those who are in search of new insight into the mind power and the power of the subconscious the avenues to do so.
As part of our “Subconscious Mind Series” we are proud to present to the Malaysian public for the first time The MindFrame TechniqueTM workshop by Mr. Terry Winchester, an internationally renowned subconscious specialist and practitioner from South Africa.
The MindFrame TechniqueTM Workshop
Fee (Special Introductory): Before 10th July RM 490; RM 590 per head after 10th July.
Date: 12th July 2006 Wednesday
Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm
Venue: Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur
Format: Interactive in nature, seats are limited.
Meals: 2 coffee breaks and 1 holistic lunch are included.
Follow-up workshop: All participants are allowed to attend another future Alpha Mind Power Workshop session as revision course at minimal fee. The fee charge is RM 100 to cover the cost of the coffee breaks, lunch and facility rental.
Course materials: Every participant will be given a MindFrame TechniqueTM training DVD as a self-practice follow up tool.
1. What is the MindFrame TechniqueTM?
With The MindFrame TechniqueTM you will learn to gravitate back to perfect health, tune into the abundance that is all around us and express unconditional love and acceptance in your relationships.
2. How does it work?
The five steps of The MindFrame TechniqueTM will enable you to reach the deep subconscious level of mind and teach you to re-program your life for health wealth and happiness.
Step 1 - Deep relaxation
By entering at the deep 'alpha' state your body will relax completely and your mind will become calm. This first step, in itself, affords you that blissful refreshing rest that we all cherish so much. It is even better than natural sleep because you are in complete control and can turn it on or off at will.
Step 2 - The mental mirror
This simple mechanism enables you to identify your problem and turn it around. As all problems start in the mind and are caused by misperceptions, you have the power at any given moment to choose to reverse your negative pattern. With this method, your problem is gone forever no matter how long it has plagued you for. Whatever image you hold before you will come about.
Step 3 - The finger trigger
The finger trigger is a simple mechanism that will enable you to snap out of any negative frame of mind at any moment simply by clicking the fingers. Once you have installed this trigger into the subconscious mind you literally have the controls at your fingertips and can turn any negative condition into a positive, happy outcome.
Step 4 - The water trigger
The water trigger serves as a back up for the finger trigger. If for any reason you neglect to nip your negative thought pattern in the bud and find yourself in your negative mode again, you simply apply the water trigger. Your problem is automatically reversed and your new positive self-image is energized.
Step 5 - Meditation
This final step deepens your relaxation state and your ability to concentrate your mind: creating tremendous power for your creative process. As well as releasing your untapped potential, it leads to the ultimate goal of mankind, which is to realize the 'True Self'.
Once these five steps have been installed into the subconscious mind with The MindFrame TechniqueTM, you then have all the tools you need to achieve any goal and to turn around any bad habit. You can now begin to manifest the health, wealth and happiness that is your birthright.
The MindFrame TechniqueTM is a very powerful form of psychotherapy and deep relaxation training. The term Psychotherapy really just means therapy of the mind. As all our problems are simply due to faulty thought patterns, the only true form of healing is to "change" your mind.
If we don't deal with the traumatic and fearful experiences we may have experienced in childhood, the subconscious mind will suppress them in order to protect us. These distorted impressions will continue to disturb us until they are brought to Truth. Once this is done, any corresponding disease or psychological disorder will heal. The MindFrame TechniqueTM provides the means to facilitate this natural healing.
This is a process of Holistic Hypnosis, enabling the participant to access the subconscious mind, identify the faulty thought pattern and turn it around. The participant learns to acknowledge any self-created negative aspects, thus enabling complete transformation. This new positive image is the first step towards Self-Realisation. The door to health, wealth and happiness is now open.
About the Speaker:
Terry Winchester
Terry Winchester founded the Winchester Foundation 28 years ago.
Terry is a qualified Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist who is currently running a Holistic Hypnosis and relaxation clinic in Johannesburg. He has been practicing Holistic Hypnosis and Alpha Training for the last twenty-eight years.
His list of appointments includes:
* Master Hypnotist (The Hypnosis Institute, New York)
* Founder member of "The Winchester Foundation" est. 1972
* Founder member of the British National Council of Psychotherapists (1972)
* Certified member of Mind Development Incorporated, Texas, USA
* Certified member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists
* Certified member of the South African Yoga Teachers' Fellowship
* Qualified member for the Canadian Institute of Hypnotism (Advanced)
* Member of the International Society for Professional Hypnotists, New York (1973)
* Member of the American Board of Hypnotherapy
* Instructor for The Silva Method International (1980 - 1990)
In addition he has spent twenty years studying yoga and meditation including nine months at the Vedanta Forest Academy in Rishikesh, India.
The Winchester Foundation is set up to conduct Alpha Mind Power Training and has a Hypnotherapy Clinic for the general public. All the seminars and therapies conducted by the Foundation are based on the powerful yet simple MindFrame TechniqueTM.
For those who are interested to attend please contact us at 03-77294745, 012-2998859 or email enquiry@innertalk.com.my. This workshop will sell out as seats are limited and are on first come first served basis. Please call us to reserve your place now.
With thanks, love, light and abundance,
Ewe Tuan Cheng
President
Progressive Awareness Research & InnerTalk, Asia Pacific Region
InnerTalk and Progressive Awareness Research group of companies are the providers of the powerful and proven mind technology – the InnerTalk subliminal mind tool. Our group aims to continuously provide for those who are in search of new insight into the mind power and the power of the subconscious the avenues to do so.
As part of our “Subconscious Mind Series” we are proud to present to the Malaysian public for the first time The MindFrame TechniqueTM workshop by Mr. Terry Winchester, an internationally renowned subconscious specialist and practitioner from South Africa.
The MindFrame TechniqueTM Workshop
Fee (Special Introductory): Before 10th July RM 490; RM 590 per head after 10th July.
Date: 12th July 2006 Wednesday
Time: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm
Venue: Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur
Format: Interactive in nature, seats are limited.
Meals: 2 coffee breaks and 1 holistic lunch are included.
Follow-up workshop: All participants are allowed to attend another future Alpha Mind Power Workshop session as revision course at minimal fee. The fee charge is RM 100 to cover the cost of the coffee breaks, lunch and facility rental.
Course materials: Every participant will be given a MindFrame TechniqueTM training DVD as a self-practice follow up tool.
1. What is the MindFrame TechniqueTM?
With The MindFrame TechniqueTM you will learn to gravitate back to perfect health, tune into the abundance that is all around us and express unconditional love and acceptance in your relationships.
2. How does it work?
The five steps of The MindFrame TechniqueTM will enable you to reach the deep subconscious level of mind and teach you to re-program your life for health wealth and happiness.
Step 1 - Deep relaxation
By entering at the deep 'alpha' state your body will relax completely and your mind will become calm. This first step, in itself, affords you that blissful refreshing rest that we all cherish so much. It is even better than natural sleep because you are in complete control and can turn it on or off at will.
Step 2 - The mental mirror
This simple mechanism enables you to identify your problem and turn it around. As all problems start in the mind and are caused by misperceptions, you have the power at any given moment to choose to reverse your negative pattern. With this method, your problem is gone forever no matter how long it has plagued you for. Whatever image you hold before you will come about.
Step 3 - The finger trigger
The finger trigger is a simple mechanism that will enable you to snap out of any negative frame of mind at any moment simply by clicking the fingers. Once you have installed this trigger into the subconscious mind you literally have the controls at your fingertips and can turn any negative condition into a positive, happy outcome.
Step 4 - The water trigger
The water trigger serves as a back up for the finger trigger. If for any reason you neglect to nip your negative thought pattern in the bud and find yourself in your negative mode again, you simply apply the water trigger. Your problem is automatically reversed and your new positive self-image is energized.
Step 5 - Meditation
This final step deepens your relaxation state and your ability to concentrate your mind: creating tremendous power for your creative process. As well as releasing your untapped potential, it leads to the ultimate goal of mankind, which is to realize the 'True Self'.
Once these five steps have been installed into the subconscious mind with The MindFrame TechniqueTM, you then have all the tools you need to achieve any goal and to turn around any bad habit. You can now begin to manifest the health, wealth and happiness that is your birthright.
The MindFrame TechniqueTM is a very powerful form of psychotherapy and deep relaxation training. The term Psychotherapy really just means therapy of the mind. As all our problems are simply due to faulty thought patterns, the only true form of healing is to "change" your mind.
If we don't deal with the traumatic and fearful experiences we may have experienced in childhood, the subconscious mind will suppress them in order to protect us. These distorted impressions will continue to disturb us until they are brought to Truth. Once this is done, any corresponding disease or psychological disorder will heal. The MindFrame TechniqueTM provides the means to facilitate this natural healing.
This is a process of Holistic Hypnosis, enabling the participant to access the subconscious mind, identify the faulty thought pattern and turn it around. The participant learns to acknowledge any self-created negative aspects, thus enabling complete transformation. This new positive image is the first step towards Self-Realisation. The door to health, wealth and happiness is now open.
About the Speaker:
Terry Winchester
Terry Winchester founded the Winchester Foundation 28 years ago.
Terry is a qualified Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist who is currently running a Holistic Hypnosis and relaxation clinic in Johannesburg. He has been practicing Holistic Hypnosis and Alpha Training for the last twenty-eight years.
His list of appointments includes:
* Master Hypnotist (The Hypnosis Institute, New York)
* Founder member of "The Winchester Foundation" est. 1972
* Founder member of the British National Council of Psychotherapists (1972)
* Certified member of Mind Development Incorporated, Texas, USA
* Certified member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists
* Certified member of the South African Yoga Teachers' Fellowship
* Qualified member for the Canadian Institute of Hypnotism (Advanced)
* Member of the International Society for Professional Hypnotists, New York (1973)
* Member of the American Board of Hypnotherapy
* Instructor for The Silva Method International (1980 - 1990)
In addition he has spent twenty years studying yoga and meditation including nine months at the Vedanta Forest Academy in Rishikesh, India.
The Winchester Foundation is set up to conduct Alpha Mind Power Training and has a Hypnotherapy Clinic for the general public. All the seminars and therapies conducted by the Foundation are based on the powerful yet simple MindFrame TechniqueTM.
For those who are interested to attend please contact us at 03-77294745, 012-2998859 or email enquiry@innertalk.com.my. This workshop will sell out as seats are limited and are on first come first served basis. Please call us to reserve your place now.
With thanks, love, light and abundance,
Ewe Tuan Cheng
President
Progressive Awareness Research & InnerTalk, Asia Pacific Region
Friday, June 30, 2006
千萬不可搬動他
患了中風，腦部的微血管,會慢慢的破裂，遇到這種情形，千萬別慌, 患者無論在什麼地方不管是浴室、臥房或客廳），千萬不可搬動他。
因為，如果移動，會加速微血管的破裂所以要先原地把患者扶起坐穩止防止再摔倒，這時開始（放血）.
家中如有專為注射用的針，當然最好,如果沒有，就拿縫衣用的銅針，或是大頭針，用火燒一下消毒，就在患者的十個手指頭尖兒.
（沒有固定穴道，大約距離手指甲一分之處）上去刺，要刺出血來萬一血不出來，可用手擠），等十個手指頭都流出血來每指一滴大約幾分鐘之後，患者就自然清.
如果嘴也歪了，就拉他的耳朵，把耳朵拉紅,在兩耳的耳垂兒的部位，各刺兩針，也各流血兩滴，幾分鐘以後，嘴就恢復原狀了。
等患者一切恢復正常感覺沒有異狀時再送醫，就一定可以轉危為安，否則，若是急著抬上救護車送醫，經一路的顛跛震動恐怕還沒到醫院，他腦部微血管，差不多已經都破裂了。萬一能夠吉人天相，保全老命，能像孫院長，容得勉強行動，那要靠祖上的陰了。放血救命法，是住在新竹的中醫師夏伯挺先生告訴我的。
且是經自己親身實驗。
敢說百分之百有效.
大概是民國六十八年我在台中逢甲學院任教，有天上午，我正在上課，一位老師跑到我的教室上氣不接下氣的說：劉老師快來，主任中風了；我立刻跑到三樓，看到陳幅添主任，氣色不正，語意模，嘴也歪了，很明顯的是中風了。立即請工讀生到校門外的西藥房，買來一支注射用的針頭，就在陳主任十個手指頭上直刺。
等十個手指尖兒都見血了（豆粒似的一滴），大約幾分鐘以後，陳主任的氣色就變過來了，兩眼也有神了，只有嘴還歪著，我就拉搓他的耳朵，使之充血，等把耳朵拉紅就在右耳垂之處，各刺兩針，兩耳垂都流出兩滴血來，奇蹟出現了,大約不到三五分鐘，他的嘴形，恢復正常了，說話也清清楚楚了。
讓他靜坐陣子，喝了一杯熱茶，才扶他下樓，開車送到惠華醫院，打一罐點滴，休息了一夜，第二天就出院回學校上課了。一切照常工作，毫無後遺症。反觀一般腦中風患者，都是送醫院治療時，經過一路震盪血管急速破裂，以致多數患者一病不起，所腦中風，在死因排行榜上高居第二位，其最幸運者，也僅能保住老命，而落得終身殘廢。
這是一個多麼可怕的病症。如果大家都能記住這（放血救命)的方法，立刻施救，在短短時間它能起死回生，而且保證百分之百的正常。
這個急救法，希望大家告訴大家.
那腦中風，在死因排行榜上，就可以除名了。
閱後傳知他人，功德無量
因為，如果移動，會加速微血管的破裂所以要先原地把患者扶起坐穩止防止再摔倒，這時開始（放血）.
家中如有專為注射用的針，當然最好,如果沒有，就拿縫衣用的銅針，或是大頭針，用火燒一下消毒，就在患者的十個手指頭尖兒.
（沒有固定穴道，大約距離手指甲一分之處）上去刺，要刺出血來萬一血不出來，可用手擠），等十個手指頭都流出血來每指一滴大約幾分鐘之後，患者就自然清.
如果嘴也歪了，就拉他的耳朵，把耳朵拉紅,在兩耳的耳垂兒的部位，各刺兩針，也各流血兩滴，幾分鐘以後，嘴就恢復原狀了。
等患者一切恢復正常感覺沒有異狀時再送醫，就一定可以轉危為安，否則，若是急著抬上救護車送醫，經一路的顛跛震動恐怕還沒到醫院，他腦部微血管，差不多已經都破裂了。萬一能夠吉人天相，保全老命，能像孫院長，容得勉強行動，那要靠祖上的陰了。放血救命法，是住在新竹的中醫師夏伯挺先生告訴我的。
且是經自己親身實驗。
敢說百分之百有效.
大概是民國六十八年我在台中逢甲學院任教，有天上午，我正在上課，一位老師跑到我的教室上氣不接下氣的說：劉老師快來，主任中風了；我立刻跑到三樓，看到陳幅添主任，氣色不正，語意模，嘴也歪了，很明顯的是中風了。立即請工讀生到校門外的西藥房，買來一支注射用的針頭，就在陳主任十個手指頭上直刺。
等十個手指尖兒都見血了（豆粒似的一滴），大約幾分鐘以後，陳主任的氣色就變過來了，兩眼也有神了，只有嘴還歪著，我就拉搓他的耳朵，使之充血，等把耳朵拉紅就在右耳垂之處，各刺兩針，兩耳垂都流出兩滴血來，奇蹟出現了,大約不到三五分鐘，他的嘴形，恢復正常了，說話也清清楚楚了。
讓他靜坐陣子，喝了一杯熱茶，才扶他下樓，開車送到惠華醫院，打一罐點滴，休息了一夜，第二天就出院回學校上課了。一切照常工作，毫無後遺症。反觀一般腦中風患者，都是送醫院治療時，經過一路震盪血管急速破裂，以致多數患者一病不起，所腦中風，在死因排行榜上高居第二位，其最幸運者，也僅能保住老命，而落得終身殘廢。
這是一個多麼可怕的病症。如果大家都能記住這（放血救命)的方法，立刻施救，在短短時間它能起死回生，而且保證百分之百的正常。
這個急救法，希望大家告訴大家.
那腦中風，在死因排行榜上，就可以除名了。
閱後傳知他人，功德無量
Avoid eating chicken wings frequently
I got this from forwarded email...
AVOID Eating Chicken WINGS frequently - Especially Ladies
Avoid eating chicken wings frequently - ladies especially A true story... !
A friend of mine recently had a growth in her womb and she underwent an operation to remove the cyst. The cyst removed was filled with a dark coloured blood. She thought that she wouldrecover after the surgery but she was terribly wrong.
A relapse occurred just a few months later. Distressed, she rushed down to her gynecologist for a consultation. During her consultation, her doctor asked her a question that puzzled her.
He ask if she was a frequent consumer of chicken wings and she replied yes wondering! how, he knew of her eating habits.
You see, the truth is in this modern day and age, chickens are injected with steroids to accelerate their growth so that the needs of this society can be met.
This need is none other then the need for food. Chickens that are injected with steroids are usually given the shot at the neck or the wings.
Therefore, it is in this places that the highest concentration of steroids exist. These steroids have terrifying effects on the body as it accelerates growth.
It has an even more dangerous effect in the presence of female hormones, this leads to women being! more prone to the growth of a cyst in the womb. Therefore, I advise the people out there to watch their diets and to lower their frequency of consuming chicken wings!
People who receive this email, please forward it to your friends and loved ones.
AVOID Eating Chicken WINGS frequently - Especially Ladies
Avoid eating chicken wings frequently - ladies especially A true story... !
A friend of mine recently had a growth in her womb and she underwent an operation to remove the cyst. The cyst removed was filled with a dark coloured blood. She thought that she wouldrecover after the surgery but she was terribly wrong.
A relapse occurred just a few months later. Distressed, she rushed down to her gynecologist for a consultation. During her consultation, her doctor asked her a question that puzzled her.
He ask if she was a frequent consumer of chicken wings and she replied yes wondering! how, he knew of her eating habits.
You see, the truth is in this modern day and age, chickens are injected with steroids to accelerate their growth so that the needs of this society can be met.
This need is none other then the need for food. Chickens that are injected with steroids are usually given the shot at the neck or the wings.
Therefore, it is in this places that the highest concentration of steroids exist. These steroids have terrifying effects on the body as it accelerates growth.
It has an even more dangerous effect in the presence of female hormones, this leads to women being! more prone to the growth of a cyst in the womb. Therefore, I advise the people out there to watch their diets and to lower their frequency of consuming chicken wings!
People who receive this email, please forward it to your friends and loved ones.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The Buddha Medicine
"The Buddha Medicine"
By Bhikkhu U. Dhammajiva
Edited by: Swedish novice Dhammasami (Samuel Nordius)
"Glad at heart, I pay homage to the supreme sage- the giver of blissful peace, the grate ocean of virtue, the physician for the samsaric ills of beings, the sun that dispel the pitchy darkness of false views!" – Lo-wáda Sangarava, 15th century Sinhalese poem
In Burmese meditation-centers, as in monasteries in most Theravada-Buddhist countries, you often find a peculiar kind of medicine: Yellow Myrobalan nuts (in Pali: Hritaki, in Latin: Terminalia Chebula) pickled in cow’s urine. The Burmese people calls it Pheya-se, ‘The Buddha Medicine’, since it’s based on a recipe found in the oldest Buddhist texts, the Pali Tipitaka. It’s considered to be a panacea for many diseases. But does it really follow the original concept of the Buddha’s recommendation to use muttam (urine) as medicine? That is what I intend to clarify in this article by refering to four of the oldest Buddhist scriptures: 1.) The Vinaya-Pitaka, the ancient collection of Buddhist monastic rules. 2.) The Sutta Pitaka, the ancient collection of the Buddha’s discourses. 3.) The so-called ‘Commentary’ and ‘Sub-commentary’, texts written by bhikkhus(Buddhist monks) in the centuries following the Buddha’s death to clarify the meaning of the texts found in the two collections first mentioned.
In an English translation of the Mahakkhandhaka (a text in Mahavagga found in the Vinaya-Pitaka) the Buddha says:
"The religious life has decomposing urine as medicine for its resource. Thus you must endeavor to live all your life. Ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses are extra allowances. "
An alternative translation says;
"Going forth [into the Holy Life] has fermented urine as its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavor at that. The extra allowances are; Ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, sugar. "
There are four such necessary supports/resources listed in the Vinaya Pitaka. In Pali, the language of the oldest Buddhist texts, they are called "the Four Requisites", considered to be an absolute minimum for the bhikkhusto be able to live the Holy Life in line with the Buddha’s teaching. The above mentioned item, fermented urine, is the fourth of these resources. All the four must be taught to the newly ordained bhikkhu in the ordination hall immediately after his higher ordination ceremony. It’s the responsibility of the preceptor to make sure that all young bhikkhus knows them according to the following prescription of the Buddha.
"I prescribe, O bhikkhus, that he who confers the higher ordination (on a bhikkhu), tells him the four resources."
These are all the four resources listed in the Vinaya-Pitaka:
1. Robes: robes made of rags taken from a dust heap as a resource
2. Alms food: morsels of food given in alms as a resource
3. Dwellings: a dwelling at the foot of a tree as a resource
4. Medicines: decomposing urine as medicine as a resource
These four requisites/resources the Buddha described as being indispensable or the bare minimum. Accordingly a Buddhist monk must endeavor to live all his bhikkhu life dependent only on them. He who is contented and satisfied with whatever comes across along with these bare minimums is always phrased in the community, as well as in the Commentary, as having contentment with whatever four requisites he has. Whatever extra things he comes across beyond these four items is just a result of his past good deeds, but they are usually also allowed for the bhikkhus. As the founder of the Order, and therefore its first bhikkhu, the Buddha assured all the bhikkhus that the prescribed bare minimums are quite abundant. Besides, they were, at that time, free to find wherever a bhikkhu would go.
In the Vinaya Pitaka, the books of monastic discipline, this medicine (urine) is mentioned in several places. At one occasion, for example, the Buddha recommend the yellow Myrobalan fruits pickled in urine for a monk who was sick with jaundice (probably anaemia) to be taken orally:
"O, monks! I allow that urine and yellow Myrobalan be drunk."
At another occasion the Buddha included urine as an ingredient in a mixture to be used as an antidote for poisonous snake bites. The other ingredients are excrement, soil and hot ash. This quote is from the Vinaya Pitaka:
"For snake bite a medicine may be made of the four great filthy things: excrement, urine, ash and clay. If there is someone present to make these things allowable, one should have him/her make them allowable. If not, one may take them for oneself and consume them."
The Commentary adds that this medicine is not only for snake bites but also for any other poisonous animal bite.
Now, let’s have a look at the second ancient collection of Buddhist texts, the Sutta Pitaka. According to the Ariyavaüsa Sutta in Anguttara Nikaya the Buddha phrases four requisites of noble clans (or lineages of traditions) in nine terms:
"Bhikkhus, these four [requisites] belong to the noble clan, were recognized by those gone by, were honored from the past, recognized by the clan, was not confusing in the past and will not confuse in the future and are not blamed by recluses, brahmins and the wise. What four?"
The following four items are then listed:
1. Robes
2. Alms foods,
3. Dwellings and
4 . (delight in development of) Meditation.
In the two different lists so far mentioned the first one (quoted from the Vinaya Pitaka) says that the four requisites for a monk are 1. robes, 2. alms foods, 3. dwellings and 3. medicines. In the second list (which is quoted from the Sutta Pitaka) the first three are identical to the first list while the forth item in the first list, medicines, has been replaced by (delight in development of) meditation.
The Commentary to the Ariyavaüsa Sutta says that even though the list, as it appeares in the Sutta Pitaka, drops the forth item given in the Vinaya Pitaka (medicines) that item should be included in the second item of the Sutta (alms food). Furthermore, confirming the same idea, the forth item, (delight in development of) meditation, is specified as "contentment with whatever four requisites comes" in the same Commentary. It says:
"Among these four belonging to the Noble clan the first three items, inclusive of thirteen austerities, are elaborated in the Vinaya pitaka while the item of (delight in development of) meditation is elaborated in the rest of the two baskets (pitakas or collections of Buddhist texts)."
To summarize, in the Sutta Pitaka you find only the first three of these four requisites, with no urine or medicines mentioned, but the Commentary says that the forth should be included in the list, in the alms food so that all should be in completion to make delight in development of meditation possible.
Hence decomposing urine as medicine can claim for all the above mentioned attributes, that is: urine was "recognized as a medicine by those gone by, those honored from the past; that it was recognized by the clan; it was not confusing in the past and it will not confuse in the future; and it’s not blamed by recluses, Brahmins and the wise."
I would like to quote another translation of the same Sutta which goes as follows:
"O monks, these four noble lineages pristine [including decomposing urine as medicine], of long standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated and never before adulterated, which are not being adulterated and which will not be adulterated, not despised by wise ascetics and Brahmins."
The authors of this translation added a footnote saying that in ancient Sri Lanka this was a very popular Buddhist discourse among people of all walks of life and that it became the inspiration for an annual festival. In traditional Sinhalese translations, as in Burmese and Thai ones, the medicine mentioned in the text has been taken to be cow’s urine or, more specifically, Myrobalan fruits pickledin cow’s urine. Owing to this translation some of the attributions of this medicine mentioned by the Buddha doesn’t appeared to be very convincing or practical since it would sometimes be hard for a bhikkhu to find both the Myrobalan fruit and cow’s urine. However, in recent English translations we get some new practical sense to this medicine.
Let me add here that it’s not only in Buddhism that we find urine as a medicine but also in other denominations such as Christianity (in The Holy Bible), Hinduism (in Damar Tantra) and, some claims, in Islam too (in The Holy Koran). These traditions, however, have a somewhat different interpretation than the Buddhist texts on how to use the medicine.
I can think of two reasons for why the usage of urine as medicine resurfaced again contemporaneously in many traditions in our time. The first is the increasing number of complications in the prevailing allopathic or chemotherapeutic treatments of diseases which has made an increasing number of people interested in alternative medicines. The second is the general trend of searching for more holistic health systems, even ancient ones based on different religious lines. Whatever the reasons may be the urine-method has its own intriguing nature and might, I believe, still find a growing group of followers.
A closer look at this therapy, under the current trend, irrespective of creed, one finds a vast number of convincing testimonies and subjective evidences on the benefits of the medicine. Buddhism can contribute in its own way with its canonical and historical references on this subject – provided that its ideas are presented in correct translations! So far we’ve traced some quotations from the Vinaya Pitaka with relevant information prescribed to bhikkhus. However, I think that the commentarial text has interfered in a questionable and imperfect manner. In the traditional Buddhist countries, such as Sri Lanka, Burma or Thailand, no efforts have been made in resent history to get a clear idea of how the medicine was intended to be used, or how it was used at the time of the Buddha.
The increasing amount of literature on the subject, with testimonies and evidences from the other sources, made me think twice and urged me to renew the way I read the quoted passages in the Buddhist canonical sources. I went back to the original scriptures, untouched by the prevalent traditional translations. When investigating the Sutta Pitaka with this inquisitive pragmatic approach I came across the following quotation in the Majjima Nikaya (the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha), Sutta number 46 called Dhamma Samadana Sutta:
"Bhikkhu, a man would come along suffering from jaundice and he is told: ‘Friend, there is a drink made out of putrid urine, with various kinds of medicines put in it. If you desire – drink.’ When drinking it would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste but drinking it you will get over your illness. He reflects about it and drinks it. It would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste, yet he would get over that illness. I say this observance of the Teaching is comparable to this, as it is now unpleasant and brings pleasant results in the future."
The Commentary to this Sutta says:
"[The Pali word] Putimuttan means just ‘urine’. So it’s said, that even if a person is golden in color his body is described as repulsive in the scriptures. Even? born the very same day the vine called Galocilata is also called Patilata (literary: repulsive creeper). Even so, extracted in that very moment, the young (or fresh) urine is called just puti (usually translated as ‘putrid’ or ‘fermented’)."
The Sub-commentary continues to explain:
"[The Pali word] Putimuttan means urine which is repulsive in nature. Tarunan means fresh or young; as it flows out it is warm?. From that urine the early part of the flow is meant here. The urine flowing out from the genital? remains warm due to the body temperature."
These details indicate that the prevailing translations of the Vinaya Pitaka might be incorrect. The Commentary and Sub-commentary leads us to a more practical and pragmatic end, supported by the direct translation of the Dhamma Samadana Sutta. Yet they’re often interpreted as meaning only putrid urine from a cow.
Just by consulting the relevant Commentary and its Sub-commentary all doubts regarding the real meaning can be cleared out. They state that urine – to be specific: one’s own urine – would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste and accordingly has puti as an adjectival prefix. It is puti not because it is rotten or fermented but because its intrinsic nature is repulsive to the senses. If the common translations are changed in line with this interpretation the basic idea of using urine as a medicine becomes more palatable and, not to diminish, quite agreeable with the current research and literature on the subject.
It’s also interesting to note that the medicine mentioned in the Dhamma Samadana Sutta (one’s own urine mixed up with other herbal medicine) is recommended to any individual who’s suffering from jaundice rather than to a just to the bhikkhus as is otherwise the case in the Vinaya Pitaka. This tells that the medicine was not seen as just a ‘last choice’ but as a truly effective remedy.
Conclusive remarks
In the light of this information we should look again at the very first quotation in this essay. The main theme so far is that repulsive urine as medicine, which is the last of the four requisites for bhikkhus, is considered to be the absolute minimum of medicine that a bhikkhu will need through out his life.
The Pali term Putimuttabhesajja is a compounded term made out of at least three pali roots; puti, muttaand bhesajja. As we’ve already seen this word has been translated as:
1.) Decomposing urine as medicine. Or as: 2.) Fermented urine as support.
The word puti literally means either decomposing or fermented, sometimes translated as rancid or putrefied. Muttam means urine, sometimes translated as cows’ urine, and occasionally as ammonia. Bhesajjammeans medicine.
In the Vinaya Pitaka, whether with the consultation of its Commentary or not, there is little chance to find out what kind of urine is meant because neither the Vinaya nor its Commentary adds any further light on the subject. In the Sutta Pitaka, on the other hand, especially in MN. Sutta No 46 and its relevant Commentary and Sub-commentary, there’s enough evidence to suggest a more pragmatic meaning than that commonly accepted today. "It would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste" suggests that the adjective putidoes not mean any decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction but that urine is naturally disagreeable to sight, smell or taste – a statement most people would agree with. The original recommendation may not have meant any decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction at all, as the translators’ has interpreted it so far. Nor do the scriptures in any way indicate that it was cow’s urine that the Buddha originally referred to.
The Sub-commentary says: "As urine pass out from the genital it is warm due to the body heat". There is not a word or clue justifying the assumption that cows’ urine is meant.
The interpretation I prefer, on the other hand, is quite in line with the Commentary and the Sub-commentary to the above mentioned Sutta and with the contemporary idea of using one’s own urine. Hence the translation to the first quotations could be rectified as follows:
"The religious life has your own (repulsive) urine as medicine for its resource. Thus you must endeavor to live all your life. Ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses are extra allowances."
Or: "Going forth [into the Holy Life] has your own (repulsive) urine as its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavor at that. The extra allowances are; Ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, sugar."
Likewise, all other quotations could be corrected accordingly. This should give a radical new approach to the prescription given by the Buddha. It certainly does give a new hope for a healthier lifestyle – not only for the bhikkhus but for all who seek to live a more independent kind of life.
By Bhikkhu U. Dhammajiva
Edited by: Swedish novice Dhammasami (Samuel Nordius)
"Glad at heart, I pay homage to the supreme sage- the giver of blissful peace, the grate ocean of virtue, the physician for the samsaric ills of beings, the sun that dispel the pitchy darkness of false views!" – Lo-wáda Sangarava, 15th century Sinhalese poem
In Burmese meditation-centers, as in monasteries in most Theravada-Buddhist countries, you often find a peculiar kind of medicine: Yellow Myrobalan nuts (in Pali: Hritaki, in Latin: Terminalia Chebula) pickled in cow’s urine. The Burmese people calls it Pheya-se, ‘The Buddha Medicine’, since it’s based on a recipe found in the oldest Buddhist texts, the Pali Tipitaka. It’s considered to be a panacea for many diseases. But does it really follow the original concept of the Buddha’s recommendation to use muttam (urine) as medicine? That is what I intend to clarify in this article by refering to four of the oldest Buddhist scriptures: 1.) The Vinaya-Pitaka, the ancient collection of Buddhist monastic rules. 2.) The Sutta Pitaka, the ancient collection of the Buddha’s discourses. 3.) The so-called ‘Commentary’ and ‘Sub-commentary’, texts written by bhikkhus(Buddhist monks) in the centuries following the Buddha’s death to clarify the meaning of the texts found in the two collections first mentioned.
In an English translation of the Mahakkhandhaka (a text in Mahavagga found in the Vinaya-Pitaka) the Buddha says:
"The religious life has decomposing urine as medicine for its resource. Thus you must endeavor to live all your life. Ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses are extra allowances. "
An alternative translation says;
"Going forth [into the Holy Life] has fermented urine as its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavor at that. The extra allowances are; Ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, sugar. "
There are four such necessary supports/resources listed in the Vinaya Pitaka. In Pali, the language of the oldest Buddhist texts, they are called "the Four Requisites", considered to be an absolute minimum for the bhikkhusto be able to live the Holy Life in line with the Buddha’s teaching. The above mentioned item, fermented urine, is the fourth of these resources. All the four must be taught to the newly ordained bhikkhu in the ordination hall immediately after his higher ordination ceremony. It’s the responsibility of the preceptor to make sure that all young bhikkhus knows them according to the following prescription of the Buddha.
"I prescribe, O bhikkhus, that he who confers the higher ordination (on a bhikkhu), tells him the four resources."
These are all the four resources listed in the Vinaya-Pitaka:
1. Robes: robes made of rags taken from a dust heap as a resource
2. Alms food: morsels of food given in alms as a resource
3. Dwellings: a dwelling at the foot of a tree as a resource
4. Medicines: decomposing urine as medicine as a resource
These four requisites/resources the Buddha described as being indispensable or the bare minimum. Accordingly a Buddhist monk must endeavor to live all his bhikkhu life dependent only on them. He who is contented and satisfied with whatever comes across along with these bare minimums is always phrased in the community, as well as in the Commentary, as having contentment with whatever four requisites he has. Whatever extra things he comes across beyond these four items is just a result of his past good deeds, but they are usually also allowed for the bhikkhus. As the founder of the Order, and therefore its first bhikkhu, the Buddha assured all the bhikkhus that the prescribed bare minimums are quite abundant. Besides, they were, at that time, free to find wherever a bhikkhu would go.
In the Vinaya Pitaka, the books of monastic discipline, this medicine (urine) is mentioned in several places. At one occasion, for example, the Buddha recommend the yellow Myrobalan fruits pickled in urine for a monk who was sick with jaundice (probably anaemia) to be taken orally:
"O, monks! I allow that urine and yellow Myrobalan be drunk."
At another occasion the Buddha included urine as an ingredient in a mixture to be used as an antidote for poisonous snake bites. The other ingredients are excrement, soil and hot ash. This quote is from the Vinaya Pitaka:
"For snake bite a medicine may be made of the four great filthy things: excrement, urine, ash and clay. If there is someone present to make these things allowable, one should have him/her make them allowable. If not, one may take them for oneself and consume them."
The Commentary adds that this medicine is not only for snake bites but also for any other poisonous animal bite.
Now, let’s have a look at the second ancient collection of Buddhist texts, the Sutta Pitaka. According to the Ariyavaüsa Sutta in Anguttara Nikaya the Buddha phrases four requisites of noble clans (or lineages of traditions) in nine terms:
"Bhikkhus, these four [requisites] belong to the noble clan, were recognized by those gone by, were honored from the past, recognized by the clan, was not confusing in the past and will not confuse in the future and are not blamed by recluses, brahmins and the wise. What four?"
The following four items are then listed:
1. Robes
2. Alms foods,
3. Dwellings and
4 . (delight in development of) Meditation.
In the two different lists so far mentioned the first one (quoted from the Vinaya Pitaka) says that the four requisites for a monk are 1. robes, 2. alms foods, 3. dwellings and 3. medicines. In the second list (which is quoted from the Sutta Pitaka) the first three are identical to the first list while the forth item in the first list, medicines, has been replaced by (delight in development of) meditation.
The Commentary to the Ariyavaüsa Sutta says that even though the list, as it appeares in the Sutta Pitaka, drops the forth item given in the Vinaya Pitaka (medicines) that item should be included in the second item of the Sutta (alms food). Furthermore, confirming the same idea, the forth item, (delight in development of) meditation, is specified as "contentment with whatever four requisites comes" in the same Commentary. It says:
"Among these four belonging to the Noble clan the first three items, inclusive of thirteen austerities, are elaborated in the Vinaya pitaka while the item of (delight in development of) meditation is elaborated in the rest of the two baskets (pitakas or collections of Buddhist texts)."
To summarize, in the Sutta Pitaka you find only the first three of these four requisites, with no urine or medicines mentioned, but the Commentary says that the forth should be included in the list, in the alms food so that all should be in completion to make delight in development of meditation possible.
Hence decomposing urine as medicine can claim for all the above mentioned attributes, that is: urine was "recognized as a medicine by those gone by, those honored from the past; that it was recognized by the clan; it was not confusing in the past and it will not confuse in the future; and it’s not blamed by recluses, Brahmins and the wise."
I would like to quote another translation of the same Sutta which goes as follows:
"O monks, these four noble lineages pristine [including decomposing urine as medicine], of long standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated and never before adulterated, which are not being adulterated and which will not be adulterated, not despised by wise ascetics and Brahmins."
The authors of this translation added a footnote saying that in ancient Sri Lanka this was a very popular Buddhist discourse among people of all walks of life and that it became the inspiration for an annual festival. In traditional Sinhalese translations, as in Burmese and Thai ones, the medicine mentioned in the text has been taken to be cow’s urine or, more specifically, Myrobalan fruits pickledin cow’s urine. Owing to this translation some of the attributions of this medicine mentioned by the Buddha doesn’t appeared to be very convincing or practical since it would sometimes be hard for a bhikkhu to find both the Myrobalan fruit and cow’s urine. However, in recent English translations we get some new practical sense to this medicine.
Let me add here that it’s not only in Buddhism that we find urine as a medicine but also in other denominations such as Christianity (in The Holy Bible), Hinduism (in Damar Tantra) and, some claims, in Islam too (in The Holy Koran). These traditions, however, have a somewhat different interpretation than the Buddhist texts on how to use the medicine.
I can think of two reasons for why the usage of urine as medicine resurfaced again contemporaneously in many traditions in our time. The first is the increasing number of complications in the prevailing allopathic or chemotherapeutic treatments of diseases which has made an increasing number of people interested in alternative medicines. The second is the general trend of searching for more holistic health systems, even ancient ones based on different religious lines. Whatever the reasons may be the urine-method has its own intriguing nature and might, I believe, still find a growing group of followers.
A closer look at this therapy, under the current trend, irrespective of creed, one finds a vast number of convincing testimonies and subjective evidences on the benefits of the medicine. Buddhism can contribute in its own way with its canonical and historical references on this subject – provided that its ideas are presented in correct translations! So far we’ve traced some quotations from the Vinaya Pitaka with relevant information prescribed to bhikkhus. However, I think that the commentarial text has interfered in a questionable and imperfect manner. In the traditional Buddhist countries, such as Sri Lanka, Burma or Thailand, no efforts have been made in resent history to get a clear idea of how the medicine was intended to be used, or how it was used at the time of the Buddha.
The increasing amount of literature on the subject, with testimonies and evidences from the other sources, made me think twice and urged me to renew the way I read the quoted passages in the Buddhist canonical sources. I went back to the original scriptures, untouched by the prevalent traditional translations. When investigating the Sutta Pitaka with this inquisitive pragmatic approach I came across the following quotation in the Majjima Nikaya (the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha), Sutta number 46 called Dhamma Samadana Sutta:
"Bhikkhu, a man would come along suffering from jaundice and he is told: ‘Friend, there is a drink made out of putrid urine, with various kinds of medicines put in it. If you desire – drink.’ When drinking it would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste but drinking it you will get over your illness. He reflects about it and drinks it. It would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste, yet he would get over that illness. I say this observance of the Teaching is comparable to this, as it is now unpleasant and brings pleasant results in the future."
The Commentary to this Sutta says:
"[The Pali word] Putimuttan means just ‘urine’. So it’s said, that even if a person is golden in color his body is described as repulsive in the scriptures. Even? born the very same day the vine called Galocilata is also called Patilata (literary: repulsive creeper). Even so, extracted in that very moment, the young (or fresh) urine is called just puti (usually translated as ‘putrid’ or ‘fermented’)."
The Sub-commentary continues to explain:
"[The Pali word] Putimuttan means urine which is repulsive in nature. Tarunan means fresh or young; as it flows out it is warm?. From that urine the early part of the flow is meant here. The urine flowing out from the genital? remains warm due to the body temperature."
These details indicate that the prevailing translations of the Vinaya Pitaka might be incorrect. The Commentary and Sub-commentary leads us to a more practical and pragmatic end, supported by the direct translation of the Dhamma Samadana Sutta. Yet they’re often interpreted as meaning only putrid urine from a cow.
Just by consulting the relevant Commentary and its Sub-commentary all doubts regarding the real meaning can be cleared out. They state that urine – to be specific: one’s own urine – would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste and accordingly has puti as an adjectival prefix. It is puti not because it is rotten or fermented but because its intrinsic nature is repulsive to the senses. If the common translations are changed in line with this interpretation the basic idea of using urine as a medicine becomes more palatable and, not to diminish, quite agreeable with the current research and literature on the subject.
It’s also interesting to note that the medicine mentioned in the Dhamma Samadana Sutta (one’s own urine mixed up with other herbal medicine) is recommended to any individual who’s suffering from jaundice rather than to a just to the bhikkhus as is otherwise the case in the Vinaya Pitaka. This tells that the medicine was not seen as just a ‘last choice’ but as a truly effective remedy.
Conclusive remarks
In the light of this information we should look again at the very first quotation in this essay. The main theme so far is that repulsive urine as medicine, which is the last of the four requisites for bhikkhus, is considered to be the absolute minimum of medicine that a bhikkhu will need through out his life.
The Pali term Putimuttabhesajja is a compounded term made out of at least three pali roots; puti, muttaand bhesajja. As we’ve already seen this word has been translated as:
1.) Decomposing urine as medicine. Or as: 2.) Fermented urine as support.
The word puti literally means either decomposing or fermented, sometimes translated as rancid or putrefied. Muttam means urine, sometimes translated as cows’ urine, and occasionally as ammonia. Bhesajjammeans medicine.
In the Vinaya Pitaka, whether with the consultation of its Commentary or not, there is little chance to find out what kind of urine is meant because neither the Vinaya nor its Commentary adds any further light on the subject. In the Sutta Pitaka, on the other hand, especially in MN. Sutta No 46 and its relevant Commentary and Sub-commentary, there’s enough evidence to suggest a more pragmatic meaning than that commonly accepted today. "It would not be agreeable to sight, smell or taste" suggests that the adjective putidoes not mean any decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction but that urine is naturally disagreeable to sight, smell or taste – a statement most people would agree with. The original recommendation may not have meant any decomposition, fermentation or putrefaction at all, as the translators’ has interpreted it so far. Nor do the scriptures in any way indicate that it was cow’s urine that the Buddha originally referred to.
The Sub-commentary says: "As urine pass out from the genital it is warm due to the body heat". There is not a word or clue justifying the assumption that cows’ urine is meant.
The interpretation I prefer, on the other hand, is quite in line with the Commentary and the Sub-commentary to the above mentioned Sutta and with the contemporary idea of using one’s own urine. Hence the translation to the first quotations could be rectified as follows:
"The religious life has your own (repulsive) urine as medicine for its resource. Thus you must endeavor to live all your life. Ghee, butter, oil, honey, and molasses are extra allowances."
Or: "Going forth [into the Holy Life] has your own (repulsive) urine as its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavor at that. The extra allowances are; Ghee, fresh butter, oil, honey, sugar."
Likewise, all other quotations could be corrected accordingly. This should give a radical new approach to the prescription given by the Buddha. It certainly does give a new hope for a healthier lifestyle – not only for the bhikkhus but for all who seek to live a more independent kind of life.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Sai on Diabetes
INTERVIEW WITH SAI ON HEALTH
February 18, 1999 (Thursday) 7:00-8:30 A.M.
Swami: (Looking at N.R.) "What is the treatment for Diabetes?"
N.R.: First diet, then exercise, next pills, and Insulin last, Swami.
Swami: Insulin is not good. It can lower blood sugar very quickly. Then the patient can get sweating and decreased BP and can go even into coma. It is best to avoid Insulin. Tablets are OK.
Swami: What is the cause of Diabetes?
N.R.: Pancreas is the problem, Swami.
Swami: Pancreas is not the real problem. It is mainly wrong diet and lack of exercise. People in South India eat excess rice. People in North India eat excess wheat (chapathis). Both rice and wheat can increase blood sugar very quickly within half an hour after eating. That is why people in South India should eat less rice and people in North, less wheat. Because people in South do not like wheat much, they should eat chapathis. That way,they dont overeat rice. Similarly, people in North should eat rice. That way they do not overeat, because they don't like rice that much.
On the other hand, if you eat corn or ragi (a type of grain grown in South India), blood sugar will rise slowly over 2 to 3 hours. That is healthy. Body can manage such slow increase very well. For those who eat grains like corn or ragi, Diabetes is not a problem.
People should not eat as their tongue dictates. There are 48,000 taste buds in the tongue. Improperly used, they can cause sugar craving and lead to Diabetes. Senses have to be controlled for good health. Similarly, eyes are to be used properly for the health of the body and mind. Sunlight illumines the different cells of the retina of the eye. If the eyes are not controlled to see only good things, they can create craving to see bad things, which in turn brings bad health. So, senses have to be regulated properly for good health. There is some genetic cause also for Diabetes.
N.R.: Yes, Swami. Latest research also is confirming this. Is there anything that Swami doesnt know!
Swami: How is your mother ?
N.R.: Her Diabetes is better, but she has Arthritis.
Swami: What is her blood sugar ?
N.R.: She checks it herself, Swami.
Swami: You are the doctor and you dont even check your own mother! These doctors nowadays dont treat Diabetes properly. Best thing is diet control and exercise. For Diabetes, green leafy vegetables are good except cauliflower. Cabbage is good. All fruits with black seeds like apples, pears, grapes, watermelon etc. are good except custard apple (as it has too much sugar). Papaya is very good. All roots, especially potatoes, have to be avoided.
Swami: (Looking at Gadhias son) "What are you doing?"
Gadhias son: Research for new medicines for treatment of Diabetes, Swami.
Swami: Best thing is diet and exercise.
Swami: (Looking at Dr. Ravi) "What is the cause of heart disease?"
Ravi: Increased cholesterol, increased blood pressure...
Swami: No, it is "hurry, worry, curry". Too much hurry causes worry and stress - not good for heart! See Swami, no health problem! Avoid too much oil in the foods (curry). Eating garlic every day can reduce cholesterol. Almonds without peel can also reduce cholesterol. Soak them in water overnight, remove the peel, and eat in early morning.
Venkat: Isnt garlic rajasic food, Swami? Is it not bad for spirituality?
Swami: Body health first; these gunas (qualities) and spiritual health come next. Without healthy body, you cannot proceed on spiritual path.
One Devotee: How to control blood pressure, Swami?
Swami: Reduce salt. Less salt, less BP; more salt, more BP. If your BP is already low, you can add some salt to your diet to bring it to normal level.
Venkat: Nowadays, there is a new disease frequently diagnosed as
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Patients complain that they dont have any energy to do anything. What is the cause, Swami?
Swami: It is not a disease of "no energy". It is low energy. Nobody can live with no energy.
Venkat: Is there any cause like bacteria or virus?
Swami: No cause like that. It is low energy because these people
waste a lot of energy through bad and polluted thoughts, improper and indiscriminate use of senses. Thus, their energy is drained out and they feel chronic fatigue. If they can replace their polluted thoughts with good thoughts and divert their senses towards the Divine, thus, thinking good, seeing good, hearing good, and doing good, they can recover the lost energy and can get well.
* * * OM TATH SATH * * *
February 18, 1999 (Thursday) 7:00-8:30 A.M.
Swami: (Looking at N.R.) "What is the treatment for Diabetes?"
N.R.: First diet, then exercise, next pills, and Insulin last, Swami.
Swami: Insulin is not good. It can lower blood sugar very quickly. Then the patient can get sweating and decreased BP and can go even into coma. It is best to avoid Insulin. Tablets are OK.
Swami: What is the cause of Diabetes?
N.R.: Pancreas is the problem, Swami.
Swami: Pancreas is not the real problem. It is mainly wrong diet and lack of exercise. People in South India eat excess rice. People in North India eat excess wheat (chapathis). Both rice and wheat can increase blood sugar very quickly within half an hour after eating. That is why people in South India should eat less rice and people in North, less wheat. Because people in South do not like wheat much, they should eat chapathis. That way,they dont overeat rice. Similarly, people in North should eat rice. That way they do not overeat, because they don't like rice that much.
On the other hand, if you eat corn or ragi (a type of grain grown in South India), blood sugar will rise slowly over 2 to 3 hours. That is healthy. Body can manage such slow increase very well. For those who eat grains like corn or ragi, Diabetes is not a problem.
People should not eat as their tongue dictates. There are 48,000 taste buds in the tongue. Improperly used, they can cause sugar craving and lead to Diabetes. Senses have to be controlled for good health. Similarly, eyes are to be used properly for the health of the body and mind. Sunlight illumines the different cells of the retina of the eye. If the eyes are not controlled to see only good things, they can create craving to see bad things, which in turn brings bad health. So, senses have to be regulated properly for good health. There is some genetic cause also for Diabetes.
N.R.: Yes, Swami. Latest research also is confirming this. Is there anything that Swami doesnt know!
Swami: How is your mother ?
N.R.: Her Diabetes is better, but she has Arthritis.
Swami: What is her blood sugar ?
N.R.: She checks it herself, Swami.
Swami: You are the doctor and you dont even check your own mother! These doctors nowadays dont treat Diabetes properly. Best thing is diet control and exercise. For Diabetes, green leafy vegetables are good except cauliflower. Cabbage is good. All fruits with black seeds like apples, pears, grapes, watermelon etc. are good except custard apple (as it has too much sugar). Papaya is very good. All roots, especially potatoes, have to be avoided.
Swami: (Looking at Gadhias son) "What are you doing?"
Gadhias son: Research for new medicines for treatment of Diabetes, Swami.
Swami: Best thing is diet and exercise.
Swami: (Looking at Dr. Ravi) "What is the cause of heart disease?"
Ravi: Increased cholesterol, increased blood pressure...
Swami: No, it is "hurry, worry, curry". Too much hurry causes worry and stress - not good for heart! See Swami, no health problem! Avoid too much oil in the foods (curry). Eating garlic every day can reduce cholesterol. Almonds without peel can also reduce cholesterol. Soak them in water overnight, remove the peel, and eat in early morning.
Venkat: Isnt garlic rajasic food, Swami? Is it not bad for spirituality?
Swami: Body health first; these gunas (qualities) and spiritual health come next. Without healthy body, you cannot proceed on spiritual path.
One Devotee: How to control blood pressure, Swami?
Swami: Reduce salt. Less salt, less BP; more salt, more BP. If your BP is already low, you can add some salt to your diet to bring it to normal level.
Venkat: Nowadays, there is a new disease frequently diagnosed as
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Patients complain that they dont have any energy to do anything. What is the cause, Swami?
Swami: It is not a disease of "no energy". It is low energy. Nobody can live with no energy.
Venkat: Is there any cause like bacteria or virus?
Swami: No cause like that. It is low energy because these people
waste a lot of energy through bad and polluted thoughts, improper and indiscriminate use of senses. Thus, their energy is drained out and they feel chronic fatigue. If they can replace their polluted thoughts with good thoughts and divert their senses towards the Divine, thus, thinking good, seeing good, hearing good, and doing good, they can recover the lost energy and can get well.
* * * OM TATH SATH * * *
Love your arteries, eat your vegetables
If you love your arteries, eat your vegetables. So say researchers who found that mice fed a vegetable-rich diet cut their risk for atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries -- by 38 percent. "There is some epidemiological evidence that people who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, probably more than five servings a day, have a lower risk of coronary heart disease than people who don't," added led researcher Michael Adams, a professor of pathology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C. However, "there are a lot of problems with epidemiological [population-based] studies, a lot of factors that can't be controlled for," he said. For instance, "those who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are healthier in other ways," such as exercising more, he said, reports Forbes.
Researchers looked at the effects of a 30-percent vegetable diet compared to a non-vegetable diet in a group of mice bred to quickly develop atherosclerosis, the formation of plague on blood vessel walls that causes decreased blow flow. "Although the pathways involved remain uncertain, the results indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of hardening of the arteries and may reduce the risk of heart disease," said head researcher Michael Adams, D.V.M. Data also revealed the mice on the vegetable diet had a 37-percent decrease in an indicator of inflammation, which is connected to atherosclerosis development.
Adams noted, "While everyone knows that eating more vegetables is supposed to be good for you, no one had shown before that it can actually inhibit the development of atherosclerosis." He added, "This suggests how a diet high in vegetables may help prevent heart attacks and strokes," informs Ivan hoe.
Researchers looked at the effects of a 30-percent vegetable diet compared to a non-vegetable diet in a group of mice bred to quickly develop atherosclerosis, the formation of plague on blood vessel walls that causes decreased blow flow. "Although the pathways involved remain uncertain, the results indicate that a diet rich in green and yellow vegetables inhibits the development of hardening of the arteries and may reduce the risk of heart disease," said head researcher Michael Adams, D.V.M. Data also revealed the mice on the vegetable diet had a 37-percent decrease in an indicator of inflammation, which is connected to atherosclerosis development.
Adams noted, "While everyone knows that eating more vegetables is supposed to be good for you, no one had shown before that it can actually inhibit the development of atherosclerosis." He added, "This suggests how a diet high in vegetables may help prevent heart attacks and strokes," informs Ivan hoe.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Sai Baba on food n health
Sai Baba has often spoken about the effect of food on our health. He has referred to it mostly in a general way, telling us to eat Sathwic foods that are fresh and pure, and that are not too spicy or tasty.
He once said: "The Gita(the Indian religious scripture) defines the nature and tastes of the three types of food eaten by man. The food that promotes love, virtue, strength, happines and cordiality is Sathwic; that which influences, arouses, intoxicates and heightens hunger and thirst is Rajasic; the food that depresses, disrupts and causes disease is Thamasic."
On the 8th of October 1983, Baba gave a discourse in which he was much more specific as to what types of food are injurious to our health. The following excerpt from this discourse are taken from the Sathya Sai Newsletter of Arizona, USA, with their kind permission.
"In this world of ours, man is given to experience wealth beyond description. But, out of all the possible types of wealth, it is one's health which is found to be the most valuable possession. In fact it is said that 'Health is wealth.' Without good health , one cannot succeed in even the smallest of ventures. One can have immense wealth and power, but without health these are of no consequence; only with health can one use wealth and authority for some good purpose. But it is a mistake to feel that one's health confers lasting happiness. For what is the purpose of worldly existence? That you might reach something beyond. Unless you have that distant goal set before you, this worldly existence is meaningless. So why do you need to safeguard your health? Not for your worldly existence, but for the sake of experiencing the Atmananda (bliss of realization of the divinity within). And in order to protect your health, you must follow a certain code of conduct."
"Now, in this creation, the different types of life forms have been classified into 8,400,000 species. Out of these 8,400,000 species 8,399,999 types tend to eat food which is not cooked. They eat instead food which is natural and available in their environment. This food which is available to them in nature, does not seem to change them. So you find that these 8,399,999 species of life forms are enjoying peak health. Of course, it does happen that, because of climatic variations and factors which are beyond our control, some of these life forms do also come to grief. But it is man alone who is subject to the most health related trouble. Any number of human diseases are on the increase. The reason is that man does not like to partake of food as God created it. He is the victim of his tongue, which wants to be satisfied in terms of taste, and so his own likes and dislikes come in the way of what he should eat. Man seeks to change the foods available in nature to suit his tastes, thereby putting an end to the very essence of life contained in them. Because he is exterminating the life-giving forces in the food available to him, he is increasingly subjecting himself to disease. So it follows, again, that if man were to eat foods in their natural state, he certainly would not be so subject to disease."
"Now, it is common knowledge that each body, each system, has the governing factors. All these factors should be present in a proper way - anything less or more is bound to put you into disorder. If you want to know the cause of headaches, it is not the head that is at fault. It is the stomach! This is so regarding all the different organs: the stomach is the key point. The stomach digest whatever is given to it and supplies the essence of it to all the organs. This power of digestion given to the stomach is a God given thing. In fact God resides in a Being as this digestive force, which is what governs all the life processes in the body. In order to revere this aspect of God, what is it that you should offer? This God should be given that which is His own creation, not what is made by man. So, if you give to your stomach whatever is available in the natural state, as given to you by God, everything will be fine."
"We tend to eat too much, which leads us to mental disturbance. A limit should be placed on the food that we take. If that limit is exceeded, we are bound to suffer. Food is a necessity, but it should be in the quantity required for sustenance of the body. Exceed that limit, and disorders come your way. Take for instance the heart, which has a certain capacity to pump blood to the rest of the body. It cannot exceed this optimum point. The body requires a certain horsepower for this heart, and that is what God has given it. So, when you build your body beyond the limits of the hearts capabilities, the heart can't function. That is why there is an increase in heart disease."
"The main idea behind all this is that you should limit the amount of food you take. Whatever the food type, if you eat it in moderation all will be well. Food in excess leads to mental disturbance, but food in limited amounts will give you happiness. Eat so that your hunger may be satiated and your body sustained, and not so that your body is enlarged. Every opportunity is available to us, if we only take care of our food habits. Perhaps certain circumstances beyond your control could lead you to distress, but otherwise there is no reason for you to be subjected to disease. If you wish to live longer, to be of service to society, to experience divinity for longer, then keep your food under check."
"In addition, the types of food that you eat should be nutritious. In this world of today, you eat that which has absolutely no innate power to sustain you. For the upkeep of the body you need protein and vitamins of every kind. One vitamin gives you good eyesight; one purifies the blood; a third strengthens the bones. And for all these, proteins are vital. In fact, protein means 'that which protects you'. And food which is not cooked contains the largest amount of protein. Take for instance, the different types of legumes, like mung and dhal. Even foreigners tend to use these - for example, the soybean. Here, the protein content is great. Now, the way to eat peas, beans or lentils, is to soak them in water and let them sprout. In this way they come to you in all their richness. But,because we are victims of our tongue, tastes, whims and fancies, what do we do? Boil them, and further change them by adding oil and various other ingredients. In the process, we deprive them of their basic contents, and deprive ourselves of what they can give us."
"For another example, take fruits which have nothing but vitamins,and vegetables which can give you any amount of strength. What these give us today could be called artificial vitamins. In the old days, the common practice was to give plants manure in its natural state in the form of cow dung. The resulting vegetables might have been small, but they were rich in content. Today, vegetables are oversized, and they lack their former flavour. What is the reason? Plants are now fed with artificial manure, and they really do not have the innate strength which ought to be there. As a result, there is an increase in the number of cancer cases and heart complaints."
"To this day, no doctor has come up with a solution for the problem of cancer. The cause of all this cancer is something worth knowing. Now, some might say that cancer is a direct result of smoking cigarettes. Others might say that air pollution is the cause. These factors might be contributing in a small way, but they are not the primary cause of cancer. The main cause of cancer is refined sugar. The reason for this is that in the refining of sugar, a lot of chemicals are added. And one of these processing chemicals is the powder of bone, which, when you eat the sugar, may get lodged in any part of the body and create problems."
"In what form was sugar eaten in the good old times? Not in this artificial, synthetic one, but as wholesome jaggery(an unrefined brown sugar). Today you find the artificial creeping into everything that you eat - all merely for the sake of money. Now, if your life span is cut short, who is going to finally enjoy all this money? So try to adopt that path whereby you will truly realize yourself. Emperors, mighty and valorous ones, have all gone, leaving behind their wealth. Don't forget your goal, your identity; safeguard your body."
"It is not this material wealth which is important. It is one's own good qualities which are real wealth. Without these attributes, wealth can give you nothing. So here again, 'Rather than wealth, take care of your health, ' it has been said. And what beyond health? What is the fulfillment that you must seek? To get back whence you have come. Atma(the divinity within) is your destination. Until the time that you reach this destination, spend your time, spend your body, spend all that you have in good deeds and doing good to others."
"Embodiments of Love, what is the sum and substance of all that I have been talking to you about? First, health is of paramount importance. Second, for what purpose, for whose sake? So that you might experience the ananda(bliss) of the Atma. Now, you might have health all right, but still not experience this atmananda. What use then, having this health? Certain people who cannot experience atmananda have good health nevertheless. What type of people are they? It has been said very well that these people are those who tend to reduce the world food supply, and are merely a burden to the herd."
"Try to understand who you are, your own reality. If you can't understand who you are, what is the use of your living in this world? So don't make a distinction between that which is this world and that which is beyond this world. Bring the two together, and understand that you have to realize your own true nature and experience the divine ananda(bliss). And, whatever is given to man, try to further it. Love. Don't allow any room for pettiness or narrow outlook. Try to conduct yourself in such a way as not to injure others. Only then will you be sanctifying your existence."
He once said: "The Gita(the Indian religious scripture) defines the nature and tastes of the three types of food eaten by man. The food that promotes love, virtue, strength, happines and cordiality is Sathwic; that which influences, arouses, intoxicates and heightens hunger and thirst is Rajasic; the food that depresses, disrupts and causes disease is Thamasic."
On the 8th of October 1983, Baba gave a discourse in which he was much more specific as to what types of food are injurious to our health. The following excerpt from this discourse are taken from the Sathya Sai Newsletter of Arizona, USA, with their kind permission.
"In this world of ours, man is given to experience wealth beyond description. But, out of all the possible types of wealth, it is one's health which is found to be the most valuable possession. In fact it is said that 'Health is wealth.' Without good health , one cannot succeed in even the smallest of ventures. One can have immense wealth and power, but without health these are of no consequence; only with health can one use wealth and authority for some good purpose. But it is a mistake to feel that one's health confers lasting happiness. For what is the purpose of worldly existence? That you might reach something beyond. Unless you have that distant goal set before you, this worldly existence is meaningless. So why do you need to safeguard your health? Not for your worldly existence, but for the sake of experiencing the Atmananda (bliss of realization of the divinity within). And in order to protect your health, you must follow a certain code of conduct."
"Now, in this creation, the different types of life forms have been classified into 8,400,000 species. Out of these 8,400,000 species 8,399,999 types tend to eat food which is not cooked. They eat instead food which is natural and available in their environment. This food which is available to them in nature, does not seem to change them. So you find that these 8,399,999 species of life forms are enjoying peak health. Of course, it does happen that, because of climatic variations and factors which are beyond our control, some of these life forms do also come to grief. But it is man alone who is subject to the most health related trouble. Any number of human diseases are on the increase. The reason is that man does not like to partake of food as God created it. He is the victim of his tongue, which wants to be satisfied in terms of taste, and so his own likes and dislikes come in the way of what he should eat. Man seeks to change the foods available in nature to suit his tastes, thereby putting an end to the very essence of life contained in them. Because he is exterminating the life-giving forces in the food available to him, he is increasingly subjecting himself to disease. So it follows, again, that if man were to eat foods in their natural state, he certainly would not be so subject to disease."
"Now, it is common knowledge that each body, each system, has the governing factors. All these factors should be present in a proper way - anything less or more is bound to put you into disorder. If you want to know the cause of headaches, it is not the head that is at fault. It is the stomach! This is so regarding all the different organs: the stomach is the key point. The stomach digest whatever is given to it and supplies the essence of it to all the organs. This power of digestion given to the stomach is a God given thing. In fact God resides in a Being as this digestive force, which is what governs all the life processes in the body. In order to revere this aspect of God, what is it that you should offer? This God should be given that which is His own creation, not what is made by man. So, if you give to your stomach whatever is available in the natural state, as given to you by God, everything will be fine."
"We tend to eat too much, which leads us to mental disturbance. A limit should be placed on the food that we take. If that limit is exceeded, we are bound to suffer. Food is a necessity, but it should be in the quantity required for sustenance of the body. Exceed that limit, and disorders come your way. Take for instance the heart, which has a certain capacity to pump blood to the rest of the body. It cannot exceed this optimum point. The body requires a certain horsepower for this heart, and that is what God has given it. So, when you build your body beyond the limits of the hearts capabilities, the heart can't function. That is why there is an increase in heart disease."
"The main idea behind all this is that you should limit the amount of food you take. Whatever the food type, if you eat it in moderation all will be well. Food in excess leads to mental disturbance, but food in limited amounts will give you happiness. Eat so that your hunger may be satiated and your body sustained, and not so that your body is enlarged. Every opportunity is available to us, if we only take care of our food habits. Perhaps certain circumstances beyond your control could lead you to distress, but otherwise there is no reason for you to be subjected to disease. If you wish to live longer, to be of service to society, to experience divinity for longer, then keep your food under check."
"In addition, the types of food that you eat should be nutritious. In this world of today, you eat that which has absolutely no innate power to sustain you. For the upkeep of the body you need protein and vitamins of every kind. One vitamin gives you good eyesight; one purifies the blood; a third strengthens the bones. And for all these, proteins are vital. In fact, protein means 'that which protects you'. And food which is not cooked contains the largest amount of protein. Take for instance, the different types of legumes, like mung and dhal. Even foreigners tend to use these - for example, the soybean. Here, the protein content is great. Now, the way to eat peas, beans or lentils, is to soak them in water and let them sprout. In this way they come to you in all their richness. But,because we are victims of our tongue, tastes, whims and fancies, what do we do? Boil them, and further change them by adding oil and various other ingredients. In the process, we deprive them of their basic contents, and deprive ourselves of what they can give us."
"For another example, take fruits which have nothing but vitamins,and vegetables which can give you any amount of strength. What these give us today could be called artificial vitamins. In the old days, the common practice was to give plants manure in its natural state in the form of cow dung. The resulting vegetables might have been small, but they were rich in content. Today, vegetables are oversized, and they lack their former flavour. What is the reason? Plants are now fed with artificial manure, and they really do not have the innate strength which ought to be there. As a result, there is an increase in the number of cancer cases and heart complaints."
"To this day, no doctor has come up with a solution for the problem of cancer. The cause of all this cancer is something worth knowing. Now, some might say that cancer is a direct result of smoking cigarettes. Others might say that air pollution is the cause. These factors might be contributing in a small way, but they are not the primary cause of cancer. The main cause of cancer is refined sugar. The reason for this is that in the refining of sugar, a lot of chemicals are added. And one of these processing chemicals is the powder of bone, which, when you eat the sugar, may get lodged in any part of the body and create problems."
"In what form was sugar eaten in the good old times? Not in this artificial, synthetic one, but as wholesome jaggery(an unrefined brown sugar). Today you find the artificial creeping into everything that you eat - all merely for the sake of money. Now, if your life span is cut short, who is going to finally enjoy all this money? So try to adopt that path whereby you will truly realize yourself. Emperors, mighty and valorous ones, have all gone, leaving behind their wealth. Don't forget your goal, your identity; safeguard your body."
"It is not this material wealth which is important. It is one's own good qualities which are real wealth. Without these attributes, wealth can give you nothing. So here again, 'Rather than wealth, take care of your health, ' it has been said. And what beyond health? What is the fulfillment that you must seek? To get back whence you have come. Atma(the divinity within) is your destination. Until the time that you reach this destination, spend your time, spend your body, spend all that you have in good deeds and doing good to others."
"Embodiments of Love, what is the sum and substance of all that I have been talking to you about? First, health is of paramount importance. Second, for what purpose, for whose sake? So that you might experience the ananda(bliss) of the Atma. Now, you might have health all right, but still not experience this atmananda. What use then, having this health? Certain people who cannot experience atmananda have good health nevertheless. What type of people are they? It has been said very well that these people are those who tend to reduce the world food supply, and are merely a burden to the herd."
"Try to understand who you are, your own reality. If you can't understand who you are, what is the use of your living in this world? So don't make a distinction between that which is this world and that which is beyond this world. Bring the two together, and understand that you have to realize your own true nature and experience the divine ananda(bliss). And, whatever is given to man, try to further it. Love. Don't allow any room for pettiness or narrow outlook. Try to conduct yourself in such a way as not to injure others. Only then will you be sanctifying your existence."
Monday, May 29, 2006
Fwd Email: New Definitions
The Oxford Dictionary's latest definition of the following words. -->Seriously ?
Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.
Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.
Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool on the other.
Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the
notes of the students without passing through the minds of either.
Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.
Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.
Yawn : The only time some people ever get to open their mouth.
Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.
Etc . : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.
Experience : The name people give to their mistakes.
Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.
Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.
Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.
Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills
Divorce : Future tense of marriage.
Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got
the biggest piece.
Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.
Opportunist : A person who starts taking a bath if he accidentally falls into a river.
Father : A banker provided by nature.
Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.
Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.
Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.
Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end & a fool on the other.
Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the
notes of the students without passing through the minds of either.
Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.
Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.
Yawn : The only time some people ever get to open their mouth.
Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.
Etc . : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.
Experience : The name people give to their mistakes.
Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.
Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.
Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.
Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills
Divorce : Future tense of marriage.
Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got
the biggest piece.
Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.
Opportunist : A person who starts taking a bath if he accidentally falls into a river.
Father : A banker provided by nature.
Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Going Bananas
Going Bananas
Bananas... This is very interesting.
After ReadingTHIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again
-
Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial
boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit
with the world's leading athletes.
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions,
making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce
the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power:
200 students at aTwickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid
to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly
successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Instituteof Psychologyin Austriafound pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand,
for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three
times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away".
Sekian Terima Kasih.
______________
Siti Nadiah Bt. Jamil
Pegawai Sistem Maklumat
PTj Nadi IT
Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya
Bananas... This is very interesting.
After ReadingTHIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again
-
Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial
boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit
with the world's leading athletes.
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions,
making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce
the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power:
200 students at aTwickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid
to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly
successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Instituteof Psychologyin Austriafound pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand,
for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three
times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away".
Sekian Terima Kasih.
______________
Siti Nadiah Bt. Jamil
Pegawai Sistem Maklumat
PTj Nadi IT
Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya
Saturday, May 06, 2006
MSN glamorous job
MSN recently published an article about the most glamourous jobs around... and provides tips how to get there..
1. Airline Pilot
Salary Range = $53,000 to S144,140
2. Executive Chef
Salary range = $10.75 per hour to $26.75 per hour
3. Movie producer
Salary range = $35,500 to $88,000
4. News anchor
Salary range = $37,000 to $122,800
5. Fashion Model
Salary range = $500 to $5,000 per assignment up to $10,000 per assignment.
Hey, how about being a blogger ? I am a blogger and so are millions out there. I manage to earn very little money from Google Adsense and there is no complain about it. It is glamorous too, except that the problem is there are millions and billions of them out there.
And I like to think that MSN is quite accurate about it because I once thought about pursuing 4 our of the 5 listed above. I never thought about becoming a fashion model.
1. Airline Pilot
Salary Range = $53,000 to S144,140
2. Executive Chef
Salary range = $10.75 per hour to $26.75 per hour
3. Movie producer
Salary range = $35,500 to $88,000
4. News anchor
Salary range = $37,000 to $122,800
5. Fashion Model
Salary range = $500 to $5,000 per assignment up to $10,000 per assignment.
Hey, how about being a blogger ? I am a blogger and so are millions out there. I manage to earn very little money from Google Adsense and there is no complain about it. It is glamorous too, except that the problem is there are millions and billions of them out there.
And I like to think that MSN is quite accurate about it because I once thought about pursuing 4 our of the 5 listed above. I never thought about becoming a fashion model.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Sepet - baru tengok
We have heard about Sepet for couple of years... believe it or not, I just bought an original copy cositng me RM 19.90(I thought local film should cost less) and watched it yesterday. The censorship board took off a few scenes :(
It was, I must say.. a great show. I planning to watch "3rd Generation" and "Gubra" later. No rush.
I am also fascinated by the fact that the movie uses Sam Hui's song for its soundtrack.
世事如棋：
仓卒岁月 世事如棋 每局都光怪陆离
骤情骤雨人事天天变有喜亦有悲
* 恩怨爱恨 世事如棋 每局都充满传奇
若频若笑难辨心中意 似比幕前做戏
苦衷抛万里 今天庆幸有知已 捉番盘棋共行乐
冲破内心藩篱 张眼远望 世事如棋
每局应观察入微 但求共你棋艺相比较
了解做人道理
浪子心声：
难分真与假 人面多险诈
几许有共享荣华 檐畔水滴不分差
无知井里蛙 徙望添声价
空得意目光如麻谁料金屋变败瓦
命里有时终须有 命里无时莫强求
雷声风雨打 何用多惊怕
心公正白壁无瑕 行善积德最乐也
命里有时终须有 命里无时莫强求
人比海里沙 毋用多牵挂
君可见漫天落霞 名利息间似雾化
君可见漫天落霞 名利息间似雾化
listen to this music
棋；像生命的资源，会越下越少。
心声；像生命的目标，会越变越淡。
It was, I must say.. a great show. I planning to watch "3rd Generation" and "Gubra" later. No rush.
I am also fascinated by the fact that the movie uses Sam Hui's song for its soundtrack.
世事如棋：
仓卒岁月 世事如棋 每局都光怪陆离
骤情骤雨人事天天变有喜亦有悲
* 恩怨爱恨 世事如棋 每局都充满传奇
若频若笑难辨心中意 似比幕前做戏
苦衷抛万里 今天庆幸有知已 捉番盘棋共行乐
冲破内心藩篱 张眼远望 世事如棋
每局应观察入微 但求共你棋艺相比较
了解做人道理
浪子心声：
难分真与假 人面多险诈
几许有共享荣华 檐畔水滴不分差
无知井里蛙 徙望添声价
空得意目光如麻谁料金屋变败瓦
命里有时终须有 命里无时莫强求
雷声风雨打 何用多惊怕
心公正白壁无瑕 行善积德最乐也
命里有时终须有 命里无时莫强求
人比海里沙 毋用多牵挂
君可见漫天落霞 名利息间似雾化
君可见漫天落霞 名利息间似雾化
listen to this music
棋；像生命的资源，会越下越少。
心声；像生命的目标，会越变越淡。
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Fowarded Email: Five corporate lessons
FIVE CORPORATE LESSONS
Corporate Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings.?The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.?When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor.?Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel."?After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.?After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves.?The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.?When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"?"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.?"Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story: - If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
Corporate Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings.?The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.?When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor.?Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel."?After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.?After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves.?The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.?When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"?"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.?"Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story: - If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
Corporate Lesson 2
A priest offered a lift to a Nun.?She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.?The priest nearly had an accident.?After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.?The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"?The priest removed his hand.?But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.?The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"?The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."?Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way.?On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129.?It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story: - If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
Corporate Lesson 3
A sales rep and a administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.?They rub it and a Genie comes out.?The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."?"Me first!?Me first!" says the admin. clerk.?"I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."?Poof!?She's gone.?"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep.?"I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."?Poof!?He's gone.?"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.?The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story: - Always let your boss have the first say.
Corporate Lesson 4
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.?A rabbit asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?"?The crow answered: - "Sure, why not."?So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.?A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story: - To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.
Corporate Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull.?"I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, but I haven't got the energy."?"Well, why don't you nibble on my droppings?" replied the bull.?"They're packed with nutrients."?The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.?The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.?Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree.?Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.
Moral of the story: - Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
Revamp of Hati Web Site
CHARITY portal Hati.org.my (Hati) is aiming to increase its number of volunteers through its revamped website, scheduled for a relaunch at a charity fair tomorrow at Plaza Mont Kiara.
To date, this website or information exchange portal has registered more than 230 volunteers to assist in the various projects run by the charities listed on the website.
According to a Hati spokesman, the charity portal hopes to capitalise on this network by incorporating an automated volunteer management system in this new website soon.
The website, first launched in 2002, was revamped to allow it to be a more effective platform for non-profit organisations and underprivileged communities to create awareness of their respective causes.
The website also acts as platform for charities and NGOs to exchange information, ideas and experiences.
The spokesman said the website began with the intention of closing a �gap.�
�This gap refers to the fact that there are countless charities in Malaysia on one end of the scale and many Malaysians keen to help on the other end but they do not know where to go or whom to contact,� he said in a recent interview.
Since 2002, the website has recorded a monthly visitor count of more than 2,000, he said.
To date, it has more than 150 charity listings on the website, but Hati does not collect donations on behalf of the charities listed.
�We encourage donors and volunteers to establish direct contact with the homes listed to contribute donations in cash or kind,� he said.
On the charity fair, he said over 10 stalls from different charities would be set up to raise funds for the respective organisations through sale of handicraft, array of food and books.
Hati will also have its own stall to showcase its new web portal.
The event will also see performances from the various charities such as the Yellow House Society of Kuala Lumpur, disabled friends from PJ Caring Home and Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Kurang Upaya Kirtash.
Other performances included in the day-long affair are from Francesca Peters, Troubadours, Kenny Tay, Jason Lee from Astro talent quest, Soul Sisterz and the Bantus Capoiera Group, who will showcase the Brazilian martial arts skills.
The fair is sponsored by, among others, Sunrise Berhad, Kamdar Group Berhad, UiTM, Nestle, Dumex and Khaana Peena Restaurant Mont Kiara and De Cruz Entertainment.
The Star
To date, this website or information exchange portal has registered more than 230 volunteers to assist in the various projects run by the charities listed on the website.
According to a Hati spokesman, the charity portal hopes to capitalise on this network by incorporating an automated volunteer management system in this new website soon.
The website, first launched in 2002, was revamped to allow it to be a more effective platform for non-profit organisations and underprivileged communities to create awareness of their respective causes.
The website also acts as platform for charities and NGOs to exchange information, ideas and experiences.
The spokesman said the website began with the intention of closing a �gap.�
�This gap refers to the fact that there are countless charities in Malaysia on one end of the scale and many Malaysians keen to help on the other end but they do not know where to go or whom to contact,� he said in a recent interview.
Since 2002, the website has recorded a monthly visitor count of more than 2,000, he said.
To date, it has more than 150 charity listings on the website, but Hati does not collect donations on behalf of the charities listed.
�We encourage donors and volunteers to establish direct contact with the homes listed to contribute donations in cash or kind,� he said.
On the charity fair, he said over 10 stalls from different charities would be set up to raise funds for the respective organisations through sale of handicraft, array of food and books.
Hati will also have its own stall to showcase its new web portal.
The event will also see performances from the various charities such as the Yellow House Society of Kuala Lumpur, disabled friends from PJ Caring Home and Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Kurang Upaya Kirtash.
Other performances included in the day-long affair are from Francesca Peters, Troubadours, Kenny Tay, Jason Lee from Astro talent quest, Soul Sisterz and the Bantus Capoiera Group, who will showcase the Brazilian martial arts skills.
The fair is sponsored by, among others, Sunrise Berhad, Kamdar Group Berhad, UiTM, Nestle, Dumex and Khaana Peena Restaurant Mont Kiara and De Cruz Entertainment.
The Star
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
GHRANA
21-23 March @ 8:30pm Ghrana by BJS
Qawal
(Adults RM30 / Students & Sr Citizen RM20)
GHRANA
By BJS Qawal Malaysia
The word "Ghrana" literally means "house". More importantly, it refers the house of the teacher (of music). This teacher-disciple relationship forms a
distinctive lineage of musicians and helps to retain the ethnicity of the art and ensures cultural heritage. This production, Ghrana, is amusical
journey that will take you through the different faces and times in the classical and folk music of North Indian Ghranas. This mystical journey will
be accompanied by a visual presentation on the emotions and mood depicting the music throughout the performance.Some of the different types of
North Indian classical and folk music that will be performed include Qawali, Dhadra and Thumuri. The musicians will be accompanied by instruments
such as the violin, flute, sitar and keyboard.
About BJS Qawal BJS Qawal Malaysia is a part of a larger group of performers from the same family of musicians. One such group recently performed in Manchester,
UK and is well known to be superb exponents of Qawali, a style of music with roots in Sufi mysticism. Some of the key musicians involved in BJS Qawal Malaysia
include Haider Ali, Ravin Sikander & Shabeer Ahmed Rana
For Tickets Contact:
KLPac : 4047 9000
TAS @ BSC : 2094 9400
www.klpac.com
Brian Lariche
Associate Partner
The Liaison Combination-TLC Sdn Bhd
www.liaison-combination.com
cell phone:+60122975613
Qawal
(Adults RM30 / Students & Sr Citizen RM20)
GHRANA
By BJS Qawal Malaysia
The word "Ghrana" literally means "house". More importantly, it refers the house of the teacher (of music). This teacher-disciple relationship forms a
distinctive lineage of musicians and helps to retain the ethnicity of the art and ensures cultural heritage. This production, Ghrana, is amusical
journey that will take you through the different faces and times in the classical and folk music of North Indian Ghranas. This mystical journey will
be accompanied by a visual presentation on the emotions and mood depicting the music throughout the performance.Some of the different types of
North Indian classical and folk music that will be performed include Qawali, Dhadra and Thumuri. The musicians will be accompanied by instruments
such as the violin, flute, sitar and keyboard.
About BJS Qawal BJS Qawal Malaysia is a part of a larger group of performers from the same family of musicians. One such group recently performed in Manchester,
UK and is well known to be superb exponents of Qawali, a style of music with roots in Sufi mysticism. Some of the key musicians involved in BJS Qawal Malaysia
include Haider Ali, Ravin Sikander & Shabeer Ahmed Rana
For Tickets Contact:
KLPac : 4047 9000
TAS @ BSC : 2094 9400
www.klpac.com
Brian Lariche
Associate Partner
The Liaison Combination-TLC Sdn Bhd
www.liaison-combination.com
cell phone:+60122975613
Monday, March 20, 2006
Family means..
This came from a friend... very meaningful.
It is dedicated to those who have to work on Saturday and Sunday.
It is dedicated to those who have to work on Saturday and Sunday.
F A M I L Y
I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
Pass this message to 7 people except you and me.
You will receive a miracle tomorrow.
Don't ignore and God will bless you
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Talk and listen to your employees
Effective internal communication in a organisation lead to increased profits and a satisfied workforce.
Employees are the lifeline of an organisation. Business leaders must realise that employees today are not merely the arms and legs that run the company. They are also its eyes and ears, and their opinions and feedback play a vital role to the growthn of an organisation.
Internal communication between employees and management that is effective, open and clear will lead to better performance, customer loyalty, increase in profits, better employee satisfaction ratios and staff retention. Whether big or small, an organisation's ability to reach its business goals depends on how well it engages, aligns and motivates its staff.
Effective internal communication involves engaging your employees at all levels. By communication the organisation's goals and including employees in overall business planning, organisations can harness a greter resource of knowledge towards effectively driving the day-to-day business operations.
All employees need to understand their role within the company, not just in terms of what the job they do, or how to do it, but the part they play in the big picture. They will then align themselves with the company's vision and direction.
Effective internal communication helps you get the message across to the right audience in an open and receptive environment so that it can be understood clearly. Approaching people when they are receptive or willing to talk can make your communication efforts easier and more successful.
Communication with employees can take many forms, such as meetings, personal phone calls, memos, group meetings, telephone conferences or video calls and personal letters.
Keeping your employees informed is a critical part of helping them find satisfaction in their jobs. At Fedex, for instance, regular video-conference calls and a dynamic intranet site that changes constantly, help keep employees informed. In addition, an open-door policy allows employees to reach any member of management and share their ideas.
Manages also place much emphasis on equipping Fedex employees with the most updated informationn and tools so that they can be empowered to make the right decisions and provide execellent service to customers.
Of course, communication is never one way. It is imperative for managers to listn to their employees and gain feedback from them.
Feedback is essential, as it helps organisatios undertand the issue from a different perspective. For example, feedback from employees who have constant exposure to customers is essential in identifying the needs or requirements for future service improvements.
Listening to your employees is an essential part of communication effectively with them. This helps employees feel like an essential part of the business, and responsible for its success.
By focusing on internal communications, business leaders can make a real difference to the success of their business, and have a positive effect on its results and perfomance. Working closely with employees, sharing information about the compa's goals and listening to their feedback or suggestions, will help you to develop a cohesive team that is as commited to achieving these goals as you are.
Improveing communications in your work place whether they are a team member, a team leader, a manager, or a remote worker is a collective task. Listening and sharing goes a very long way in ensuring the sucess of an organisation.
Article contributed by Mr. Ramesh Kumar Singam, managing director, FedEx Express, Singapore and Indonesia.
Employees are the lifeline of an organisation. Business leaders must realise that employees today are not merely the arms and legs that run the company. They are also its eyes and ears, and their opinions and feedback play a vital role to the growthn of an organisation.
Internal communication between employees and management that is effective, open and clear will lead to better performance, customer loyalty, increase in profits, better employee satisfaction ratios and staff retention. Whether big or small, an organisation's ability to reach its business goals depends on how well it engages, aligns and motivates its staff.
Effective internal communication involves engaging your employees at all levels. By communication the organisation's goals and including employees in overall business planning, organisations can harness a greter resource of knowledge towards effectively driving the day-to-day business operations.
All employees need to understand their role within the company, not just in terms of what the job they do, or how to do it, but the part they play in the big picture. They will then align themselves with the company's vision and direction.
Effective internal communication helps you get the message across to the right audience in an open and receptive environment so that it can be understood clearly. Approaching people when they are receptive or willing to talk can make your communication efforts easier and more successful.
Communication with employees can take many forms, such as meetings, personal phone calls, memos, group meetings, telephone conferences or video calls and personal letters.
Keeping your employees informed is a critical part of helping them find satisfaction in their jobs. At Fedex, for instance, regular video-conference calls and a dynamic intranet site that changes constantly, help keep employees informed. In addition, an open-door policy allows employees to reach any member of management and share their ideas.
Manages also place much emphasis on equipping Fedex employees with the most updated informationn and tools so that they can be empowered to make the right decisions and provide execellent service to customers.
Of course, communication is never one way. It is imperative for managers to listn to their employees and gain feedback from them.
Feedback is essential, as it helps organisatios undertand the issue from a different perspective. For example, feedback from employees who have constant exposure to customers is essential in identifying the needs or requirements for future service improvements.
Listening to your employees is an essential part of communication effectively with them. This helps employees feel like an essential part of the business, and responsible for its success.
By focusing on internal communications, business leaders can make a real difference to the success of their business, and have a positive effect on its results and perfomance. Working closely with employees, sharing information about the compa's goals and listening to their feedback or suggestions, will help you to develop a cohesive team that is as commited to achieving these goals as you are.
Improveing communications in your work place whether they are a team member, a team leader, a manager, or a remote worker is a collective task. Listening and sharing goes a very long way in ensuring the sucess of an organisation.
Article contributed by Mr. Ramesh Kumar Singam, managing director, FedEx Express, Singapore and Indonesia.
Make your writing flow
Are you like everyone else in the corporate world who thinks writing is difficult? Think again. Writing is the easy part if you have the right structure.
Ask any corporate employee what they hate most about their job, and they universal answer will be writing. This is a sad situation because writing is not difficult. It is a process of putting together ideas using subjects and verbs, and adding adjectives, adverbs and articles.
The difficulty in writing is often caused by a lack of structure. Picture this typical scene: A busy employee sits in front of his computer with a head full of jumbled ideas and starts pounding out words on the keyboard thinking that it will all make sense in the end.
Not surprisingly, the end result is a mess, and the writer swears that writing is difficult as he tears out his hair trying to untangle the jumble that he just created.
To make writing easy, start with a structure. Before writing a report, e-mail, speech and presentation, take the time to organise your thoughts. Once an outline is established mentally, clear and effective writing will naturally fall into place.
Here are five structures to make writing simple:
1. Inverted pyramid
Trained journalists use this method to write newspaper articles, and it works well with any piece of written communication.
Typical of a newspaper article, the most important information appears at the top of an inverted pyramid in the first paragraph, and it answers the who, what, when where, why and how questions. The rest of the information is then presented in order of importance, with the least important informaiton at the inverted tip.
For example, if you are writing a press release announcing your company's quarterly earnings, then you would put the earnings result in the first paragraph because htat is the most important information that shareholders need.
To beging writing, answer these questions: Who? Company ABC. What ? Reported earnings rose 65 per cent to $100 million. Put all this together and you get: "The reported earnings of Company ABC rose 65 per cent to $100 million, or $10 per share, in the third quarter."
In the next paragraph, you answer the why question - why did profit rise 65 per cent? For example, "Revenue was driven by a 90 per cent surge in sales to the Middle East during the quarter."
In the third paragraph, provide a quote from the chairman beause shareholders like to hear from the person who is responsible for the result. The rest of the paragraphs in the press release should provide all of the financial details and back-ground information.
2. Egyptian pyramid
Management consutants use this method. It is actually the same as inverted pyramid style; it is just a mentally different concept of putting the most important information at the tip of the pyramid, and then adding information to build the rest of the pyramid down to the base.
For instance, a chairman who hires consultants to fin dout why his company is not profitable whoudl first want to know the problem. Thus, this information should be at the tip of pyramid.
The solutions to the problem then go into the middle of the pyramid, and the reason for the problem should form the based of the pyramid structure.
3 Number Priority
If pyramids are too difficult to conceptualise, then simply use numbers to organise information in written communication. This is a simple method of deciding in numerical order what the most important fact to be communicated is, followed by the next most important fact, and so on.
For example, if you are writing a memo in inform colleagues about a meeting, then the first paragraph should announce that a meeting is going to be held, and then provide the date, time and place. This is the most important information that the reader wants to know.
The next paragraph should state the purpose of the meeting, the third should describe the importance of the meeting, the fourth should provide any additional details and background, and you could sign off the last paragraph with a motivating mesage to encourage members to attend the meeting.
4. Beginning, middle and end
This method relies on skills learned in sschool on how to write essays. Start with a beginning, support the beginning with a middle, aand then end with a conclusion.
For example, if a report is being prepared for the board of directors to request funds for a $1billion plant expansion, start with the request at the beginning so that the reader does not have to wait until the end to find out the requested amount.
The middle section could focus on explaining the need for the requested funds, while the ending could carry a summary of the expected benefits from the capital expenditure.
5. Most important to least important
This structures simply groups the most important information and the least important information.
For example, an internal memo to employees telling them that salaries will be cut 20 per cent across the board is important information that needs to be stated right away at the beginning, and the benefits to the company from the salary cuts should be left to the end as this is the least vital information for employees.
Article contributed the Carolyn Tiemann, who conducts corporate writing worksthops. E-mail: tiemanncj@aol.com
In my opinion, blogging can improve your writings tremendously, over time.
Ask any corporate employee what they hate most about their job, and they universal answer will be writing. This is a sad situation because writing is not difficult. It is a process of putting together ideas using subjects and verbs, and adding adjectives, adverbs and articles.
The difficulty in writing is often caused by a lack of structure. Picture this typical scene: A busy employee sits in front of his computer with a head full of jumbled ideas and starts pounding out words on the keyboard thinking that it will all make sense in the end.
Not surprisingly, the end result is a mess, and the writer swears that writing is difficult as he tears out his hair trying to untangle the jumble that he just created.
To make writing easy, start with a structure. Before writing a report, e-mail, speech and presentation, take the time to organise your thoughts. Once an outline is established mentally, clear and effective writing will naturally fall into place.
Here are five structures to make writing simple:
1. Inverted pyramid
Trained journalists use this method to write newspaper articles, and it works well with any piece of written communication.
Typical of a newspaper article, the most important information appears at the top of an inverted pyramid in the first paragraph, and it answers the who, what, when where, why and how questions. The rest of the information is then presented in order of importance, with the least important informaiton at the inverted tip.
For example, if you are writing a press release announcing your company's quarterly earnings, then you would put the earnings result in the first paragraph because htat is the most important information that shareholders need.
To beging writing, answer these questions: Who? Company ABC. What ? Reported earnings rose 65 per cent to $100 million. Put all this together and you get: "The reported earnings of Company ABC rose 65 per cent to $100 million, or $10 per share, in the third quarter."
In the next paragraph, you answer the why question - why did profit rise 65 per cent? For example, "Revenue was driven by a 90 per cent surge in sales to the Middle East during the quarter."
In the third paragraph, provide a quote from the chairman beause shareholders like to hear from the person who is responsible for the result. The rest of the paragraphs in the press release should provide all of the financial details and back-ground information.
2. Egyptian pyramid
Management consutants use this method. It is actually the same as inverted pyramid style; it is just a mentally different concept of putting the most important information at the tip of the pyramid, and then adding information to build the rest of the pyramid down to the base.
For instance, a chairman who hires consultants to fin dout why his company is not profitable whoudl first want to know the problem. Thus, this information should be at the tip of pyramid.
The solutions to the problem then go into the middle of the pyramid, and the reason for the problem should form the based of the pyramid structure.
3 Number Priority
If pyramids are too difficult to conceptualise, then simply use numbers to organise information in written communication. This is a simple method of deciding in numerical order what the most important fact to be communicated is, followed by the next most important fact, and so on.
For example, if you are writing a memo in inform colleagues about a meeting, then the first paragraph should announce that a meeting is going to be held, and then provide the date, time and place. This is the most important information that the reader wants to know.
The next paragraph should state the purpose of the meeting, the third should describe the importance of the meeting, the fourth should provide any additional details and background, and you could sign off the last paragraph with a motivating mesage to encourage members to attend the meeting.
4. Beginning, middle and end
This method relies on skills learned in sschool on how to write essays. Start with a beginning, support the beginning with a middle, aand then end with a conclusion.
For example, if a report is being prepared for the board of directors to request funds for a $1billion plant expansion, start with the request at the beginning so that the reader does not have to wait until the end to find out the requested amount.
The middle section could focus on explaining the need for the requested funds, while the ending could carry a summary of the expected benefits from the capital expenditure.
5. Most important to least important
This structures simply groups the most important information and the least important information.
For example, an internal memo to employees telling them that salaries will be cut 20 per cent across the board is important information that needs to be stated right away at the beginning, and the benefits to the company from the salary cuts should be left to the end as this is the least vital information for employees.
Article contributed the Carolyn Tiemann, who conducts corporate writing worksthops. E-mail: tiemanncj@aol.com
In my opinion, blogging can improve your writings tremendously, over time.
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