i've been asked to write an article abt 1000-1500words for the ybam-spa abt my involvement / experience in the buddhist community work, esp being in the committee of bgf. here's how's im going to write...
~*~
I am a 'ENTP'; my temperament is choleric-sanguine; I wear a 'white-hat' mostly. What does it mean to you? I learnt to understand myself and to be able to describe myself easily through my years in organising Dhamma youth camps alongside other like-minded youths. It is through getting involved with so many Buddhist activities that I learnt valuable softskills and management skills that I'll probably not receive through formal education.
Let me share a little of my background. I often tell people that I'm born into a Buddhist family, I didn't have to think or choose my religion, my parents brought me along Wesak Day procession even when I was just a toddler being pushed in the pram. I was sent to the Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School (BISDS) in Brickfields since when I was 10 together with my younger brother. Dhamma teachings was ingrained into my head since then, partly I had to sit for Buddhist exams and of course I enjoyed learning / discovering whatever the teachers would teach. I felt truly blessed and proud that since as a kid, I was being indoctrinated to practise the Five Precepts in my daily life, to observe the causes and effects, to witness happiness and sadness of people around me. Perhaps this Buddhist upbringing has made me more 'white-hat' (according to Alex Tan shared with me about what Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats).
The fact is that I went to the English-medium Dhamma class although I'm went Chinese educated. Being in my shoe, I'm able to make friends with fellow Buddhists who are either Chinese speaking or English speaking. Coming from urban city life, I was oblivious of the divide in the whole country until I went to University Putra Malaysia, a public university. From there I observed majority of the Chinese don't speak English like me, since I can't speak proper Malay so its hard for me to make friends with the Malay and there were very few Indians. Since I'm politics-savvy, I do feel like my country is quite a... like 'rojak'.
With regards to getting involved in Buddhist society / activities at University, I often imagine how nice if I can make the Chinese-speaking to be fluent in English, and vice-versa. How is THAT possible? Some people said it's impossible. Being the 'ENTP' that I am, nothing is impossible. I knew its will take many years perhaps few decades to re-strategy the policies in this country, I don't claim to know the answer but believe in the possibility that some day when people don't identify themselves as race first but as Malaysian first, then perhaps there'll be a viable solution.
I was introduced to the 13th INCOVAR Dhamma Camp when I was in my 1st/2nd year at varsity by my fellow Sunday School friend Philip Yeo. It was a relieved for me that I could actually join a Buddhist camp that I could fit in! It's unfortunate that I didn't master written-Chinese language well enough, and I could only understand 60% a Dhamma talk in Mandarin. In my own perception, on one side I found out about YBAM camps / training programme which catered for undergraduates from all varsities, and on the other side there's INCOVAR camps organised under the Buddhist Gem Fellowship (BGF). To me, the underlying objectives, nature of activities and target audience might be overlapping, wouldn't it be great to tap on and build on the overlapping resources?
Through joining as participants in the INCOVAR camps, I was self-motivated to be a facilitator and thereafter became very active camp committee. The experience I had of being involved with fellow Kalyana-Mitras in planning, organising and executing INCOVAR-style programme, is something unforgettable and memorable. Suffice to say, it builds a person character and calibre. Not through my formal education that I learn to understand deeper about oneself, or realising one's strength and weaknesses. But from breathing the core INCOVAR values of
- value Individual Expression
- treasure Unity in Diversity
- nurture a Family in the Dharma
that I am who I am.
Vital management skills and softskills that I learnt include knowing how to do SWOT analysis in getting feedback, applying the 'SMITH' methodology in planning, how to facilitate a brainstorming session, draw a mindmap, how to do sharing of merits, how to be an MC to introduce a speaker... the list goes on.
One of the most prominent knowledge or skill that I appreciate most is understanding personality types and temperaments. How to be tactful, effective and productive when working with people of different personality-types in a same team? This is where I learn about the MBTI, the Four Temperaments and various learning styles. It was particularly useful, in the workplace, when I have trouble seeing eye-to-eye with my boss, how then to relate to or comprehend my boss?
Experience gained through being involved in INCOVAR has consciously and subconsciously helped me in my professional workplace and even now being in the Exco in BGF. One aspect that I value in BGF is the non-sectarian approach. Coming from a Theravada upbringing, its inspiring to find myself being exposed to other Buddhist culture and learning from an international array of Dhamma teachers. It's heartening to note that, there is quite a pool of corporate / talented professionals who happens to be a Buddhist or member of BGF. Perhaps the future of BGF lies in the hands of the graduates from INCOVAR?
On a personal note, did I stop and think why should I volunteer my service to the Buddhist community? Perhaps its the conditioning of my way of life, since young I had to go to temple every Sunday. It's not a normal Sunday if I didn't go to temple, either to teach or to run around organising things or attending meetings. It's for me to reciprocate the Dhamma lessons that I've been taught by the volunteer teachers in Sunday School, I aspired to be a Sunday school staff once I've finished school. With the intention to give service / being a volunteer, I had no qualms in offering my service to another Buddhist organisation which is infact located very near to my house.
Of course I have to be mindful of not let conditionings make me complacent in my effort to continue to learn, to practise and to understand the Dhamma. My life has been rather interesting, somewhere in my past life I must be a Buddhist, as I vow that in my future life I may continue the journey to be in touch with the Dhamma.
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