The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast for Sunday 28 October 2001

The topic of today’s broadcast is: Reviewing Professional Tasks

We have been working towards the professionalism of our staff who drive our management systems for some time. This means each Member must become multi-skilled in his or her approach to our organisational requirements as stated in our aims and follow our sense of direction.

In practice, this means much merit making, and the will to do assorted tasks.

While it is necessary to be profitable and build assets in accordance with the materialistic models of business, we are becoming more and more aware that we need to change our indicators that measure work as output to prosper and manage an e-business information culture.

Historically, copying instructional texts leads to an array of scribes in a scriptorium. It is known that some ancient scribes could not read but copied what they were given more or less accurately. In many cases, their work was not checked by readers.

Because of our modern technology, our ability to copy instructional material is not dependent on persons who can read it with understanding.

In modern times, we must learn to resist thwarting when machines malfunction.

Last Monday, we had the latest issue of the Brooking Street Bugle, our internal magazine, print ready and needed to print it for circulation on Tuesday. The text of the publication covered 21 pages of A4 paper.

The purpose of this major internal publication is to:

advise Members and others of coming events,
monitor and report on current activities of each of our Task Units,
improve our Fundraising initiatives,
show concrete examples of our five styles of cultivation,
provide accurate information to our website for free distribution,
provide advice of Occupational Health and Safety, and
declare and celebrate milestones in our globalisation practice.

Unfortunately, our photocopier would not work on last Monday: Members were told to print 25 copies from one of our laser printers on our local area network but the laser printer smudged the set of copies after nine copies. The ink setting was too high. They switched to an ink jet printer on our LAN, used for colour photograph reproduction, and then realised that the ink cost was too high.

Members then switched to another laser jet printer on our LAN, but to print from this machine they had to re-format the text for the machine attached to the laser printer. Both were unable to do this and were ready to give up.

The Members had no sense of the urgency of the Tuesday deadline and had not done sufficient offerings to learn how to use study time to re-format the text for this machine. One of our senior Members operated the re-formatting of the machine and completed the printing of 19 copies by 11pm that day. These were distributed on Tuesday.

During the process, extra thwarting appeared because three pages needed to be reprinted due to spelling errors. We need very strongly motivated persons to edit well and operate our reproduction equipment.

The next day, the photocopier and the laser printer were serviced by another Member and the problems vanished.

The two Members involved, aged 46 and 53, did not complete formal high school education and as a consequence have low reading skills and need further training in speed reading. We find that persons who speed read can raise their level of understanding of scholarship and so understand the urgency for meeting publication deadlines.

Our speed reading courses are self paced as they are available on tape and can be used at any time.

These two persons failed in their copying tasks because they lack the overview of an educated practitioner who realises that the need to supply new written information to Members for our Tuesday training sessions is paramount.

We need to become like the pony riders who delivered the mail in the early days of America. Their motto was that the mail must get through on time at all costs.

Self validation at a high level gives confidence (Saddha in Pali).

In the words of persons who know the importance of scholarship:

“As long as the individual is on the path and has not reached an experience of self validation, there will always be a need for some sort of analysis, checking out where she [or he] is. The thing has not been demonstrated from the inside out, there is still a need for an external confirmation.

“It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle when the picture has not emerged. One has to look back to the illustration on the box now and again. At a certain time it just comes together and there is no need to refer to the picture anymore. You just go on knowingly fitting the pieces together.

“What the teacher of a system provides then is the picture of the box. It is a frame of reference, a meaningful context without which the practitioner may feel lost or even abandon the attempt to practise.

“An educated practitioner will always know that the system she [or he] is practising is perhaps only one of a family of similar systems. Sometimes it will be useful to look at these other systems and be aware of their similarities and differences.

“At other times to do this is of no use. When actually practising one’s own system it is important to feel it is the best, or at least give oneself totally to it. The problem for scholars is that they get entangled in endless comparisons so that the experience within a selected tradition is never realised. ”

We then understand the difference between work as input and work as output.

Work as input is not seen by the user. As a listener, you do not know how many drafts are made of this radio script. It is not important to you.

One indicator we devised about five years ago is broadly classed under the term "professionalism" which refers to the ratio of Members engaged in critical management decisions and actions that give more work as output and streamline the work as input.

Five years ago, one in twenty of our Members was engaged in critical management decision planning and actions of work as output, and one webmaster. The other 18 were engaged in work as input that was not seen in our publications. At one time, we ran an offset printer. Because we were not experts printing consumed too much time and expense. Now we print offsite by a professional printer because onsite printing of thousands of pages is not core business.

Today, one Member in two is involved in critical management decision planning and action and eight webmasters give work as output. We are planning to have a party to celebrate a milestone when we have ten in-house webmasters. Two more are in training at present.

Five years ago, we had one website. In retrospect, we see that it was managed in a non-productive manner because of the delayed response time of work as input delayed adding new material as work as output with the webmaster offsite.

Our production of work as input has been streamlined.

The advantages of in-house webmasters to streamline work as input have been discovered. Today, we have eight well managed websites with quick upload capability (generally within 24 hours) to give work as output. We have more Members in training who can operate our information technology systems soon and will be able to service our local area networks (LAN). We have expanded our LAN in part to WAN (Wide Area Network) because we place 70 percent of our key management information on our various websites. The other 30 percent of information is confidential.

This week, we started reconfiguring our present LAN software to give greater reliability.

From time to time, new work as input may appear.

For example, we have adjusted work as input of our radio broadcasts and publications to be sensitive to the fact that Australia is now indulging in operations of war with our American allies.

We have inputs from many global sources.

We think it prudent to censor some input information we receive so it does not appear as work as output in our radio broadcasts.

Our Professionalism includes censorship that does not depend on a caste system, nor is it ageist, sexist, or racist.

At the time of Lord Buddha, an absolute monarchical state of ancient India was based on the Brahmanical world view. By definition, they were obliged to protect and promote the social system of the four castes (Varnas). The Sakyan society, on the other hand, was a republican party with a clan-orientated religion, in which their was neither Brahman or Sudra class (the lowest of the Varna).

Yet the Brahmanical world view, bearing a higher degree of universalism gradually eroded the aforementioned clan-orientated ideology in both religious and social spheres.

A rapid process of Brahmanization took place in Sakyan society and destroyed it in India.

The descendants of the Sakyan clan are alive and living in Nepal and hold the Buddha culture in its original form. The principle of endogamy binds a person to one caste, as it does proceeding generations, and likewise binds a single profession associated with that caste.

The middle path is a fundamental truth which has neither an extreme or fixed middle.

In changing times, revitalised managers face the fact that some older Members bound by first order thinking cannot be expected to act in a professional manner. They must not hold positions of power any longer.

Over the last six months, although we tried to find a comfortable niche for them, four such persons run out of merit and left our organisation.

We remind all Members to act in a decent rational manner to increase our work as output and respect confidentiality.

If we do not do it today, we will regret it tomorrow.

“It is unfortunate to see time again how more often human rationality has been muffled, smothered and yielded under the pressure of blind inclination and demand. Critical reasoning is not enough today or at any past period to prevent such courses of development” writes Shohei Ichimura in Buddhist Critical Spirituality, published 2001. This is the reason Ichimura presents the thesis of his paper as the critical spirituality of Buddhism. He writes, “Reason ought to be the bottom line to deal with human affairs, and human spirituality ought to assist reasoning in thought and action.”

In December last year, we broadcast the reasons we educate Members to go beyond clerical thinking, which is a first order process.

To create discontinuity from earlier management styles and break from humdrum practice we ceased thinking about more development of our local clerical resources.

More and more, we sought out software to automate our records.

Our Members started to see that such ideas, like Bodhisattva vows, meant something that could be put into action every day.

When we encourage persons to cease exercising trivial managerial power, clerical first order thought vanishes and is replaced by more logical second order thought.

We stop Members from generating “rules” that show output.

We teach our Members and friends to generate more higher order thought than they consume by using our systems.

At first, they complain of reading loads, but as soon as we run speed reading classes, this objection vanishes.

We recognise that seemingly perceptual barriers exist for some Members who cannot or will not cognate the reasons we state as to why Buddha Dhamma mapping, research, preservation and availability as work as output is most important.

We need not cater for other religions too much. We are happy spending no more than 2 per cent of our budget in multi-faith exercises.

The consumers of website information are quite intelligent Buddhist practitioners and feel comfortable with our output.

For example, the Flesch Reading Ease scores of three drafts of this paper were 46, 43.5, 47.4 and 50.7. This is College level (post-secondary school) level.

Our new search engines are part of our culture.

Under the old system we had to work hard to get information from folders, letters, scraps of paper, conversations and telephone enquiries.

Under the current systems, we use our ISYS text retrieval software to find a hundred or more highlighted references in two seconds from our Local Area Network data warehouse on most topics.

In preparing papers for publication, more and more Members can move to read fast and decide on relevance. This speed is so fast, so high, and so quick with our new technology we can navigate across decades of our written history with ease. The past knowledge base is now accessible, however without knowledgeable helpers who can relate the know-how to current paper citations nothing happens to work as output.

We educate our Members to generate our own resources for work as output. We measure quality of writing by several automatic measures.

This week a new database has been installed at our Centre and Members with the vision to see why Buddha Dhamma mapping, research, preservation and availability is most important and listeners are invited to register your interest and be trained to use this modern technology. There is no charge.

We prefer University graduates because they have a common culture with our Members but self-taught technical experts are welcome.

There is no contradiction whatever between Buddha Dhamma and modern technological developments. With a proper attitude of mind and a balanced development, they can be complementary to each other.

Several persons who are expert on LAN software are helping us develop our next high speed LAN. This will hold thousands of photographs.

We say our professionalism increases as we balance development by working closely with technical persons.

A recent milestone is that Mr P. Boswell, a Certified Practising Accountant, has been appointed our financial controller and is working with our President Mr. Julian Bamford, Bachelor of Arts in Applied Recreation on a three-year financial development plan. Mr P. Boswell was an auditor of our accounts for many years, so he understands our priorities.

The next level of English as a Second Language training for those assisting John D. Hughes to prepare the radio broadcast scripts has commenced. Glossaries have been prepared for each broadcast of the uncommon words those who use English as a second language may not recognise. As mentioned, the new basis of our present scriptwriting is to impose some censorship because of the operations of war occurring in this country.

We are selective about who we quote.

For example, we are favourably disposed to the International Islamic Forum for Dialogue.

The International Islamic Forum For Dialogue, based in Jeddha, Saudi Arabia, intends to hold an international symposium for dialogue in cooperation with the World Muslim Congress. High level delegations representing the pontifical council at the Vatican, the World Council of Churches in Geneva and cultural institutions worldwide, as well as an elite of Muslim scholars and thinkers, will participate in the symposium which will be held in Cairo, Egypt, during the period 28 - 29 October 2001.

The aim of the symposium is to discuss recent developments in the world in the aftermath of the events of September 11 and their dangerous impacts at regional as well as world levels, in order to find the safest ways and means of combating terrorism and eradicating its causes, and protecting the world against the disasters of war and the horrid tumult of conflict between cultures and civilizations, in order to lay down an "International Charter of Values" to guide human society towards peace and safe human coexistence.

This week we sent a reply to Professor Dr. Hamid Al-Rifaie, President of the International Islamic Forum For Dialogue. This reply to their briefing information read as follows:

Honourable Sir, Greetings and best wishes for success of the delegates at your Cairo conference on 28-29 October 2001.

At that time, persons of good heart will form together to light up and dispel the darkness of the shadow of terrorism that is within this world and remind ill-advised persons that they are within the human family and to act accordingly.

May Allah be with you and guide you,

May Allah be with you and guide you,

May Allah be with you and guide you.

We would be happy to report the outcome of this conference recommendation when available.

We enjoy general education as well as specialist education.

There are three things we teach helpers to say “yes” to and affirm as general education principles.

Firstly, since general worthwhile education does not come cheap in terms of resources used; it is hard to practice quality general education if you are poor in resources.

We are not poor in educational resources.

The second step we agree on, is that it is vital for Members of our organisation to generate most of their sustainable wealth in Australia and in particular Victoria.

With operations of war, we cannot rely on foreign funding any more.

Finally, as we can find suitable local scholars with interest in the spiritual study fields associated with Buddha Dhamma, we make our resources available to them. They do not need to leave Australia to mature themselves with like-minded persons.

Our Members are encouraged to undertake post graduate research in Buddha Dhamma studies.

We do not mind becoming overtly dependent on overseas educational materials for study, but we aim to generate new education material of significance in Australia.

Naturally, as operations of war become globalised, politicians around the world declare themselves in favour of education that promises to make their respective countries wealthy and their citizens healthy.

There is no doubt that Buddha Dhamma spiritual training can operate in wartime to achieve these two minor blessings.

But to do this we must deliver good censored information in sufficient quantity as work as output.

At present, apart from internal management reports, we publish about two significant papers per week as output.

We wish to raise our output to average four significant papers per week within the next year by December 2002.

If we can achieve this objective we would be well content with the directions of our professionalism.

May all our Members be well and happy and exhibit professionalism as we have defined it.

May our listeners and readers be well and happy and move with the good information needed for the times.

The authors of this script are: John D. Hughes, Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls, Vanessa Macleod, Lisa Nelson, Anita Svensson and Pennie White.

Disclaimer:

As we, the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or an other source accessed through our website(s).

Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

GLOSSARY

CPA: Certified Practising Accountant

e-business: Trade or business performed via the Internet and using electronic mail.

e-commerce: Business performed via the Internet, and using electronic mail .

endogamy: The custom of marrying only within the limits of a local community, clan or tribe (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 1993, Volume 1, A-M p817)

ESL: English as a Second Language. English used by persons whose first language (mother tongue) is not English

Fundraising: An organised activity specifically aiming to generate funds.

kathina: In romanised Pali there is a diacritical mark under the 't', so we have written it as katthina. The word refers to the cotton cloth which was annually supplied by the laity to the Venerable bhikkhus (Buddhist Monks) for the purpose of making robes. (Pali-Text Society Pali-English Dictionary, Rhys Davids and Stede, 1979 p.178). The word is traditionally used to describe the ceremony in which the robes are offered by the lay persons to the Venerable bhikkhus.

Liaise: Establish communication or cooperation, to form a link.

Professionalism: 1. The body of qualities or features, as competence, skill, etc., 2. Engagement in an occupation (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1993)

Victuals: 1. Whatever is required or may be used for consumption to sustain life; food, sustenance. 2. Articles of food; supplies, provisions. Supply stock with sufficient stores to last for some time. (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 1993, Volume 2, N-Z, p3576)

References

Crook, J and Low, J. (1997) The Yogins of Laoakh, A Pilgrimage Among the Hermits of the Buddhist Himalayas, Delhi; Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Ltd., pp. 190-191.

Davids and Stede (1979) Pali-Text Society Pali-English Dictionary, 178.

Ichimura, Shohei (2001) Buddhist Critical Spirituality, Delhi; Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Ltd., pp. 32, 388.

The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) Volume 2, N-Z, p 3576.

Document Statistics

Total:
Words: 3035
Sentences: 156
Paragraphs: 110
Syllables: 4774

Averages:
Words per sentence: 19.5
Sentences per paragraph: 1.4

Percentages:
Passive Sentences: 33

Readability Statistics:
Flesch Grade Level: 12.9
Coleman-Liau Grade Level: 12.4
Bormuth Grade Level: 10.3
Flesch Reading Ease Score: 50.4
Flesch-Kincaid Score: 10.8

Readability Statistics

Displays statistics about the document's readability, such as the Flesch Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease Score. These statistics help you determine if you are writing at a level your audience can understand.

Flesch Grade Level: Flesch Grade Level indicates the Flesch Reading Ease score as a grade level. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Coleman-Liau Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and number of sentences per 100 words.

Bormuth Grade Level: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the average number of letters per word and per sentence. These scores indicate grade levels ranging from 6.3 to 11.6.

Flesch Reading Ease Score: Indicates how easy the document is to read based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. These scores indicate a number between 0 and 100. The higher the score, the easier the document is to read. See the Flesch Scoring Table.

Flesch-Kincaid Score: Indicates the grade level of the document based on the number of syllables per word and number of words per sentence. This score predicts the difficulty of reading technical documents, and is based on Navy training manuals that score in difficulty from 5.5 to 16.3. It meets military readability specifications MIL-M-38784 and DOD-STD-1685.

Flesch Scoring Table

(Reference: Lotus Word Pro Help Files)

For more information, contact the Centre or better still, come and visit us.

May You Be Well And Happy

This Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY.

Please keep it in a clean place.

"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".

© Copyright. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

Back to Top