Number 1 Idea of Emotional Intelligence Leadership Training

Number 1 Idea of Emotional Intelligence Leadership Training

if there's a bigger one. Source thanks to EU sig on Knowledge Management & EI: Book Excerpt- Destructive Emotions how to overcome them : a Dialogue with The Dala Lama narrated by Daniel Goleman

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DALAI LAMA Foreword to Destructive Emotions edited by Daniel Goleman

Much human suffering stems from destructive emotions, as hatred breeds violence or craving fuels addiction. One of our most basic responsibilities as caring people is to alleviate the human cost of such out of control emotions. In that mission, I feel that Buddhism and science both have much to contribute

Buddhism and science are not conflicting perspectives on the world, but rather differing approaches to the same end : seeking the truth. In Buddhist training, it is essential to investigate reality, and science offers its own ways to go about this investigation. While the purposes of science may differ from those of Buddhism, both ways of searching for the truth expand our knowledge and our understanding,

The dialogue between science and Buddhism is a two-way conversation. We Buddhists can make use of findings of science to clarify our understanding of the world we live in. But scientists may also be able to utilise some insights from Buddhism. There are many fields in which Buddhism can contribute to scientific understanding, and the Mind and Life dialogues have focused on several.

For instance, when it comes to workings o0f the mind, Buddhism has a centuries old inner science that has been of practical interest to researchers in the cognitive and neurosciences and in the study of emotions, offering significant contributions to their understanding.

On the other hand, I have often said that if science proves with facts that conflict with Buddhist understanding, ten Buddhism must change accordingly. If upon investigation we find that there is reason and proof for a point, then we should accept it. However, a clear distinction should be made between what is not found by science and what is found to be nonexistent by science. What science finds to be nonexistent, we should all accept as non-existent; but what science merely does not find is a completely different matter. An example is consciousness itself. Although sentient beings, including humans, have experienced consciousness for centuries, we still do not know what consciousness actually is: its complete nature and how it functions.

In modern society, science has become a primary force in human and planetary development. In this way, scientific and technological innovations have been responsible for great material progress. However, science does not have all the answers, any more than religion did in the past. The more we pursue material improvement, ignoring the contentment that comes from inner growth, the faster ethical values will disappear from our communities. Then we will experience unhappiness in the long run, for when there is no place for justice and humanity in people’s hearts, the weak are the first to suffer. And the resentments resulting from such inequity ultimately affect everyone adversely.

With the ever-growing impact of science on our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play in reminding us of our humanity. What we must do is balance scientific and material progress with the sense of responsibility that comes of inner development. That is why I believe this dialogue between religion and science is important, for from it may come developments that can be of great human benefit to mankind.

When it comes to human problems presented by our destructive emotions, Buddhism has much to say to science. A central aim of Buddhist practice is to reduce the power of destructive emotions in our lives. With that aim in mind, Buddhism offers a wide range of theoretical insights and practical methods. We could find ways to make them available to everyone, whether or not they are interested in Buddhism itself.

Passages on China

Passages on China

This extract from Stefan Broda's eyeopening doctorate thesis on China and coming to ternms with Knowledge manaegemnt is an example of the kind of one-page read that suddenly unlocks hundreds of years of compound cultural patterning (albeit some of it already chnaging, and more needing to change, as well as some being what makes that localitiy's character vibrantly different):

In order to understand the Chinese culture, one has to take a look at the country’s history and living environment. And according to Reisach et al. (1997, p. 245), this begins as long as 5000 years ago when the Chinese developed a sophisticated system of agriculture. As land was spare and the preferred staple was rice, it was not possible for small families to live on small remote farms on their own. Also, the lack of land made the breeding of cattle difficult.
The cultivation of rice demanded larger groups, consisting out of many families whose
workforces needed to be organized collectively for different demanding tasks such as
harvesting22. Also, for requirements like water supply, some families had to cut back their own necessities for the sake of the whole village community. That way, the villagers were able to produce sufficient food for survival.
The resources had thereby to be distributed somehow among the group. The situation of
several individuals with the same claims and same status was thereby counter-productive since it led to friction and people spending more time on arguing than working. That is why over time, a hierarchical system evolved. In this system, nobody would be at the same position with another individual which made the distribution of goods more efficient.
Later, Confucius, one of the most important philosophers of Chinese society, formalized the basic rules which determine the position of each member of the society:

Confucius's 5 Unequal relationships:
Ruler over subject
Husband over wife
Father over son
Brother over sister
Friend over friend (acc to age)

Evidence for that can be found in the Chinese language which has words reserved to describe the hierarchical position of each family member. For example, there is no word for ‘brother’ but one for ‘older brother’ (哥哥, gege) and ‘younger brother’ (弟弟, didi). When Chinese are not related to each other, there hierarchical position is also determined by seniority or educational, professional or political achievement (Hu & Grove, 1991).
Confucius lived in a time when the country grew so big that the king could not centrally control it any longer and the nation fell apart into six to sixteen states (Reisach et al., 1997, p. 285). Rulers looked for legitimization of their authority and hired academics to develop philosophical concepts which could be translated into administrative and military systems.
Confucianism and Daoism were the main influencers in that period with the former being made the state philosophy from the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 9 AD) on. Confucius philosophy consisted out of four main ideas:
1. Ruling through compassion and example
2. Relationships as a basis of moral
3. Ritualization of behavior
4. Study and achievement grant access to power
Compassion and love for others (in Chinese described as 人– ren) should be the first
consideration of every individual before any kind of action. This idea is crucial for stability and harmony among the population which became the main enabler of governing the large Chinese country. In a government context, this means that rulers should govern their subordinates with passion and love rather than by rules and regulation. A leader should therefore be an idol for his subordinates, with the highest moral integrity. His people will then serve him with moral respect. This does not only apply to governments but also to business organization where the traditional Chinese boss acts more like a father figure than a professional superior. He does not only care for the professional wellbeing of his employees
but also for their private wellbeing. It is not a rarity that Chinese employees seek their superiors for council on private matters such as marriage problems.