Non-combat applications/corporate realm

[Ray]

Hello my brothers,
Piti Sihing, I would love to go the Blue Mountain but right now I want to focus on my Shaolin training. But we will surely see each other in the future.

Hi Paul,
In the end that's exactly what I am doing although a part of me hopes to quickly get a change. I'm aiming for getting a new job by Nov 2nd so I can go on a fun weekend camping trip (it's a spiritual retreat in the mountains with a vow of silence. I'm so pumped!)

I want to thank my Shaolin family and Sifu for all of your kind guidance and support. I'm no one special but I am glad that all of you have gained something from the experiences I have shared.

Love,

Ray

[Martin Do]

Great advise Paul Sihing. Thanks for your post.

Best wishes

Martin

[Ray]

Lohan Asks the Way

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I wanted to share some of the personal insights I've gleaned from studying our "Black Tiger Steals Heart" and the pattern "Lohan Asks the Way"
Sifu in his explanation of the first combat explains how during "Lohan Asks the Way" we make use of the four preparations, the three arrivals, and the skills of timing, spacing, and sufficient force. The Black Tiger combat sequence is designed to train these skills and I find that "timing and spacing" as well as the four preparations are extremely useful and important in getting along with others.
Four preparations
Preparing yourself in jing, chi, and shen was extremely helpful to me in getting along with my family or at work. Generating good thoughts, or the "shen" aspect had extremely powerful manifestations as well as listening to your body and smiling from the heart. Most importantly these skills helped keep my heart open so when I was interacting with others I was able to use the skills of "timing and spacing" effectively:
when to listen, when to speak, and when actions speak louder than words
For example when my mom was scolding me about something at first I became defensive and wanted to explain things but then I felt that we were just butting heads so I "took a step back" and let her finish saying everything she wanted to say.
Later on in the day I was able to help my mom out with some English she didn't understand and I praised her for her brightness and it really, really made her happy.
Then in a situation where my sister got really angry at me and I was trying to explain to her that we are not attacking or accusing her of anything I realized that it was falling on deaf ears. So I offered her service instead and managed to unclog her toilet in less than a minute when she wasn't able to do so all evening (good energy flow) and helped her do all the household chores. I am happy that service was the "medicine" that helped open up her heart.

Now in sparring I still have areas to work on. I realize that I keep on retreating back unconsciously when people move forward and I'm afraid to attack which is poor use of timing and spacing. I guess "Experience" and "mental clarity" are the keys here.

Smile from the heart,

Ray

[drunken boxer]

I thought this would be a good time to post on this thread for future reference.
I am getting a good chance to apply taijiquan in a corporate situation right now.

What has happened is that my company has hit financial trouble, with the result that a lot of people in my division will be laid off. As I was one of the last to join the company there is a high chance that I will be one of them. There is a lot of worry, fear and almost panic in our workplace now, low morale etc which is common in these situations.

I am not feeling this panic - I assessed the situation, decided that I was most probably going to lose the job, and began the process of looking for another job.
I am not worried or depressed, in fact I am in high spirits as hopefully those who have met me in the past week or two since the redundancy news could testify.

I will set aims and objectives to help me focus on getting a new job. I am lucky that I now have joined Shaolin Wahnam Manchester so have an excellent teacher in Michael Siheng who is very committed to making us use aims and objectives.

I thought it best to post now to report on the first positive effects. It would be easy to wait until I had another job, then look back on this time too fondly, claiming I was happy and relaxed when I was in fact stressed - hence I thought I would post now.

So the first steps I will take is set aims and objectives helped by Michael Siheng, and rather than bury my head in the sand like some colleagues have chosen and hope it doesn't happen, I will take action following I hope the words of Sun Tzu:

"It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come,
but rather to rely on one's readiness to meet him;
not to presume that he will not attack,
but rather to make one's self invincible."

And in terms of attempting to leave the present company and speak to new companies before it happens:

"Generally, he who occupies the field of battle first and awaits his enemy is
at ease; he who comes later to the scene and rushes into the fight is weary.

And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle
and are not brought there by him."

Of course one nice thing about using philosophies and arts designed for the battlefield, to help solve non-combat problems, is that it makes me grateful that the problem I have is merely a corporate / non-combat one!

Paul

[Ray]

Hey Paul,
Good luck on your job hunt and congrats on joining the Manchester community.

^_^

Ray

[Martin Do]

Hi Paul Sihing,

Congratulations with your approach to the whole situation and best wishes going forward. Its great to read you positiveness in the situation.

I went through a similar thing just over a year ago where the company I worked for was brought out by another company. I hope you won't mind me adding something here. In addition to looking elsewhere, its also well worth looking and the restructuring of the company you are currently in and see what opportunities are there. This is particularly so if you like the people you work with. Even if there are no obvious opportunies suited for you. Its a restructuring process so could you think of a position that will add alot of value to the company that will suite you. If so perhaps you can convince your seniors of this logic.

Best wishes Paul Sihing

Martin

[Racheli]

Hello Paul,

Being focused and in peace with this situation are wonderful advantages you

have.

I'm sure you'll find the best job for yourself.

Enjoy your job hunting!

Racheli

[Grimlock]

Hi Paul,

Your outlook is inspiring -talk about heart of confidence! I, too, am sure you will come out of this in an excellent position.

I look forward to hearing about the new, exciting opportunities you uncover.

[drunken boxer]

Thanks everybody, I probably won't post much more on this for now - I'll get on with the business of jobhunting then I'll put an update on later.

Martin,
I think its a good suggestion you made, I'm struggling to see any such opportunities for myself in this company though as you say, the opportunities may be there, just not obvious.
The external opportunities are currently looking more tempting.
I also think it is very tough to do what you described, so many congratulations to you for achieving it!
I'll pm you for a chat about it.

Paul

[Daniel Jimenez]

Goat Stance and Facilitation

Good day Everyone
Wanted to share with you and the rest of the Shaolin Wahnam Comunity my applications of Tai Chi Chuan to what I do on my everyday life work.
I basically work on the same field that Sifu Piti does and have applied goat stance when talking to people. I have noticed that when I am standing there in front if the audience my speech seems to have more energy, the main concepts I give out to people get across to them faster than it gets when i am standing there "normally". Goat stance, is a perfect way to make your points across easily. I also found out that when standing there (goat stance) I understand the basis of the questions of the participants at the workshops. Allow me to explain a little bit more this point:

Sometimes, participants of a Supervising workshop come up with questions and ask me about better ways to supervise their colaborators. When I am just there... standing normally, trying to understand what they really want, I sometimes have failed to respond accuratelly to their needs. Somehow, when standing on Goat Stance, the "inbetween needs" (fundamental needs) in their questions get across to me (Easier) when I am standing on goat stance.
I can say, to add more knowledge and information to this thread, is that, "It is not what people ask" but "The way I stand" moreover "The way I am standing in general"making me feel more conscious and aware of my body, my thoughts and my feelings.
Also, "The better my stance is... the better my bases are"
I will try in some of my next workshops and interactions other stances and try to find out the results.
Enough for now!
Smile!
and thanks to all the people who have written here.
Regards.
Danny

[parrapiti]

Dear Daniel - I just had a quick image of you teaching "Single Leg and the Art of Public Speaking"...

We just finished a very interesting weekend workshop of the Scholar Project in Toronto - "Shaolin and the Art of Negotiations". It was a fun experience full of good learning for us all. Several of the last entries on this thread are related to concepts that we just "played" with during said weekend:

1. - Verbal Yielding - the conscious use of vulnerability to “disarm” your counterpart and lead the interaction to the most effective level of tension.

2. - Overcoming “Fear to Engage in Combat” – Conflict escalation and conflict resolution as tools of effective negotiations.

3. - “Relaxed and focused” – Preparation of the Body, Mind, Heart and Soul to effectively access all possible “languages” of interaction.

I will write more about these topics and hope to also read comments from all the participants in the Toronto workshop.

[Daniel Jimenez]

Thank you Sifu Piti, looking forward to hearing and reading more about this topic.
Dan

[Goldbake10]

Art of Negotiations in Toronto

The Shaolin Art of Negotiations with Sifu Piti Parra Duque is a rich and unique blend of Harvard Business School and the dynamism and mystery of all that we know to be Shaolin. The course is instructive and fun. I have never laughed so much at "missing the boat" Noneffective negotiating skills were raised a couple of notches or in some cases lowered in emotional tones to find a common threshold were the soil is fertile with possibility. The concept of the threshold as an essential and mutual playing field is an amazing discovery. The need for readjusting, re-stancing and redirecting of energies keep you in the playful game of negotiating. I found the need for closing / absorbing and then re-directing most useful tools. We all spoke in our own unique languages and not so surprising, this is Shaolin after all, we were heard and understood. Thank you Sifu Piti for facilitating the fundamentals of powerful negotiating. Who said that talking about tea or the weather for that matter cannot be used in an negotiation setting. In the end I confirm the biggest negotiation is with oneself. The principle of reciprocity begins with me. Sifu Piti thank you again. Thank you Sifu Emiko for hosting this precious tool in Toronto. I cannot look at a situation without seeing the negotiation possibilities and the joyful outcome.
Joy of Negotiating
Marisa

[parrapiti]

Hola Dannysán!

I am very happy to tell you that I have been invited to teach "Shaolin and the Art of Negotiations" again, and this time closer to you! I will be leading that workshop immediately after Emiko Sije´s Wahnam Taijiquan course at La Montaña Azul (The Blue Mountain) in Costa Rica in August.

I am looking forward to hopefully seeing you there again!

Best regards, my Friend!

Piti

[RyanS]

Shaolin and the Art of Negotiation, con't - Montana Azul, August 2009

Hello Shaolin Family,

I am very excited to once again report from the amazing Montana Azul from an incredible course. I am now back in Dublin and I've been spending a great deal of time absorbing and discovering and confirming a tremendous amount of learning from Sifu Piti's Shaolin and the Art of Negotiation course. Many thanks to Sisuk Piti for this brilliant and illuminating course - it was a special honour to be a part of this session.

I have too much for one post -plus I'd very much like this to flow as a conversation of/through the forum with all of ye- so I will start with a short comment that I think, for me, is the baseline understanding from Sisuk's teachings: the MOST important negotiation we undergo is the active, everyday and near-constant internal negotiation of the entire spectrum of the Warrior/Monk, Yin/Yang, enemy/master dynamic that is within ourselves - and grounding that negotiation in our Smile from the Heart. And within this concept, the word "negotiation" works on two levels of meaning - the basic definition of "a discussion to produce an agreement" but also "succeed in passing through, around or over". From this "negotiation", we will discover the right approach and/or response to anything we find, face or deal with in our lives, grounded in the loving and wonderous teachings of Sigung.

I'm rereading that paragraph and I realize I'm not being concise enough - what Sisuk's course offers to the Shaolin Wahnam family is helping each of us to realize the foundations, techniques and skills so generously taught by Sigung as chi kung, tai chi chuan and shaolin quan can and should (and do) apply to every day, and everyday routines/challenges/interactions.

Sigung's writings and teachings already offer these truths to us - and the structure, language and process of Sisuk's Shaolin and the Art of Negotiation course is primarily aimed at helping us realize this "simple but not easy" understanding of the incredibly powerful gifts the Arts offer to each of us. The course helps a participant "see" how the Shaolin Arts and foundations - e.g., Smiling from the Heart, Safety First, the 4 Preparations and 3 Arrivals, the relationships of/from the Five Elemental Processes, etc - should be applied to EVERY PART of your life, and does so in a way that helps you get by the (sometimes unconscious) separation of a Tai Chi Chuan training regimen or Chi Kung practice, and going about your life day-to-day. And then the course goes on to show you how to enact those applications.

Still running on and around with these thoughts... I read this thread with interest just before taking the course, and I hope to continue the deepening of my understanding, practice and application of Sigung's and Sisuk's teachings through a dialogue about the expansive application of this Shaolin Art of Negotiation with the family here in this forum (and in person, when the opportunities arise). I will be posting more here as there are so many invaluable discoveries and confirmations to share and learn more from, and I look forward to conversing with my brothers and sisters on all this. More to come soon...

A blessing to all,

-Ryan