Q: How do we get away from the pressures of our profession?

M: There is no gain without pain. Any profession has pressure. You can ask anyone if they don’t have pressure. Even if they do housework, they have pressure. If you raise your own children, you have pressure. So, what do you do?

Q: I teach Chinese literature.

M: Do the students give you pressure?

Q: The students complain and there’s competition between colleagues. So we have the problem of competing in a very vigorous professional field to get our tenure.

M: Why?

Q: Because every junior faculty member has to go through an evaluation period of five or six years before their job can be secured. So there are teaching evaluations, scholarships and publications, and it’s a highly competitive field. A lot of times we’re left with no time and I know that everyone has this problem of no time, but in our case there’s simply no time to do anything more relaxed.

M: Rushing all the time.

Q: Right, and then I lose patience. I used to be a very patient person but I don’t think I am anymore.

M: So, there’s a lot of pressure. Do you also do housewife work at home?

Q: No.

M: Just your professional work?

Q: Yes. When I go home I write and try to do research for publications so I can get tenure as a professor. I’ll lose my job if I don’t get that.

M: Do you like this job?

Q: It’s enjoyable to a certain extent.

M: Would you prefer to do something else? Never mind any doctrine about what you should or should not do: Would you prefer to do something else?

Q: No, that’s the thing I like to do.

M: Then continue with that and pay the price. What makes you always be in such a hurry? Why don’t you have time?

Q: There’s so much that you have to finish. For example, once you finish preparing for a class, you have to take care of the students and you have a commitment to the publications.

M: Yes, and then you have to read more homework.

Q: But Master, You’re very busy Yourself.

M: No, I’m not really busy. Look, I’m just sitting here talking. Does it look like I’m busy doing anything? (Laughter)

Q: But when you’re busy, do you lose your temper?

M: I do! I lose it all the time, even when I’m not busy! (Laughter) No, of course when you’re busy, you have more pressure. But that’s normal, OK? Forgive yourself. Be cool if you can, but if you cannot, then just be yourself. Hold something in your hand or wear something for the times you get angry or you lose your temper.

Q: Squeeze it?

M: Yes hold it, just to remind yourself. Squeeze my picture or whatever. You can also cut out things that are unnecessary. For example, in your teaching of Chinese literature, select only the best. Don’t read any other garbage; otherwise you read too much, which takes up all your time. You should know by now which ones are the best so choose things that are more spiritual and more nourishing for the students.

Choose what you like best and use it; that will be good for them, too. They also don’t need to know too much garbage about Chinese literature. Any literature contains garbage! So pick out what you enjoy best, and limit it only to certain subjects. Don’t read just anything. It’s difficult, but over time you will know which ones you should select and read. Find it on your own so you can give that out to the students.

Select it well. If you don’t know or if someone else recommends something, research it somewhere like the Internet. See which are the best, the most crisp, the most profitable for the students and the ones you also enjoy. That way you won’t have to spend a lot of time researching things that are not really fruitful. It will save you time.

And if you have to read their homework, read it fast. You have to learn speed-reading. That will help you, too. You can read one book in a few minutes. So invest some time to learn this, which will help you tremendously when you have to read books and review students’ homework. This will also save you a lot of time. OK, what else is it that takes up your time?.

Q: Competition and a sense of insecurity.

M: No, there’s no competition with anyone! Just do what you do, and if you lose, you lose, all right? Be a good loser. Look here: That’s what makes problems for you. You want this position too much. Don’t want it; just do it for fun. Do it to help the students gain knowledge. Do it for the self- fulfillment of your life. If you lose a job, you lose it. Forget the job. You don’t do it for the job; you do it to pass your day in a perfect way, the way you want to.

Just do your best but forget the job. When I do a painting, I never think about selling it. I do whatever I feel like doing because it’s just for me. And that’s how it works. You do it for yourself; do what you want. If you get the job, fine; if you don’t get the job, there’s another job to do. So don’t need the job too much.

Q: But what if you don’t perform well?

M: No, it’s not that! Do your best but forget the job. Don’t do it to get the position; do it for the students’ knowledge and for your own fulfillment. Have fun! Have fun with your job. Forget about the position. If you do it just to get the position, then I’m sorry but you’re cheap. So, don’t do it for anything. Do it to help the students gain the best knowledge you can offer. Give them the best that you know; meanwhile you’re fulfilling yourself because you’re doing your best. You’re not doing it for competition, understand? That’s the best way to do any job. Don’t worry about the position. (Applause)

Even the president of the United States: Do you know how much time is spent campaigning and how many millions of dollars are wasted every year just to get into office for only four years? And sometimes the candidates even lose all their money and don’t get anything. So your effort is not much. It’s nothing. You make money while they may lose it. They don’t even know if they’ll become president; if not, they lose all the money. My God! I feel sorry for all the money they spend. (Laughter)

So you’re doing this good job for the benefit of the younger people. You’re doing your best, giving what you think is best for them. That’s how you feel the best about yourself, and if the world gives you this position, it’s fine, it’s God’s will. If not, you know you did your best and that’s the best reward. That’s your reward and that’s your position - in your heart. It’s being the best professor, that’s all, not to get the job or to gain more money. That’s cheap. We’re practitioners. We don’t think about that.

And there’s one other thing as well: You’re never sure if you’ll live another day to get that position or this position. (Laughter and applause) Most pressure we give to ourselves. You’re not even sure if you’ll live until tomorrow. So, don’t say, “I’ll sit here and wait for five years until I get that professor job.” What pressure! Sometimes we can’t help it because we work with other people and they give us pressure for nothing because they’re stupid. It’s true. We have to work with idiots sometimes; it’s sad but that’s the way it is. But if we can control it by taking things into our own hands, we do the best we can and that’s it.

For example, if you go into work and say, “OK, here it goes again. ‘This job may not be good enough for me,’” then you have to think right away, “Who knows? Maybe this is a good company. Maybe I’ll get a promotion. Maybe I’ll be paid better here; maybe it’s a better environment; maybe it’s a better job; maybe there’s a better working atmosphere here; maybe I’ll meet a boyfriend here or maybe I’ll even get married to the boss next year. Maybe he’ll love me so much. I’ll inherit the whole company.” (Laughter) Why not? Who knows? Who can guarantee that you won’t have that?

But if you say, “This will never happen; it’s impossible!” how do you know that all those negative things you’re thinking will be possible, anyway? Who can guarantee both sides? So just think positively. Then, even if it doesn’t come true, it won’t cost you anything. At least you’ve tried a new job and had fun getting to know new people. That’s exciting. Even if you don’t like that job, you’ll still have plenty of chances to get out. Getting in is difficult; getting out is easy. You know that. So you have choices all the time. If you don’t like one job, you can get others until you find the one you like. So, just have fun.

Be patient and give yourself time to get used to the environment and your colleagues; have fun with them. Get to know new people; you can learn from them. They might teach you something new or acquaint you with other new people. They might teach you something you didn’t know or take you to a new restaurant that you like, or maybe you’ll find an apartment that’s better than you ever thought. So, just try it. The worst thing is only that you might lose that job because you can’t find an apartment or you didn’t get paid enough money. Then you’ll know, but until then don’t give an answer yet. Just do it first.

Think to yourself, “What would the Master do in my position?” Try to think, “OK. What would She do now? Would She run away? Would She think as I do now, or would She just try? Would She think about the positive things and hope for the best?” Or, you can think of what Jesus would think right now. Think of what Buddha would think right now. Think of what the God inside you would like to do right now in your situation. Think; use your God inside as your guide and have fun. A job can be fun; new colleagues can be fun; a new company can be fun.

Just make it a fun adventure. Adventure is full of risks, right? No one can guarantee you that if you go to Africa you’ll find a rhinoceros and ride on it and then your picture will be on CNN. No, maybe the rhino will kill you! But that’s the fun of adventure.       << Contents  >> Refer this page to friends