Meditation in Indonesian Business

It looked like a typical business meeting．Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table．But instead of consulting files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings．Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception．One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making．But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped boost the profits of his five companies．

Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants．Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java．Legends attribute magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah．These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and fasting．

Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past．‘If we want to employ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hole onto money or he is untrustworthy．Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired．’ Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal qualifications are essential for a candidate even to be considered．Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation．‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be objective in judging the risk of a new venture．Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition．Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful．’ Mystic meditation helped reverse a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980．Operating with normal business procedures, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone．Meditation brought back his peace of mind．Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability．The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan - the ‘search for the inner self．’

One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking．‘Willpower and subconscious mind are recognized as important factors in business．Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,’ he said．

1．What is the most important factor in their doing business?

[A] Mysticism．

[B] Religion．

[C] Meditation．

[D] Investment．

2．Whom do they consult?

[A] The spirits of ancient Javanese kings．

[B] Wali Ullah．

[C] Old Kings．

[D] Carnegie．

3．Why did Hadisike hasten to add ‘his companies also hold modern personnel management systems…’?

[A] He thought Mysticism was not so good as expected．

[B] To show they too focused on qualifications．

[C] To show they hired qualified persons．

[D] To show the possibility of combination of the scientific management with religion．

4．According to the passage, the function of the meditation is

[A] to gain profit from the god．

[B] to gain peace of mind to make decision．

[C] to gain foreknowledge．

[D] to gain objective conclusion．

5．What does ‘operating with normal business procedures’ refer to?

[A] Adopting the western way of doing business．

[B] Ordinary way of doing business without meditation and fasting．

[C] Contact with God．

[D] Putting right persons in the right jobs．

Vocabulary

1．file into　魚貫而入，排隊進去

2．Jakarta 　雅加達

3．meditate 　沉思，冥想，反省

4．Java 　爪哇

5．Javanese 　爪哇的

6．mysticism 　神秘主義

7．boost 　促進，增加，提高

8．devout 　虔誠的，熱誠的

9．appeal (to) 　向……呼吁，求助于，魅力

10．legend 　傳說，神話

11．fasting 　禁食，齋戒

12．hold onto　抓緊，保住

13．personnel management system 　人事管理制度

14．perspective investment 　遠景投資

15．venture 　(商業)投機，風險

16．sharpen 　使……敏銳/尖銳，磨尖

17．business slide 　買賣/企業滑坡，下滑

18．turn around 　(生意)好轉，轉變

19．subconscious　下意識的，潛意識的

20．cybernetics　控制論

21．Carnegie 　卡耐基

22．tap 　開拓，選擇

難句譯注

1．Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception．

「參考譯文」在印尼神秘主義似乎涉及到印尼生活的各個方面，商業也不例外。

2．Those devout traders， called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God， ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java．

「參考譯文」這些虔誠的商人，叫做Wali Ullah，或者“接近主的人”，把他們的祈求呼吁跟爪哇當地的神秘主義相結合。他們通過這一途徑積極熱情地拓展商業買賣和宗教信仰。

3．Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability．

「參考譯文」恰當的工作崗位使用合適的人選，對企業決策具有信心使形式好轉的關鍵。它給你帶來拓展和利潤。(或任人唯賢，指揮若定使扭虧增盈，大展宏圖的關鍵。)

4．Search for the inner self．

「參考譯文」探索內心的自我。

5．Such approaches as psychocybernetics， Carnegies think and growth rates， or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation．

「參考譯文」類似心理控制論、卡耐基思想、增長率、或者積極思考能力等觀點是西方開拓高智能的辦法，而我們是通過沉思冥想來和高智能聯系的。

寫作方法與文章大意

這是一篇新聞報導，講述印度尼西亞商人如何經營公司。主要采用一般到具體寫作手法。一開始就點明他們以獨特的方式――不看文件，不聽匯報，而是閉上眼睛沉思，向古代帝王的精靈請示來經營。這種神秘主義幾乎涉及印尼生活的各個領域，商業也不例外。后面每段都圍繞這一主題而寫。第二段寫來源。第三段，應用于商業方面的具體例子，第四段，和西方管理方法對比。

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PETS考試報名/全國英語等級考試報名時間

2017年全國公共英語考試(PETS)介紹

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