 This is Think Tech Hawaii, Community Matters Here. Hello, I'm Michael North, and this is the Art of Thinking Smart from beautiful downtown Honolulu in the professional studios of Think Tech Hawaii. You know, word goes out from this studio several hours a day of original programming. And it's amazing what the people here at Think Tech have accomplished in assembling a great group of interviewers and bringing in original guests. I guest host this program along with David Chang of Wells Bridge on a regular basis. So pleased to be here to talk to you about how people can live in a more intuitive way, in a more natural way, in a more effective, efficient way in their professional lives, how they can translate some of the lessons that have been learned by some of the most successful people in Hawaii's society across a broad range of professions. So today we have a lady who served for 30 years as a bureaucrat in the Hawaii State Government in the Department of Transportation, helping to keep the vehicles rolling and the ships churning and everything moving in Hawaii, and had to show a great deal of patience and leadership as she worked in that field for 30 years. And then she had a call, I guess an inner call, that changed her direction. And Diane Fujio, I'd like to hear about what changed for you from being working in the State Government to the choice that you made to study the science of the Dao, which is an ancient way of looking at health and medicine and healthy living. There must have been a moment for you, or maybe a series of moments for you in which your view of who you were and your mission in the world changed. Yes. You know, I was very happy with the job I had working for State Government. I had certain goals that I wanted to do, and when I achieved them I said, okay, this is enough, then I move on. And one of the goals was to see that the office that I was in get automated. You know, we had create a system. And so that was my goal, and it happened, and I was happy. Then my talents were sick, you know, normal aging issues, and they were in a care home, so I wanted to spend more time with them. So I decided to take early retirement. Yeah, so in 2004, in December, I was blessed because you work for the state, you have that privilege. You seem way too young to be retired. Yes, so in 2004... Your energy doesn't say I'm retired. I have more energy now, and many, many retirees say that. But the greater thing is I have more purpose in life, and that's what really rejuvenated me. So I retired in 2004. So if you really want to get something done, retire. No. If you have a purpose, if you retire and just sit around at Alamoana and watch the people go by, no, don't do that because then you age faster. But what I did was I retired and then my parents passed away one by one. Then my sister, who's my older sister who I just adore and love at 62 and a half, passed away from breast cancer. So I had three significant people in my family in a year and a half, passed away. And I said, what is happening? You know, what does this all mean to me? And of course, in my own family situation, I had my own challenges. I have two sons and they had, I say had, mental health issues. But I had thought, I was dealing with it pretty well. You know, I joined NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. I was on their board. I was very active. You know, we had a good routine for them. They were seemingly happy, you know, and at that time, I just sheer coincidence. I thought it was coincidence, but nothing is a coincidence I learned. I met a woman who offered me a blessing. She had left a flyer down in a woman's exercise facility right next to the Avon and the Tupperware. And I would never pick something up like that, you know, but I picked it up and I called her and we met. And at that time, I had a frozen shoulder. I could not lift my arm higher than this. And that's, you know, pretty. Oh yeah, I can dance, I can move, I can do a lot of things. I had to quit my favorite exercise, which was Hula because of my shoulder and my knees. I had arthritis. You can see I have nods in my fingers. And so I couldn't do the things I love, you know, physically. She opened her book and she said, close your eyes. And I was peeking and watching her and she was reading from the book. And so I said, oh, in my mind, I'm thinking, she doesn't know what she's doing. Okay, I'll just be polite and say thank you. So I told her thank you and I left. A week later, she calls me and she goes, how is your shoulder? I went, oh my goodness, I can raise my hand. I can do this. I can do, I want to take you to lunch. I want to know what you did. And then I told her about my sons, because I don't often talk about, you know, them because of the stigma. Personal. Personal, yes. So I shared it with her and she said, you know, there's my teacher is coming to town and he's doing a workshop. You might want to check it out. So you said something a couple of minutes ago, you said, nothing is a coincidence. I want to try to apply that to everyone's life, because we all live in the same sphere of human interaction. And we all are subject to the same natural laws, both of psychology and physics and so on. What do you mean by nothing is a coincidence? I mean something, they just, they just happen and they happen, they seem to connect, but there's no common cause. Well, I'm talking about the major incidents in your life. I'm not talking about the everyday stuff, the major incidents in your life. In our practice, we believe that everything is related to karma. Karma is the cause and effect. What you do today affects you tomorrow. Is that the meaning of the word karma? Karma in our practice is just good and unpleasant experiences collectively. All experiences. And it's like having a bank account in heaven. Like what you do when you do kind, loving, good acts to people, this gets put into your virtue bank. So if I'm working in a job in a bank downtown and I've been a good bank teller for the last eight years, and all of a sudden, a notice comes that says your services are no longer required and you'll be out of a job in two weeks. Should I judge that as a result of karma, of something that I did to cause it? Well, let me explain a little bit more about karma. It's not only what you've done in this lifetime, it's all lifetimes. Because in our practice, we believe in many lifetimes. And so what happens is you're, say you're a minister, you're just a kind, loving man, just do so much service, help people, but all of a sudden your wife says she's going to leave you, you get cancer, and your youngest son gets into a fatal car accident. What is that? What did you do to deserve that? Yes, but lifetimes. We lived in our past lifetimes where we weren't so kind and loving. We didn't have the huge wisdom that we have now. We didn't have the internet. We didn't have access to everything. So when something like that happens, what is our correct response? Then? If we recognize everything that you say and we accept that, okay, back in 1650, there was a soldier who killed an innocent young child without justification, and now I'm paying for it because my brother just got cancer. And you accept and you make that connection. How do you absorb that? What is the meaning that you take from that? So what we do is, first of all, we really think this is now giving us an opportunity. We are grateful. This is our opportunity now to change something that we didn't know about, you know, consciously or unconsciously. We didn't know about it. So this is a blessing to us because why now we can do something about it, okay? The second thing is we can offer our sincere forgiveness because when you know you hurt someone, when you know you've done something to harm someone, block them on their spiritual journey, you really feel regret. So you offer your forgiveness. You ask forgiveness and you forgive yourself. So we do a forgiveness. So the first step is gratitude. Gratitude, because it's something we didn't know about. Even that person who cuts you off on the free way, you say, thank you so much for cutting me off. Well, I sometimes say, just bless you. You must be in a hurry. I forgive you. And you know, it's really, I wake up called, it's a text message from Heaven saying, look, you have to pay attention. Something's going on. That's out of balance here. So let's help you. You do the forgiveness and then you offer. So what happens if you don't? What happens if you go back into being a victim or you're blaming somebody else or you're just plain angry and you reject the lesson that's being offered? What happens? That's okay too, but who's unhappy? Who's living in that kind of life who will continue to have that kind of life? You will. You know, sometimes the lesson gets louder. Sometimes it just stays the same, but it's enough because you're not happy. You know, I was not happy. I really didn't understand all the spiritual. I really wasn't spiritual at all. At three years old, I had trauma happen to me and it affected me and I really felt depressed, but I was a high functioning depressive. I didn't know anything about mental health or issues with mental health until it was brought to my attention through my sons, but I was really depressed. I would go to work and put on a happy, cheery face and I'd come home, I'd be exhausted. And then my immune system, having arthritis, high cholesterol, aches and pains in my bodies, having to take naps all the time and really I had no joy. I have so much joy now. I have so much happiness. So one of the lessons may be pay attention to how you're feeling and what's happening and don't repress it, don't redefine it, face it, find a way to make it meaningful. And I was so fortunate because that woman left that flyer and that was the beginning of my connection to Master Shaw. Let's take a break for a moment and we'll come back to talk about Master Shaw. I'm very interested to hear more. This is Think Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. This guy looks familiar. He calls himself the ultra fan, but that doesn't explain all this. He planned this party, planned the snacks, even planned to coordinate colored shirts, but he didn't plan to have a good time. Now you wouldn't do this in your own house, so don't do it in your team's house. Know your limits and plan ahead so that everyone can have a good time. We all play a role in keeping our community safe. Every day we move in and out of each other's busy lives. It's easy to take for granted all the little moments that make up our every day. Some are good, others not so much. But that's life. It's when something doesn't seem quite right that it's time to pay attention. Because only you know what's not supposed to be in your every day. So protect her every day. If you see something suspicious, say something to local authorities. All right, we're back now with Diane Fugio. And we were talking about, she said Master Shaw or Doctor Shaw. And Doctor Shaw is a teacher of an ancient form of wisdom called Tao. I know a little bit about it. I know that it's the foundation of Chinese wisdom and that the central principle of Tao is that the center of everything is stillness. Right? Nothingness. From nothingness comes everything. And if you're able to center yourself in stillness, then you can create anything or resolve anything. And that's a central principle of the healing that he does in the principles of Chinese medicine. And the kind of thing that you described where a person is able to say or think or do something that has an impact on you mentally and emotionally that you don't even know about, can actually have. It's not magic. It's a science in the sense that there's an observable cause and effect. It's not a science in the sense that you can replicate it in a test tube in a laboratory. It doesn't mean that it's not real. Right? So I'm just summarizing a little bit of what I've learned about what Master Shaw teaches and where you see a little bit of video of him here while you talk. Maybe you can correct me and tell me if I got that right. If there's more that I need to know, that the rest of us need to know about what he teaches. That's a great summary that you just shared about the Tao and Master Shaw. Because when I went to China in 2005, their wisdom, ancient wisdom, 2,000, 4,000 years old, I realized, my goodness, we Americans, we're babies, our history and our culture and what we know is so little. Of course we have the technology so we're far advanced in that respect. But the Tao that I know is the way of all life. It is everything and nothing. You can study it for years and years and still not master it. Master Shaw is like my guide who has opened me to the Tao. It's not a textbook Tao where you memorize and we do memorize chanting and mantras. But it's not a textbook study. It's not a mind study. You cannot master the Tao through your mind. Otherwise only the brilliant would be able to understand the Tao. Lao Tzu, you know? Well Lao Tzu says only the ignorant man can truly understand the Tao. And that was my joy to understand that because I didn't have a head for all of this thinking and realizing and philosophy and it was so much. But you know what? I knew at my heart when it felt right. The heart intelligence is the most important. When you open your heart, they have a saying in the Tao. In our Tao chanting, Ming Shen Zhen Xing, open the heart to see the true way. You have to open your heart. And so when I did that, I really understood things at the greatest level. And then I was empowered then to be the driver of my own destination. They call it Tao creation or reverse creation. Then I realized everyone can harness the Tao and their infinite possibilities and hope. I went back and played all the time that I was working at the state. If I had this empowering wisdom back then, I would really be able to help people and help them. Would it have helped you do a better job? Exactly. And be more fulfilled in the job. But even now at this point where I am, I can go back and I give blessings. I apologize. I honor the people that I work with. And that is serving them because the Tao has no time, no space. So that sounds like sort of principles of leadership. Excellent. Another quotation from Lao Tzu is that when the job of the great leader is complete, the people say we did it ourselves. Can you comment a little bit about that? Because a lot of people here are in leadership roles in their companies and in their families, their community. And we are always looking for new inspirations, new ways to view leadership. As leaders, we must know ourselves. We must know everything good and everything not good about us. And who reflects the... So a leader is self-aware. Self-awareness. And you must also know the people that you work with. You have to find their passion, their heart. So you're open, you're listening. You're open, you're listening. And you try to help them find their passion and what they love. Everyone has natural abilities and others can develop. So you're caring about their needs. Exactly. For the people who work for you, for example. And all the other stuff that they have to do comes. Open, listening, caring. Take us further. Heart-centered. Heart-centered. What does that mean? You know, people go through a lot of things in their lives and we have to be caring and loving. In the state it was very easy because we have so much vacation and sick leave, but people don't have motivation because there's really very little room to let people go. So it's our job. It was our job to develop them. And I had people, when I started working, that hated the job that they did because they didn't want to work with the public. And you would think as a manager, why did you take this job? So you want to communicate your passion for the job so that they care about their work? Yes. So you really have to find out what makes them happy and find a way to help them. So it's not a matter of just telling them what to do. You have to fit into the shoe, yes. You wear the shoe no matter what. Follow my orders, do this, A, B, C, D, and you'll be okay. That's not enough to be a manager. Yes. You have to know each person as a person, you know, and see them as that, and hold them in that respect and really respect them, really, because most people want to do a good job. They truly do. When you honor and respect them, they will do the best job for you. Yeah. And you know, they say not to make friends with your employees. Well, there's a way of that line, that fine line of respecting and honoring them, but yet not being too friendly so that you favor anyone over the other. Right. And so there is a distance, when there's a need for corrective criticism, then you have ability to say that without stimulating a negative reaction. So one of the best ways that I find that helps me now, because that woman who actually did the blessing for me that opened the doors for me to Master Shaw, she and I became co-directors, and we started the first center for Master Shaw in Hawaii in 2009. We both had no business background. You know, I was retired and I worked for state government, so I don't know anything really about hard business, and she was a semi-retired teacher that did substitute teaching. So the two of us got together, and what we did, because we were taking classes from Master Shaw, we had open spiritual channels. These are so communication channels, where you can connect to the outer soul world, like heavenly beings and, you know, highest Buddha, Lao Tzu, you can connect to them, and you can hear their message. This takes, it's a practice, and you have to do certain things and build your energy. That's something you have to, you have to have faith, you have to believe in that. You have to get the mind out of the way, because in our practice, soul is the boss. Soul is the boss. Soul is message. Soul is information. Yes, it's the golden light being, the body soul is the golden light being, the essence of who you are, but it is also information. So when you want to change the message to the higher message of love, forgiveness, compassion and light, then you're going to connect to the higher sources. You can even connect to the Tao source through that. And so we had open spiritual channels, and we do everything by guidance. But that doesn't mean we just sit in the room and meditate all day long, and then just let heaven do everything for us. No, it's the yin and the yang. The yin is the spiritual. The yang is the physical. And when you have those together, working hand in hand, you can do anything. Now, everything that came to us, we did our homework. We went to the Small Business Association, we went to get help, we sought out a lawyer, we did all of the things that you need to do when you're doing a startup business. We had a business plan. But then we used our guidance. We did our homework. Okay, Diane, a little challenge as we come to the close of our time together. I want you to think back to all of your colleagues working for the state of Hawaii. And there are tens of thousands of them here in the state. And look and talk to them. And tell them what it is that you've learned, what you would like to say to them. You know, my dear colleagues, you need to be brave and have courage. You need to think beyond what you know. You need to tap into the highest that you can be and really know that your job is about serving. Your job is not only serving the public, as you know, that's so understood, but really about serving the people that you work with, the departments that you interact with, and everyone. Bring the highest service into the job, and you will find excellent, creative ways to meet everyone's needs. So how can people find out more about what you're talking about and maybe connect with you? There's a website? There's a website. You can find us on www.drsh.drsh.com and slash Hawaii, because that's the center here in Hawaii. There's an international network, I know this is on the map. Yes, global. Germany. We're one of nine centers. And do you know Hawaii is one of the most successful? I can imagine. Because we have aloha in our hearts. Yeah, we have a head start. Yes. The sunrise gives us a head start. Yes. The rainbows give us inspiration as we go through today. Yeah. So thank you so much. Oh, thank you, Michael. Good to spend time with you again. Oh, I just enjoyed this. I know these ideas have gone forward to a lot of people today. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Thank you. So we'll be back again soon with another episode of The Art of Thinking Smart. Aloha and thank you. I went back to my master's. They, we were