Interview with a Community Leader
Bro. Chim Siew Choon

Texts by Cheong Wee Wong

Have you come across any visionary leadership throughout your career in Dhamma work? How has that encounter influenced you or your leadership style?

I know a few mitras who have good leadership qualities. I have also heard and read about visionary leadership of a few Buddhist leaders who were very successful in bringing people together around a shared vision and in achieving success together. They have built temples and propagated the Dhamma effectively. They built institutions of higher learning and hospitals based on Buddhist values. Learning about their contribution to society certainly influenced my thinking and perception of leadership.

You have been the President of Subang Jaya Buddhist Association [SJBA] since 1991. Throughout these years, how has your leadership style changed?

SJBA has been led by the collective leadership of the Executive Committee all these years. I am just a member of the team entrusted with the leadership role. We have a collective vision to build our Association to what we aspire. It is most fulfilling that throughout all these years, though we have a few Exco members that have come and gone, most of us in the Exco are able to work together as a team with great dedication and commitment, in peace and harmony. Together with our members and devotees, we have built our Association to what it is today.

In the early years of our existence, we were driven by the vision to build a Buddhist temple and make it a centre of excellence for the propagation of the Buddha’s Teaching and promotion of the Buddhist Way of life. The mission to build a Buddhist temple helped to rally many people to our cause. We had been successful in getting a piece of state land and then in raising funds to build the temple. Many members and devotees came together with a shared sense of purpose to build the temple and to organize and participate in the various Dhamma, community and fellowship activities.

As the years went by, after we had built our temple, we realized that the friendship and spirit of caring and sharing needed lots of improvement. Friendship and caring for others are very important teachings of the Buddha. When we say we should practise the Buddha’s Teachings, we should not forget these two important aspects, besides other things such as performing Dāna, observing Sīla and practising Bhāvanā. Therefore in 2003, we decided that we should shift our focus towards developing our Association into a “friendly, caring and sharing, spiritually and community-based Dhamma Centre”. Our Exco members were expected to walk the talk and lead by example. We hope our members and devotees would respond accordingly to make our temple a better place for everyone.

Did you maintain the same leadership style or were there a mixture of styles for different occasions and needs? Can you please elaborate?

I am a team-member and I enjoy doing things together with my colleagues. Of course there are times when I need to make fast decisions and I will not hesitate to do so with the full confidence that my colleagues in the Exco have complete trust in me: that my actions are for the good of the Association, the community and the Sasana. Similarly, we have an empowering and trusting relationship with the other Exco members as well as with many of our active members, who align (themselves) and share with us a common sense of purpose. When we delegate tasks to our members and devotees, we fully empower them and trust them in completing the tasks successfully without asking for anything in return.

You have obviously led SJBA to greater heights since then. But at that time, did you know to where you were heading?

Like I said before, SJBA is led by the Executive Committee. I was (merely) entrusted with the role of President, even though there are other more competent members (for the post). All these years, we were very clear on where we were heading to. Today, we are still clear on our directions, that is (to develop) a friendly, caring and sharing, spiritually and community-based Dhamma Centre.

Was there any major change of directions and why was there need to do so?

We have been successful in building our Temple and organizing many Dhamma, cultural, and fellowship activities. However, we have still not been able to develop a cohesive community of kalyana mitras who come together in good times and in bad times. It is easy to get friends in good times and in times of celebration. But it is far more important that we should come together in times of adversity, trouble and suffering. I notice that our members and devotees are still not forthcoming in their support when someone amongst us experience the death of a beloved one. We hope to be able to change this.

What was the greatest challenge you faced during your term as the President of SJBA?

[Smile] To maintain the peace and harmony amongst our members, devotees and volunteer helpers as we continue to work as “a Team for the Sasana”.

Is there anything more you wish to see accomplished (by SJBA)?

In the longer term, I hope we can build a hospice to provide care and support for dying patients so that they can live as comfortably as possible in the Buddhist way, until they pass away.

Bro. Chim, you seem always energetic and untiring in serving the community. What motivates you? What keeps your passion for Dhamma work alive?

[Chuckle] The happiness of seeing so many people becoming joyful after contributing to the temple, the Association and the community, greatly motivates me. And as I continue to work with these people who are happy to serve, my passion for Dhamma work continues to grow as well!