Pricing is to set a price for a commodity/service that people are willing to pay for.
It has nothing to do with the cost of production or the affordability. The selling price is not necessarily higher than the cost price as no profit is guaranteed in free trade. Sometimes the price may be affordable but people are not willing to buy. Sometimes the price may not be affordable, yet people are willing to buy with whatever means. The price depends on the quality of the product and the marketing. Good marketing can sell an inferior product at a price people cannot afford to pay.
Pricing can be a science or an art. The science of pricing is to yield the maximum profit. The art of pricing is to bring the maximum benefit to the world.
Take, for example, my Feng Shui Correspondence Course into consideration. If I price it at $20 including the course books and the yahoo group and wiki group, the I suppose I can sell about 3000 to 5000 a year with good marketing. The profit will be maximized. Scientifically this is the right price. This will allow many more people to understand Feng Shui and to do it themselves. The impact is that no one will care to be a practitioner as there will be no business. This means no one will have enough practical experience and Feng Shui will stop at the theoretical level. There will not be any new findings. Such pricing cannot be considered good pricing as it has a negative effect ultimately.
JY
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
仁者樂山 智者樂水
The benevolent love mountains
The wise love waters.
It means different people have different tastes.
From the Feng Shui point of view, the saying is interesting.
Mountains take care of people 山管人丁
Waters take care of wealth 水管財祿.
Noble mountains can affect the character of people and make them kind and honorable.
Beautiful water can help people do business wisely.
The study of Feng Shui begins with the appreciation of mountains and waters. Mountains and waters are everywhere if you do not take their literal meanings.
JY
The wise love waters.
It means different people have different tastes.
From the Feng Shui point of view, the saying is interesting.
Mountains take care of people 山管人丁
Waters take care of wealth 水管財祿.
Noble mountains can affect the character of people and make them kind and honorable.
Beautiful water can help people do business wisely.
The study of Feng Shui begins with the appreciation of mountains and waters. Mountains and waters are everywhere if you do not take their literal meanings.
JY
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Qi Men Dun Jia 奇門遁甲 (1)
Qi Men Dun Jia is a multi-dimensional analysis of qi. Among the many dimensions, the Three Wonders Six Emblems(San Qi 三奇 Liu Yi 六儀) and Eight Doors (Ba Men 八門) are most important. This is why Qi 奇 and Men 門 become part of the name of the study.
Dun Jia 遁甲 is to make the leader invisible to give command from behind the scene.
In strategic planning, the technique of QMDJ is most rewarding. In the old days, it was used in warfares. Today, most people are going to the battle field everyday. In order to be the winner in the broad sense, the knowledge of QMDJ can be most helpful.
Having said that, I do not want to mislead the reader by exaggerating the power of QMDJ. Whether or not one can win in the battle field depends largely on other more important factors than QMDJ technique. Without good weapons one is sure to lose the war.
JY
Dun Jia 遁甲 is to make the leader invisible to give command from behind the scene.
In strategic planning, the technique of QMDJ is most rewarding. In the old days, it was used in warfares. Today, most people are going to the battle field everyday. In order to be the winner in the broad sense, the knowledge of QMDJ can be most helpful.
Having said that, I do not want to mislead the reader by exaggerating the power of QMDJ. Whether or not one can win in the battle field depends largely on other more important factors than QMDJ technique. Without good weapons one is sure to lose the war.
JY
Monday, July 23, 2007
Apple Sha
Once upon a time, three men - a lousy Feng Shui teacher, a good Feng Shui teacher and a physicist went to visit an apple orchard. When they were tired, they sat underneath an apple tree. Three apples fell from the tree hitting each and everyone's head.
The lousy Feng Shui teacher later taught his students not to sit under an apple tree otherwise they can be hurt by "apple sha".
The good Feng Shui teacher later taught his students that they must watch out for apples falling down as they were gifts from Heaven. All you need to do is to learn how to "fight apple sha".
The physicist discovered the law of gravity. He is the celebrated Sir Issac Newton.
JY
The lousy Feng Shui teacher later taught his students not to sit under an apple tree otherwise they can be hurt by "apple sha".
The good Feng Shui teacher later taught his students that they must watch out for apples falling down as they were gifts from Heaven. All you need to do is to learn how to "fight apple sha".
The physicist discovered the law of gravity. He is the celebrated Sir Issac Newton.
JY
Sunday, July 22, 2007
I Ching Divination
The most satisfying thing to do is to help people solve their problems. In 1997, when I started building my website, I offered free I Ching reading for visitors to my website. After over 1 year, I accumulated more than 500 case studies and compiled my Simple Yijing Divination booklet based on the results. This practical ebook is available for free and readers can use it for simple divination without knowing the theory. The download is on this page:
http://www.astro-fengshui.com/iching/index.html
On this page, there is another ebook that contains a mathematical analysis of a formula used in Plum Blossom Divination 梅花易數. The formula may be the work of Song Dynasty scholar Shao Yong 邵雍 or it may be not. The system, however, has been used for over 1000 years and proved to be accurate.
There may be people who claim that the formula does not cover all 384 cases of a hexagram with exactly one moving line. One arrogant person publicly discredited this system and said that it was an invalid system but he never published any proof. It was just an arrogant wild claim.
At that time I was preparing my materials for my Plum Blossom Divination seminar and I was annoyed by the ignorant arrogance of this person. I put up my little ebook that explained the mathematical analysis of the formula for the public to read. It is on the same page given by the link above. You need the password "ShaoKangJie" to open the ebook.
This ebook contains the only mathematical analysis of the formula to date. If people can point to any published work that precedes my work, he/she is welcome to let me know and I will give the author the credit. I must emphasize that my work provides a clear mathematical explanation together with a proven modification of the formula. Yet, I do not claim that my formula is better than the original formula. This is because the original formula is metaphysically valid and the system is beautiful whether invented by Shao Yong or any other wise person.
When someone has done something illegal, the judicial system will put him in jail. The purpose is to let him repent and correct his mistakes. It is not meant to punish him. That is why the jail is now called the "correctional center". If the offender of the law becomes more bitter and commit more crimes like "libel" after release, it is a pity.
JY
http://www.astro-fengshui.com/iching/index.html
On this page, there is another ebook that contains a mathematical analysis of a formula used in Plum Blossom Divination 梅花易數. The formula may be the work of Song Dynasty scholar Shao Yong 邵雍 or it may be not. The system, however, has been used for over 1000 years and proved to be accurate.
There may be people who claim that the formula does not cover all 384 cases of a hexagram with exactly one moving line. One arrogant person publicly discredited this system and said that it was an invalid system but he never published any proof. It was just an arrogant wild claim.
At that time I was preparing my materials for my Plum Blossom Divination seminar and I was annoyed by the ignorant arrogance of this person. I put up my little ebook that explained the mathematical analysis of the formula for the public to read. It is on the same page given by the link above. You need the password "ShaoKangJie" to open the ebook.
This ebook contains the only mathematical analysis of the formula to date. If people can point to any published work that precedes my work, he/she is welcome to let me know and I will give the author the credit. I must emphasize that my work provides a clear mathematical explanation together with a proven modification of the formula. Yet, I do not claim that my formula is better than the original formula. This is because the original formula is metaphysically valid and the system is beautiful whether invented by Shao Yong or any other wise person.
When someone has done something illegal, the judicial system will put him in jail. The purpose is to let him repent and correct his mistakes. It is not meant to punish him. That is why the jail is now called the "correctional center". If the offender of the law becomes more bitter and commit more crimes like "libel" after release, it is a pity.
JY
Friday, July 20, 2007
Greatest Feng Shui Master?
Some people honour Yang Yun Song 楊筠松(Yang Yi 楊益, Yang Jiu Pin 楊救貧) as the greatest Feng Shui Master in history.
Why? - Just because they claim to be holding his lineage.
Some people honour Jiang Da Hong 蔣大鴻 as the Di Xian 地仙 (Fairy of the Land).
Why? - Just because they claim to be holding his lineage.
The same people may also honour Guo Pu 郭璞 as the Great Grand Master of Feng Shui and claim that the lineage was handed down from him to Yang Yun Song and after many generations to the person himself.
This is just a joke. Feng Shui is a living knowledge. We see further because we can stand on the shoulders of giants. Feng Shui masters who claim to hold lineage are like a dwarf peeping under the trousers of ancient masters.
A young man told me that the most regrettable thing he has done was to promote someone as the grand master. I pointed out (and he agreed) that without having done that, he would not have the foundation to promote himself today.
JY
Why? - Just because they claim to be holding his lineage.
Some people honour Jiang Da Hong 蔣大鴻 as the Di Xian 地仙 (Fairy of the Land).
Why? - Just because they claim to be holding his lineage.
The same people may also honour Guo Pu 郭璞 as the Great Grand Master of Feng Shui and claim that the lineage was handed down from him to Yang Yun Song and after many generations to the person himself.
This is just a joke. Feng Shui is a living knowledge. We see further because we can stand on the shoulders of giants. Feng Shui masters who claim to hold lineage are like a dwarf peeping under the trousers of ancient masters.
A young man told me that the most regrettable thing he has done was to promote someone as the grand master. I pointed out (and he agreed) that without having done that, he would not have the foundation to promote himself today.
JY
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Classical Feng Shui
What is "classical Feng Shui"?
The word "classical" here is used to differentiate it from "newage" and "newage" here almost points to "superstition".
Classical Feng Shui focuses on the study of qi and qi flow.
We must remember that qi can come from Heaven, Earth and Man.
Qi is generated as a result of the interaction between yin and yang.
The human mind is yin and the five (or six or more) senses are yang.
For example, when we see something, the image comes into our mind. The yin and yang react to generate qi. The qi can display joy, sorrow, like, dislike, love or hate. The qi can also initiate the creation or destruction of wealth, creation or destruction of love affairs, etc.
To say that items used in Feng Shui practices are not "classical feng shui" is ignorant of the nature of classical feng shui. However, whether the items are effective, whether the items are useful or harmful depends on the level of understanding of Classical Feng Shui.
JY
The word "classical" here is used to differentiate it from "newage" and "newage" here almost points to "superstition".
Classical Feng Shui focuses on the study of qi and qi flow.
We must remember that qi can come from Heaven, Earth and Man.
Qi is generated as a result of the interaction between yin and yang.
The human mind is yin and the five (or six or more) senses are yang.
For example, when we see something, the image comes into our mind. The yin and yang react to generate qi. The qi can display joy, sorrow, like, dislike, love or hate. The qi can also initiate the creation or destruction of wealth, creation or destruction of love affairs, etc.
To say that items used in Feng Shui practices are not "classical feng shui" is ignorant of the nature of classical feng shui. However, whether the items are effective, whether the items are useful or harmful depends on the level of understanding of Classical Feng Shui.
JY
Monday, July 16, 2007
蜀犬吠日
Shu dog barks at the sun.
Shu 蜀 is the abbreviation for Sichuan 四川 in China. The province is usually damp and foggy. The dogs there do not know what the sun is. Once in a while, the fog clears and the sun appears but the dogs there behave as if they see UFO. One dog starts to bark and many others follow.
There is another proverb: 一犬吠影 百犬吠聲 which translates into "One dog barks at a shadow. Hundred dogs bark at the noise."
When one dog starts barking because it sees a shadow, many other dogs join the chorus and bark just because they hear someone barking.
Does this sound familiar to you?
JY
Shu 蜀 is the abbreviation for Sichuan 四川 in China. The province is usually damp and foggy. The dogs there do not know what the sun is. Once in a while, the fog clears and the sun appears but the dogs there behave as if they see UFO. One dog starts to bark and many others follow.
There is another proverb: 一犬吠影 百犬吠聲 which translates into "One dog barks at a shadow. Hundred dogs bark at the noise."
When one dog starts barking because it sees a shadow, many other dogs join the chorus and bark just because they hear someone barking.
Does this sound familiar to you?
JY
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Video ebook
At last I am able to embed my online seminar recording in an encrypted ebook. This is the most effective way of doing online seminars.
The Feng Shui series provides solid foundation for Professional Feng Shui training. The internet technology is really wonderful.
You are invited to go to my website to download the Feng Shui Tips ebook for free.
JY
The Feng Shui series provides solid foundation for Professional Feng Shui training. The internet technology is really wonderful.
You are invited to go to my website to download the Feng Shui Tips ebook for free.
JY
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Casually thinking aloud
Some teachers of metaphysics claim that they examine the Ba Zi of a potential student before acceptance or rejection into their schools. Mainly this is to avoid betrayal. Some will base on Mian Xiang (face reading) to accept or reject a student.
Confucius said that he offered his teachings to anyone including those who merely gave him some preserved meat as a token of thanks. Well, the preserved meat was only symbolic. In other words, he taught anyone who respected him as a teacher. He taught a lot of students but only 72 followed him through to have great achievement.
I have quite a number of good students. The most comforting thing is that none of them brags about being knowledgeable. There are others who claim to be the best ... There are some others who step on successful people in order to gain recognition. They simply lose their credibility.
We have witnessed some frogs in the well bragging that their bellies are larger than the sky. In order to prove their claims, they inflated and busted their bellies.
JY
Confucius said that he offered his teachings to anyone including those who merely gave him some preserved meat as a token of thanks. Well, the preserved meat was only symbolic. In other words, he taught anyone who respected him as a teacher. He taught a lot of students but only 72 followed him through to have great achievement.
I have quite a number of good students. The most comforting thing is that none of them brags about being knowledgeable. There are others who claim to be the best ... There are some others who step on successful people in order to gain recognition. They simply lose their credibility.
We have witnessed some frogs in the well bragging that their bellies are larger than the sky. In order to prove their claims, they inflated and busted their bellies.
JY
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Free advertisement
One student asked me why I did not do anything to clear rumors and slander. She mentioned that some people bad-mouth me in public mailing lists.
Well, I should thank them for free advertisement. Wise people will be curious to find out the truth through my websites and a lot of them take my courses because of that. Only foolish people believe in what these people write without trying to find out the truth. These are not the people I want to teach anyway.
JY
Well, I should thank them for free advertisement. Wise people will be curious to find out the truth through my websites and a lot of them take my courses because of that. Only foolish people believe in what these people write without trying to find out the truth. These are not the people I want to teach anyway.
JY
Monday, July 2, 2007
Bull Shit
Su Dong Po 蘇東坡 had a bossom friend Fo Yin 佛印 who was a Buddhist monk. One day, they meditated in the monastery where Fo Yin was based. When they came back to this world, Su asked Fo Yin, "what do you see in front of you?"
"A great scholar!" Fo Yin smiled, "and what do you see?"
"A pile of bull shit!" Su Dong Po was making fun of Fo Yin.
The monk smiled with more elegance when he heard Su's remark.
Su Dong Po went home with a light heart. At the door, he met his little sister. She asked why her brother looked so happy.
"Because I won this time." Every time Su was defeated by Fo Yin when they argued over Buddhism and philosophy.
"How?" his little sister asked.
Su Dong Po told her the whole story in high spirits. His sister commented,
"My dear brother, you lost again."
"What?" he protested.
"Fo Yin has knowledge and wisdom in his heart and that is why he saw a scholar in front of him. On the other hand, you had nothing but bull shit in your heart. Who won?"
JY
"A great scholar!" Fo Yin smiled, "and what do you see?"
"A pile of bull shit!" Su Dong Po was making fun of Fo Yin.
The monk smiled with more elegance when he heard Su's remark.
Su Dong Po went home with a light heart. At the door, he met his little sister. She asked why her brother looked so happy.
"Because I won this time." Every time Su was defeated by Fo Yin when they argued over Buddhism and philosophy.
"How?" his little sister asked.
Su Dong Po told her the whole story in high spirits. His sister commented,
"My dear brother, you lost again."
"What?" he protested.
"Fo Yin has knowledge and wisdom in his heart and that is why he saw a scholar in front of him. On the other hand, you had nothing but bull shit in your heart. Who won?"
JY
Firework photo
This is a photo I took last night from my terrace. I didn't know Canada Wonderland was so close by that I could hear the music and explosion as if it was from a neighbour.
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