20191006持戒護生愛物命 Helping People with the Three Kinds of Giving 中英
Why are some people rich? Why are some people poor? It is predestined. If everybody made their living, who would do the farming? Where does rice come from? It comes from rice paddies. If everybody steals for a living, would we have rice to eat?
If farmers quit farming and start stealing, what would it be like? We need to think in this way. Some people cannot understand why I bother to collect cardboards; they think that it is much easier to beg. I told them that I am not a beggar. It is good that I collect recyclables. I’m not ashamed to collect cardboards. I use my labor to do it.
We believe that everyone should have a chance to create blessings; we’d encourage people to do it even if they were beggars. So, when we first saw him, we approached him and asked if he’d like to donate some money. To inspire him to give with love is the most important.
We don’t even have enough money to buy food, let along give donations. I have to take care of my two mental illness children.
I told him not to worry and passed RM 5 to him, and told him that he could donate the money with his own hand. This way, the money was his and he could use it to do good. Then, he put the coin in the donation box.
For those people who understand about giving and truly want to donate with love, they definitely know to respect themselves. When they do so, they know to take care of their conduct and refrain from wrongdoings. Whoever can refrain from wrongdoings are able to uphold precepts. They do not do wrong things. They can uphold percepts, so they are able to donate money, serve amongst people, and remain pure-hearted.
People like this do not steal money or things from others. Not only do they serve amongst people, they also do not do things that harm others to have personal gain. No matter what profession they are in, they do not take advantage of people. So, we must not take money or things from others. We do not take things that don’t belong to us nor should we encroach upon others for things we do not deserve.
Therefore, in giving material, those who uphold precepts will not covet the money or property of others; they share their wealth with others. Not only do they not seek after other’s property, they share their money, their property with others. “As I have this, everyone else should, too. As I enjoy this, everyone else should, too. “Only when everyone can live a stable life rather than face great economic inequality, can society be harmonious. Such is to give materially.
Such is to give materially, it will only relieve them from the suffering of this life. That is not as good as listening to the Dharma; one verse or one sentence of the wondrous Dharma, people can gain a deep understanding of it. The Dharma is great help to people, so, people ought to know about the Dharma.
Tzu Chi volunteers go on relief missions with love; at a time when people need help the most, volunteers go and help them live a safe and stable life. At such a time, affectees will realize that, this religious, Buddhism, can bring people help. Such is how people can encounter the Buddha’s teachings, and gain a deep understanding of it by listening to one verse or one sentence. This is truly important.
Hence, to spread the Dharma brings lots of merits. A person who truly spreads the Dharma will be able to showcase the importance of the Dharma for humanity without hurting Buddhism’s reputation. The Buddha taught the Bodhisattva Way hoping we could understand how to walk the Bodhisattva Path, and not just walk it, but also share with others, “this is the way we do things.”
Thus, in giving the Dharma, those who share the Dharma can help others become enlightened. Hence, let us not only do good deeds; after we listen to the Dharma, let us also be those who share the Dharma. We want to share with others the Dharma we know. We want other people to know the Dharma we know. We want other people to gain insights into the Dharma like we do. This is the giving of Dharma.
Besides giving material things and the Dharma, the most important thing is to give “no fear” to all living beings. Now that we’ve given material things and we do not harm others, we need to furthermore share our happiness and what we have with others.
After we’ve calmed people’s hearts and solved their problems, we share the Dharma with them to the point of they are worry-free and their minds become at ease. When we’ve experienced we also want other people and other living beings to be free of worries. To protect lives, we need to understand the life of living beings. We need to understand that living creatures, even if they are tiny, also have fear for death and will protect their own lives.
We need to understand this truth. We aspire to be people who uphold precepts, protect lives, and cherish material goods. So, we need to understand more deeply about living beings. Every living creature fears death and wants to survive. This is true for all living beings.
Thus, if we don’t harbor the intention of harming living beings, we are able to make living being feel safe around us. Those who uphold precepts do not want to harm any living beings. Thus, they make living beings feel safe and at ease. We have to let people understand the Dharma, and make them feel they can turn to us for support. This is how we emulate the Buddha.
We uphold precepts and accept the Buddha’s teachings. After we take in the teachings, we share the true Dharma with people. We need to understand the small and big vehicles of Buddhism. This is what we truly need to learn.
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