Donating materials or money when it is given deeply from the heart greatly contributes to our overall happiness and well-being as well as to those around us.
We also learned about seven special ways that we can give for free on a daily basis. Here's a little recap:
Seven Good Deeds that Don't Cost Anything
1.) Having a kind, warm look in our eyes
2.) Smiling as best we can authentically
3.) Speaking with compassion & using the gentlest wordings
4.) Lending a hand & using our physical efforts to help people
5.) Expressing our gratitude with feeling & showing respect to others
6.) Giving up our seat or letting someone else go first
7.) Sharing a meal or opening up our home for someone who is in distress
And lastly, we found out that we get the most of our donations and kind acts when we give them wisely in each of the Three Fields: Those We Respect, Those We're Grateful Toward, and Those in Desperate Need of Compassion.
Now moving forward, the second category of generosity is Sharing the Teachings of Buddhism. This means to share what you've learned from the Dharma
with the people of your life.
Giving the gift of Buddhism is in itself
the very best way we can practice and give kindness. And now thanks to modern technology, we can even
conveniently share it with anyone online!
As we ourselves continue to listen to Buddhism, we learn more
and more about who we really are gradually. Often times what we find out
about ourselves can be very difficult to come to accept.
But if we endeavor to push forward and keep seeking, we can and will attain absolute happiness -- all at once in just one split-second moment -- and, simultaneously discover our True Self at the same time.
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| Original Graphic by Paul Inkles available on Flickr.com |
Our purpose in life is to successfully obtain this once-in-a-lifetime
experience of "WOW!" for ourselves and to then live on in gratitude and
celebration of achieving eternal happiness.
We were born as human beings
for the sole purpose of experiencing this blissful feeling like none
other. In, Buddhism, it is also known as the Path of No Hindrance.
We guide others toward obtaining this spiritual liberation by sharing
the Buddha's teachings with kindly words and comforting smiles. Our
personal opinions and objections get placed aside when we share. We hold
back our own desires to make quick value judgements or to share
personal opinions. Priority is given to the guidance that is found within the
teachings in order to help others find the right way.
To share Buddhism with others effectively, we must first learn how to truly listen to others deeply. We have to carefully understand and examine the other person's state of mind and condition before we begin sharing the Dharma.
By listening to others fully, we gain wisdom and learn about situations that we ourselves might face in the future.
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| Original Comic by James Clayton available on Flickr.com |
Sharing Buddhism also develops our own capacity to have patience and
compassion.
Now the importance behind why we seek after the teachings is that we are facing a
grave problem... literally.
There is only a limited amount of time for
us here on Earth, and precious time is constantly ticking away night and
day. All of us have this very crucial matter of mortality to face and
solve, all while we're still alive.
The teachings of Buddhism reveal to us a truth that is very difficult
to hear or find anywhere else addressed in this same way. One Buddhist
master by the name of Shinran used these words, "This world is as
fleeting and unstable as a burning house." This doesn't paint a pretty
picture for where we live.
Though there is something we can all do about it, many of us choose to
ignore the problem and put it off to some other time. Yet the thing we procrastinate the most about is our own impending death.
Even when we hear about death occurring on the news, we all keep trying to live
life to the fullest despite what we hear. We want to remain ignorant that death is coming up for
us too. We sweep that problem under the rug for as long as we can, out
of sight and out of mind.
But the more we try to run and hide, the more we
come to find that all those worldly pursuits of happiness we fight so hard for every single day... keep letting
us down again and again.
It's because all those worldly pleasures aren't capable of lasting in the first place.
If we just pursue the good times relentlessly and do achieve fame and
fortune, we are still inching closer and closer to the final moment of
death. Ignorance is not bliss in the long run. Death happens suddenly and without notice to every person on the planet.
We never know when that last moment will strike for us. But
it's really coming for me one day, and it's really coming one day for
you too. It is scary. I know.
That's exactly why sharing Dharma is thus the most precious gift we
can offer ourselves or others while our life force still remains strong.
Being born a human being gives us this tremendous opportunity to uncover
our True Self. Knowing who we are is a kind of bliss that we've never
known for uncountable aeons past. Now, finally, we can obtain it.
But with more than 7,000 sutras to study, this is no easy task.
That's
why it's so important for us to find a good teacher who can guide our
understanding of the Buddha's words. By observing and listening to true
Buddhist teachers directly at a Buddhist center, you can learn about the
Dharma in the best way.
Then when you decide to share Buddhism on your own, you can invite the
people closest to you over to your home for a spiritual chat. Here and
there, you can bring up Buddhism in conversation whenever and wherever
you feel that it is comfortable to do so. If you want to form a study
group, you can hold a talk at a library, cafe, or public space that is
suitable for study.
When Buddhism becomes a big part of your life, it is because you are
moved deeply to discover your purpose of life. You realize that there is this
very grand endeavor we all have in our lives. We are all born for this reason.
And then when you attain it
and feel that true happiness inside yourself, you can't just keep such a
profound feeling of peacefulness all to your lonesome. If you actually
find the meaning of life, you must of course share that wisdom with all
your family, friends, and loved ones. And the world even!
Imagine for a moment that you go to a very delicious and famous Italian
restaurant. You order a pizza there, but up until your first bite, you
couldn't believe all those rave reviews you read online. "No pizza can
taste that delicious," you think to yourself. But everyone kept going
on and on about how wonderful the pizza tastes there. It makes you
start to wonder. But you can't really know whether that pizza is delicious or not
until you actually go there, order it, and take a bite.
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| Original Photo by Ragdoll available on Flickr.com |
That first mouthful represents that split-second moment that reveals to you just how great the flavor really is! Wow!
The first thing you'd do is spread the word to all your friends, "Hey, you gotta go to this pizza place and try it! I'm serious. I
thought all the people were exaggerating, but now I know better. You
won't believe how good it is until you try it."
You'd want everybody to share in the same wonderful experience you just
had. Likewise, when we experience a real sense of contentment from the wisdom of the Buddha's teachings, we also can't wait
to share that joy we found with those closest to us.
Sharing Buddhism begins with finding one person -- YOURSELF!
Once you begin to discover more about your True Self, you will develop a
stronger karmic connection with Buddhism. Over time, you will then
naturally develop a wish to share with others. But it's totally up to you
and your own discretion.
If you do talk to your family and friends about the Dharma, you will
find out all the little gaps in your own understanding. (I'm still
learning every day even as I try to write this blog.)
Sharing Buddhism with others begins by talking
wholeheartedly with just one person at a time. Even though there are so
many people in the world in desperate need of the truth, the spread of truth
begins patiently and accurately with one person. We give our all to them and share as best we can in each lesson. By focusing on teaching
to this one individual, gradually our knowledge base and experience will
expand, and we can be able to share with larger groups.
It's very important to have empathy for the feelings of those who
follow a different sect of Buddhism or a different religion altogether.
Learn from them as well as teach them. But keep in mind that every religion or
spiritual group has its own different idea about where our path in life
leads. Sometimes, putting it all together and finding the right one can be confusing. But this is an important task you must
decide for yourself.
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| Original Photo by EnKayTee available on Flickr.com |
At the beginning, we are still making up our minds, and we may need
time to find our exact spiritual direction. But when we know that we
wish to dedicate ourselves and follow the Pure Land path, we then become
mindful of continuing on the course that is taught so we can reach the finish line as soon as possible.
We want in our hearts to bring everyone toward happiness, but ultimately the choice is
up to every person to make. Teach with the most energy to those
open-minded persons who express a real thirst for the teachings.
Remember, the Dharma is not something that can be forced or pushed onto
someone. Each person must find the truth at their pace. We can only
wish in our hearts that everyone obtain absolute happiness quickly.
And when teaching, it's better to find a person's question accurately
from a Buddhist teacher than to answer incompletely or in a round-about kind of way. You may be
answering incorrectly if you do so. We must guide people in the right direction,
first and foremost.
That's why we make our best effort to encourage others to
visit a Pure Land Buddhist center. This is the best place for us to
directly learn the teachings. Once there, we can learn in the best way
how to share the teachings. By visiting a Buddhist center or meeting
with Buddhist friends, we can all find the answers to our innermost
questions together.
It's been said that, "Material weath may be treasure for a lifetime,
but the Dharma is a treasure for all eternity." Money and possessions
can only bring us temporary pleasure while we're alive in this world.
Once we die, we must leave behind all our treasures, our possessions,
and... even our loved ones. We must go it all alone.
This sad fact is what makes death so very difficult and painful
for all of us. This world is the only home we've come to know. At death,
we must leave with nothing.
For all these reasons, death is our most crucial matter to
solve. It's also why a sensitivity to the nature of how all things are impermanent is essential in Buddhism.
Without this inclination, people remain focused only on the pleasures
of life until they get old, sick, or die. People worry a great deal
about having enough money for their retirements, but that's only an
issue if you live that long. Old age is not guaranteed. Death is
what's certain.
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| Original Photo by ~C4Chaos ~C4無秩序 available at Flickr.com |
Having a keen sense of impermanence drives us to make continual efforts
toward studying the teachings. It pushes us to listen more carefully so
that we can find out once and for all who we really are on this
journey... BEFORE it's too late and death comes knocking for us.
Even if we forget all about our own death and become overly
consumed with worldly desires, we will still lose those closest to
us sooner or later. And so we are reminded again but in a way that hits us so deeply we can't deny it any longer.
It has
been said that we cry the most at funerals because we're crying two
times -- once for the person who has left us, and once for ourselves
because we too must go one day.
"Ties in this world last only for a time.
We are husband and wife,
parent and child
for a short period only.
Once this reality sinks in,
we cannot help treasuring
each moment
of our brief association."
-Takamori Kentetsu
Listening to Buddhism leads us toward finally attaining our one and
only purpose in this life, to attain that everlasting, constant,
thriving joy inside us. It's not something we get after we die. We must discover it in this lifetime while we're still alive.
Once
we have finished this momentous accomplishment of life, we simultaneously
discover our eternal self at long last. For it is only when we know
ourselves that we can be truly happy.
The gift of Buddhist truth is the most precious gift of all because it
has the power to dispel the darkness of our anxious minds surrounding
the issue of where go in the afterlife. It clearly illuminates once and
for all -- while still living -- what happens to us after this life
fades away. Imagine the peace of mind knowing that.
Once this wisdom is known to us with 100% certainty, we experience what's known in Buddhism as the level of true settlement. This level of true settlement is the 51st level of enlightenment.
We live the remaining course of our natural lives still full of all the
worldly passions that come with being human. But when one who has
attained the level of true settlement dies, they are then granted Nirvana, or what known as the 52nd level of enlightenment. This is the highest level of enlightenment.
That's when we are reborn as a Buddha in a blissful world known as the Pure Land of Amida Buddha.
Once there, we become a buddha. Then in our own time, we choose to leave
the Pure Land and return to this suffering world and other worlds like
it as buddhas in order to guide others to absolute happiness. Unlike
humans, however, buddhas possess the faculties of perfect wisdom and compassion.
It is through the Buddha's great wisdom that we are guided to
understand, once and for all, the meaning of this unique, precious,
often turbulent journey as a human being. We realize the true wonder
behind being human. It's a blissful, shimmering experience that makes us
want to yell from a mountaintop, "WOW! How wonderful and blessed I am
to have been born human! I am the happiest person in the universe!"
And even with this joyous expression, the fulfillment of such
an absolute form of happiness cannot be fully described, for it is an experience which is beyond words and even human
understanding.
Once absolute truth is finally realized within us, the
preciousness of Buddhist wisdom becomes completely crystal clear. That's
when we know where we are going in the afterlife without a shadow of a
doubt, and we know ourselves completely, through and through.
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| Original Word Art by Celestine Chua available on Flickr.com |
Of all the wisdom out there, the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism are the very best gift we can
provide to anyone, because these teachings contain within them the supreme
truth that guides all humanity equally to absolute happiness without any
discrimination whatsoever.
So I wish to share with you now all the links and resources that have
guided me thus far on my own quest. By learning deeply from this
knowledge yourself, you will then be able to advise others freely as you
wish.
***
MIRROR
OF DHARMA BLOG
This concludes the paramita of generosity. Check in next time when we move on
to learn more about the rest of the Six Paramitas.
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