The Living Journal – Lending A Helping Hand To Inspire Others

We have two hands

One is to help yourself

The second is to help others

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same — with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hands instead”- Mother Teresa, A Simple Path.

Samsara is the whole round of existence, Samsara with its miseries, is the true cause of suffering. To Samsara belongs everything which proceeds from a chain of other causes and which is thus involved in Karma and delusion.

Its essential nature is misery; its function is to provide a basis for the spread of misery and by nature to attract miseries in the future. I believe in helping others. Whether it is something big or small, I think that one simple act of kindness can make a huge impact.

Life is not to be being happy alone. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, and to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well, an important part of living a blissful and fulfilling life includes being part of a caring community where you can share, help and support people you care about. It also includes being kind to strangers, and learning to replace envy and anger with understanding and empathy.

Frequently I have heard people complain about not being able to help the community because they want to live comfortably. I believe that it is possible to help those around you without sacrificing everything and barely living hand to mouth. I think it is important to donate your time, effort, and energy to improving your community and by contributing and practicing generosity to the needy if you can.

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in fixing your own life that you forget about helping others. And while it’s important to put yourself first sometimes, it’s even more important to help others whenever you can. Being generous isn’t even always about altruism – becoming more generous and compassionate will have real tangible benefits in your own life, according to the Buddha teachings of The Six Paramitas.

The basic teaching of The Six Paramitas. (To be discussed separately)

Paramita is a Sanskrit word and in Tibetan words the six Paramitas, is “phar-phying-drug” it’s literally mean Perfection or completeness. It’s also known as the 六度般若波羅蜜 in Mahayana traditions. In Buddhism, these virtues are cultivated as a way of purification of karma and helping the disciples to live an unobstructed life, while reaching the goal of enlightenment.

1. Generosity.

2. Virtue, morality, ethics conduct.

3. Patience, tolerance, forgiveness, acceptance, endurance.

4. Diligence, vigor, joyful endeavour.

5. One point concentration, meditative concentration.

6. Wisdom.

Generosity is the top priority of the six Paramitas, to practice of generosity is to give what is helpful and good and to give without selfishness. There are three ways to be moderate and generous and it is necessary to abandon improper giving and to know what is proper to give.

1) Giving material things,

2) Giving loving protection,

3) Giving loving understanding.

It certainly is not beneficial to indulge those persons crazed with desire and filled with greed. Furthermore, an appropriate generosity is giving whatever one possibly can and doing so with a pure motivation and enthusiasm. There is an inspiring story about the previous life of Buddha when He was a great Bodhisattvas who even gave their own flesh to feed animals that were on the verge of starving to death. 

One’s motivation is very important when one is charitable. It is inappropriate to give something to someone with the intention to harm, or with the intention to become famed, or out of fear of impending poverty. It is also necessary to consider what one gives. Our pure motivation is should never give anything that can hurt others and should never give anything that is helpful with wicked thoughts in mind. It is also important to reflect the recipient of one’s generosity.

Over the years, I have a small group of 10 Dharma volunteers reaching out in many places, but mostly at hospitals in the special care unit for homeless ailing * HIV patients, including the Hiv positive children that abandoned by their parents. But what most important is people who are infected with diseases need care and support from their friends, families and the community, especially when they are ill without their love ones to take care and showing love, respect and support them. 

Public discrimination is one of the main caused of these HIV patients are committing suicide at a far higher rate than the general population, and at a higher rate even than among people with other fatal disease.

*HIV is now a chronic infectious disease and treatable medical condition and most treated people remain fit and well.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them 

– By Mother Teresa.

Would you give others another chance to live?  Yes I would and would you?

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Nagarjuna's Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
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