PAMPHLETS (back to main page)

This is the third and last part of the series regarding the relevance of Buddhism to daily living. I think this is a very important topic. There are many Buddhists, both within the monastics and among the laity, who look at Buddhism as something that is apart from everyday life. Though the time I have today will hardly do justice to this topic, I want to do my part to elucidate the relationship between Buddhism and all of us. Today, I'd like to focus on the three E's of living: emotions, economics, and ethics.

I. Healthy Emotions

Our emotions play a very important part in our everyday life. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the Buddha's teachings disapprove of emotions. This is far from the truth. Buddhism does not encourage people to shed their emotions, but teaches us how to lead a healthy emotional life.

How do we ensure that our emotional states remain healthy? In this regard, the Buddha teaches us to use compassion to channel our emotions and to use wisdom to guide the unbridled forces of our emotions. While we often think of the Buddha as the fully enlightened one, we should not forget that he was also a most affectionate and loving human being.

We have many different kinds of emotions. The kinds of emotions that exist between a husband and a wife are different from those between a father and son, between siblings, or between friends. Emotion is the glue that binds relationships together, which in turn forms the basis of society. None of us can live in an emotional vacuum. Our ability to feel gives us a lot of pleasure as well as many headaches. As important as our emotional well being is, we need to know how to manage it; if not, countless problems will arise. I'd like to suggest the following three points on how to nurture our emotions.

A. Transform the desire to possess into the joy of giving

Our affection for those we love often depends on how they relate to us, and as such, our affection for others is often egocentric in nature. When we love someone, we feel we have a special claim on him or her. In Chinese literature, the desire to possess exclusively those we love is often compared to the intolerance of the human eye. Eyes are very sensitive and reject even the tiniest grain of sand. Likewise in love, we have the tendency to reject even the smallest encroachments on our relationships. This desire is almost instinctive; even a three-year-old toddler can be possessive of his or her mom. True love, however, is not about possession, but about giving. Relationships that are built on the desire to possess are doomed to failure, for sooner or later the urge to possess will degenerate into jealousy or become an insatiable demand for more and more of the other person.

Let me clarify what I mean with the following experience I had. Among the devotees of a particular temple was a lady whose husband was a very successful businessman. One day she found out, to her dismay, that her husband had a mistress. Feeling betrayed, she became angry and began to ignore her husband. She stopped talking to her husband, and whatever conversations they had inevitably ended up in a fight. Sensing her hostility, the husband became even more reluctant to spend time at home. The marriage seemed to be beyond salvation.

One day, she came to me and tearfully told me her situation. She wanted me to counsel her as to what she should do. I told her, "I know of a way to win his heart back, but I am not sure if you are willing to give it a try."

"I will do whatever you tell me to. Please."

I explained to her, "First of all, you have to pretend that nothing has happened. If you confront your husband directly, it will only drive him farther away from you. Second, when your husband comes home from work, I want you to really try to understand where he is coming from. When he realizes that he can also find warmth and love at home, he himself will come to the conclusion that there is no need for him to have an affair. Only love can win back love."

The wife did exactly as I instructed her. Before long, her husband did come around. As it turned out, she was also partly responsible for the problems in their marriage. She was once a demanding and nagging wife. Her overbearing personality gave her husband an excuse to look for "happiness" outside of home. After my conversation with her, her husband sensed a genuine change in her and once more felt loved in his own home. One day, he asked his wife, "What changed you? You seem like a different person." When she told him of our conversation, he was very thankful that her religion had played a role in saving their marriage, and he, too, began to visit the temple regularly.

This may be just one anecdote, and it may not be the panacea for all marital problems. It does, however, help to illustrate the fact that hatred cannot win love. Only when there is open willingness to give does love have a chance to flourish. When a rift develops between a couple, if just one party is willing to give a little extra, there is hope. If both parties refuse to give, even a small squabble may spiral out of control. In a relationship, the desire to control the other party will only serve to snuff out the life of a relationship. Giving is the best nutrient for relationships to grow. Relationships that are grounded in giving are also trusting and happy ones.

B. Love without being bound by love

Most people think that Buddhism teaches us to be empty of emotions when, in fact, it teaches us not to be trapped in the limitations of emotions. In many temples, we can see a two-line stanza, which goes like this:

            Mind not tea in temples being bland;
            Monastic relationships not as intense as those between laity.

What this stanza is saying is that while monastics view relationships much cooler than do people in the secular world, they are no less sincere.

During the Tang dynasty, there was a monk called Venerable Ts'ung-chien. He came from the city of Nan-yang and became a monk in his middle years, after he had married and had a son. For twenty years after joining the monastics, he did not visit his family even once. One day, while he was working in the temple garden, a young man came up to him and asked, "Reverend monk, please tell me where I can find Venerable Ts'ung-chien."

Ts'ung-chien was taken by surprise and asked the young man in return, "Why are you looking for him?"

The young man replied, "The venerable is my father. I have not seen him for twenty years; I just want to pay him a visit."

Pointing to a distant corner in the garden, Ts'ung-chien told the young man, "You can find your father over there," and hurried away. When the young man walked over to where Ts'ung-chien had pointed, he could not find his father. By the time he discovered that the venerable he had been speaking to was, in fact, his own father, Ts'ung-chien had already disappeared without a trace.

On the surface, it appeared that Ts'ung-chien was a cold and emotionless man. In reality, he did not acknowledge his own son because he was afraid that his love he had for his son would make him lose his resolve to practice the Dharma for the sake of all beings. He loved his son dearly, but not in an outward or conventional way.

The famous venerable Hung-yi was also married before he joined the Sangha. He, too, refused to meet with his wife when she came to visit. We cannot, because of this, call the venerable a heartless man. The venerable was most compassionate. He did not confine his love to his own family, but gave his love to all sentient beings. He gave himself to those who needed his help, and his teaching of the Dharma gave many people hope and direction. His contributions to the spreading of the Dharma were immense and definitely not the conduct of an unloving man.

[Different monastic orders have different rules regarding the relationships between the monastics and their respective families. In the Fo Guang Shan order, candidates who wish to join the order are required to first seek the permission of their parents. Even after joining the order, monastics continue to visit with their families. When the mother of Venerable Tzu Jung was sick and dying, it was Tzu Jung, one of eleven children, who took care of her mother in her final months. Thus, while monastics may not express their love for their families in conventional ways, they do not love their families any less.

When we love, we should avoid being limited to the narrow definition of love. In the secular world, we call someone who is dedicated to his or her work ambitious or hard working. In a similar way, monastics are people who are dedicated to their work. Great achievements are often associated with an enormous amount of personal sacrifice. Very often we hear of people who have reached certain heights in their profession attributing their success to a supporting spouse who encourages them to concentrate on their career. To put it in another way, they are allowed to concentrate on their work without being bogged down by the burdens of a possessive love. Along the same vein, the Buddha teaches us to love and yet remain free so that we may spread the emotional wealth we have for a few to all sentient beings.]

C. Ground love in oneness

For most of us, we focus our love on those we take a liking to. When we first meet someone, we usually size up whether we have an affinity for the person or not. With someone that we have a good rapport with, we can spend hours in conversation. With those whom we don't have much in common with, even a short conversation is often punctuated by moments of "awkward silence," and good intentions are often misread. While it is easy to be kind and friendly to those we like, the Buddha teaches us to "cultivate our kindness without conditions and ground our compassion in oneness." Compassion should know no discrimination, and we should be kind to friends and foes alike.

Some parents shower their children with attention and hope that their love will be reciprocated during their twilight years. Unfortunately, often after they have given their children their all, they find their children deserting them in their moments of need. When we concentrate our emotional wealth on a few, the potential for hurt is magnified. At the other end of the spectrum, some people have given academic scholarships to poor deserving students without thinking much about it, only to be pleasantly surprised to learn of the amount of indebtedness these students feel towards their donors. This is what is meant by the old Chinese saying, "Flowers cultivated with care do not bloom; willows planted without much thought give great shade." We should not limit our love only to our circle of family and friends; instead, we should extend our embrace to all. We should learn from Amitabha Buddha who is always there to answer everyone's pleas, without discrimination.

[During World War II, many Europeans risked their lives to provide safe haven for Jews they hardly knew. Oskar Shindler of the movie Shindler's List is one example that quickly comes to mind. At about the same time and on the other side of the world, John Rabe, a German in Nanking, also put his life in considerable danger to provide a sanctuary for the Chinese who lived in Nanking during those dark days when the Japanese army was indiscriminately killing the masses. Of his effort, he wrote that his actions had nothing to do with heroics, for the need was so obvious.

Both men's actions embody the bodhisattva spirit. Their love and kindness was not limited only to their families and friends. Their lives touched many they hardly knew. This is truly what we call compassion that is grounded in oneness.]

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II. Prudent Economics

While emotions play a major role in our lives, economics is no less important. In American vernacular, there is a saying which playfully captures the powerful influence money has on people; it goes like this, "People mumble; money talks." Unfortunately for some of us, the temptation of money may cause us to compromise our moral integrity. Money problems have caused many rifts between once loving siblings. We often read about family feuds that develop due to conflicts regarding the divvying up of inheritances. How do we manage our finances prudently? I want to offer three areas for further thought.

A. Acquiring wealth

While most of us wish for a comfortable life, not all of us will come into riches. Due to the Law of Cause and Effect, only those who have planted the karmic seeds of wealth are blessed with wealth. According to the law of karma, the blessing of wealth is earned, not bestowed. Even if one were to be handed millions of dollars, one would not be able to enjoy the riches unless the karmic seeds of wealth had been sown. There is a Chinese folk tale which serves to illustrate this point. Once, there was a beggar who bought himself a lottery ticket. It turned out his ticket had the winning numbers. When he found out that his ticket was the winning ticket, he was happy beyond words. In those days, there was a waiting period of half a month before the prize could be claimed. Since he lived on the street and had nowhere to safeguard his ticket, he hid it in his "begging stick." During the next few days, he could not stop dreaming about what he would buy with the prize money. A car? A house? Expensive furniture? He wanted them all. One day, as he dreamt of how he would now be able to get married, settle down, and may even be able to take his family abroad to travel, he found he had walked all the way up to the pier. As he stood on the pier watching the waves at sea, he could hardly wait any longer to claim his prize money. He looked at his stick and was disgusted with what it symbolized. He took the stick, held it over his head, and used all his might to throw it out to the sea. As he watched the waves carrying the stick out to sea, he let out all his anger pent-up from being poor by screaming, "From now on, I am going to be a rich man. I won't need you anymore." Only when it was finally time to claim his prize did he remember he had hidden his ticket in the stick that he had thrown into the sea. The beggar went crazy. His dream of becoming a rich man was so close, yet so far.

How do we plant the karmic seeds of wealth? Let me tell you a story from the sutras. Katyayana, noted for his talents in debate and persuasion, was one of the disciples of the Buddha. One day, while he was out on his alms round, he saw a poor old lady. He went up to her and asked, "I am here for alms, can you please be so kind as to give me some food?"

The old lady knitted her brow and replied, "I don't even have enough to eat; what can I give you?"

"You said you were poor. Why don't you give me your poverty?"

The old lady could not believe her ears. She asked, "What? How can I give you my poverty? Who wants it?"

"Give it to me. I want it," Katyayana answered.

"How, then, do I give it to you?"

Katyayana explained, "You give alms. When you give alms, you are planting the karmic seeds of wealth."

We cannot simply wish for wealth. The Buddha teaches that if we wish for wealth, we should plant the karmic seeds of wealth by giving alms. Previously, we discussed how giving alms is not just about the giving of money or material goods. When we give our time, our love, or our compassion, we are also giving alms. Thus, we all have the ability and means to plant the karmic seeds of wealth.

In addition to planting the karmic seeds of wealth by giving alms, the Buddha also teaches us to pursue wealth in an ethical manner. The Agamas speaks of an incident which illustrates that wealth acquired unethically is as poisonous as a venomous snake. One day, when the Buddha and Ananda were out on their alms round, they came across a piece of gold on the road. Pointing to the gold piece, the Buddha said, "Ananda, look. There is a venomous snake over there." Looking in the direction of the gold, Ananda replied, "Yes, Lord Buddha, I see. That indeed is a snake." The Buddha nodded, and the two then continued on their alms round.

It so happened that a father and his son were working in a nearby field. When they overheard the Buddha's conversation with Ananda, they were curious and decided to see the snake for themselves. When they got to where the Buddha and Ananda were standing earlier, they were pleasantly surprised to see, not a snake, but a gold piece. The father was ecstatic and said to his son, "This is no snake. The Buddha must have been mistaken. This is a piece of gold." He then picked up the gold and took it home with him.

Now the piece of gold actually belonged to the king. A thief had broken into the treasury earlier and had dropped this gold piece on the road as he made his escape. When the king found the missing gold in the farmer's possession, he arrested the farmer assuming that he was the thief who had stolen it. It was then that the farmer finally understood that when wealth is not pursued in an ethical manner, it is like a poisonous snake.

In the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha teaches us about right livelihood. The Buddha teaches that we should earn our living in an ethical manner. We should not engage in businesses that involve gambling or the buying and selling of intoxicants, living beings, or guns. Additionally, we should not make our living by means of fortune-telling, palm-reading, or the reading of feng-shui. These activities are not consistent with the observation of the precepts and fly in the face of the teachings of conditioned arising.

The Venerable Yin-k'wang showed us through his actions the importance of acquiring wealth in an ethical manner. For many years, he lived in P'wu-t'wuo Shan. During the Japanese invasion, one of his disciples invited him to come to Hong Kong to spread the Dharma. This student was a very successful businessman and wanted to offer a country house to the venerable for use as his residence. Though the venerable felt that the cause and conditions were ripe for him to leave P'wu-t'wuo Shan, he was reluctant to accept his student's invitation because he found out that he had made his fortune selling liquor. He declined the offer and told his student, "If you really want me to accept your offer, you have to stop selling liquor. The sale of liquor does not constitute right livelihood and is not consistent with the teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path. Therefore, I will not accept your offer."

Thus, if we plant the karmic seeds of wealth by giving alms and if we pursue our wealth in an ethical manner, the road to riches is well within our reach.

B. Using Wealth

While Buddhism teaches us not to be attached to the material world, it does not condemn the material world. Some people believe that one must be poor to be considered a cultivated or spiritual person. This is not true at all. Wealth by itself does not have any ethical value. It is the immoral pursuit of wealth, as well as its ill use, that gives wealth its bad name. Money, if used properly, can be applied to the betterment of mankind. While it is true that money can be compared to a poisonous snake, it is equally true that it is a resource that we can use to spread the Dharma. If we want to continually encourage new generations to engage in the work of spreading the Dharma, we need to provide good education for the young. We need to set up schools. This takes money. We need to hire teachers; this also takes money. With adequate resources, we can even set up scholarships to provide educational opportunities for those who are unable to afford their education on their own. Only with continual education can we ensure that the Buddha's teachings continue to shine in future generations. Thus, whether money is a poison or a tool entirely depends on for how it is used.

[The Wall Street Journal once carried a story about a "modern day bodhisattva" who used his wealth not for his own enjoyment but for the education of the young. This was a story about a surgeon, Dr. Joe McKibben, who donated twelve million dollars to the College of the Ozarks, a college known for offering its 1,500 mostly low-income students a tuition free education in return for their labor. Some of you may think, "Well, surgeons make a lot of money. It is no skin off his back to make such a donation." What makes the story so touching is the personal sacrifices that Dr. McKibben had made throughout the years to amass his wealth. Though he was a surgeon and could live anywhere, he chose to live in a one-bedroom apartment in a modest neighborhood. He was a frugal man and would sometimes pick through the trash his neighbors threw out so that he might get some more use out of their discarded items. Taking his friend out to lunch meant going to a discount store and buying a two-for-one submarine sandwich. He would only drink water with his meals because he thought that ordering soft drinks was too wasteful. He was blessed with good fortune, and his investments yielded wonderful returns. The doctor was never married and when he died, he left the majority of his assets to helping deserving students. Dr. McKibben gave us an inspiring example of how to use wealth prudently.]

In the sutras, the Buddha gives us some guidelines on how to manage our monetary assets. Our income can be skillfully used in a handful of ways. First, to provide security for our parents; second, to provide a comfortable living to our spouse and children; third, to expand our earning potential; fourth, to provide for rainy days, and fifth, to give alms to help those in need. We can portion our wealth for these five purposes as follows: two-tenths, four-tenths, two-tenths, one tenth, and one tenth respectively. These are guidelines only. It is up to each of us to decide what is appropriate for our circumstances.

C. Measuring Wealth

There are many ways to measure wealth. Some people measure wealth by how many material possessions they have. I look at wealth differently. I remember how destitute I was when I first arrived in Taiwan, after fleeing China during the tumultuous years of World War II. All I had were the clogs on my feet and a few pieces of essential clothing. As I went from temple to temple looking for a permanent home, I was faced with rejection time and time again. During the war years, all the temples were hardly able to take care of their own residents, and they were most reluctant to accept a new monk into their ranks. There were days that I went without food. Finally, I arrived at a temple in the province of Hsinchu. The abbot of the temple, Venerable Miao-kuo, was compassionate and took me in. I was very grateful and was willing to pitch in in whatever ways I could. In addition to teaching, I was also responsible for fetching water from the well for all to use. Everyday, I had to fetch hundreds of pails of water, and I did it most willingly.

Even though I did not possess many things, I felt most fortunate and content. When I went to the market before the break of dawn to buy vegetables for the day, the stars in the sky kept me company. Flowers and trees were there for me to enjoy. Roads were there for me to travel. I also had the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life. Though I possessed nothing, I had all the wealth the universe could offer me.

If we measure wealth by how many material things we own, we will not feel content and satisfied. Desire is a bottomless pit. Regardless of how much we own, if we do not have inner peace, we will always desire more. [Desire is often a game of relative wants and not absolute needs. It wasn't that long ago when only the very rich could afford conveniences such as automobiles, books, and running water that we all now take for granted. If we were alive at the turn of the century, we would have thought that if we were to own a car, or if we were able to read whatever books we wanted, or if we could have had running water, we would not be in want of anything else. Now, when most of us are blessed with these modern day conveniences, we want more.] It is ironic that we look outside of ourselves in our pursuit of wealth when the greatest wealth of all—our buddha nature—is right within us.

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III. Ethical Living

The last topic that I want to cover in this series is about ethical living. This is also the most important subject. I hope that in the journey of life, we all lead our lives ethically. What do I mean by ethical living? Let me try to explain with the following three points.

A. Practice the Buddha's teachings

Once we understand the Buddha's teachings, we need to put them into practice and experience them for ourselves. Understanding the teachings without practice renders them meaningless. The Buddha teaches us to be compassionate, but some Buddhists maintain their jealous and hateful ways. The Buddha teaches us to give alms, but some Buddhists still cannot practice giving with grace and joy in their hearts. The Buddha teaches us to practice right livelihood, but some Buddhists choose to ignore this teaching.

When the Buddha was alive, there was an elder by the name of Sudatta. He was a most generous man and took the Buddha's teachings to heart. He was often referred to as Anathapindada, which literally means one who gives to widows and orphans. He wanted to construct a monastery and invite the Buddha to preach in his hometown, but the land he had in mind was owned by Prince Jeta. He wanted to buy the land from the prince and even agreed to pave the land with gold in order to convince the prince of his determination to convert the land into a sanctuary for the spreading of the Dharma. This was the story behind the origin of the Jetavana Monastery, a place where the Buddha often stayed when preaching the Dharma up in the northern areas of ancient India. Sudatta offers a good example of one who practices what one believes in.

Sudatta wanted his whole family to live in accordance with the Buddha's teachings, but one of his daughters-in-law was an arrogant woman. She was beautiful, but conceited. Because of her beauty, she was quite haughty and was often disrespectful and condescending to her family and friends. Sudatta tried to show her the error of her ways on many occasions, but he met with little success. In frustration, he went to the Buddha for help. The Buddha then sat down with Sudatta's daughter-in-law and explained the Dharma to her. She was deeply moved by the Buddha's teachings and decided to change her ways. She vowed to observe the precepts and to live in accordance with the Dharma.

Vimalakirti is another excellent example of one who lives and practices the teachings. He led a householder's life, but maintained pure living. He was very wealthy, but he was not attached to material riches. Vimalakirti is someone that we all should strive to emulate.

We do not have to look far for more of these examples. Take the original owners of this vihara in which we are gathered today. This premise belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Tsao Yung-te. They could have very well used this property for their own enjoyment, but they offered us this place so that we all may have an opportunity to hear the Dharma. Earlier in the day, they were here busily moving furniture and setting the place up. This is their way of putting the Dharma into practice, and each one of us has to find our own individual way of incorporating the Dharma into our everyday lives.

B. Put others ahead of oneself

According to the Mahayana teachings, the bodhisattva spirit teaches us to put others ahead of oneself. The bodhisattva motto is one of "wishing all sentient beings to be free of suffering and not seeking enjoyment for oneself." When Amitabha Buddha was still a bodhisattva cultivating towards buddhahood, he made his forty-eight great vows so that we may all be reborn into the World of Ultimate Bliss. Similarly, the compassion of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is summed up by his famous words, "As long as there is any being in hell, I vow not to become a buddha." The altruistic spirit of putting the welfare of others ahead of oneself is plainly there for us to see.

In life, there are four categories of activities. First, activities that benefit others but not ourselves; second, activities that benefit ourselves but not others; third, activities that benefit neither others nor ourselves; fourth, activities that benefit others as well as ourselves. The first kind of activity that benefits others but not ourselves is most altruistic, and most people chose to avoid it. In the Jataka Tales, we read of various incidents of how the Buddha, in his previous lives, put others ahead of himself. Once, in trying to save the life of a pigeon, he cut a piece of his flesh to feed a hungry hawk. In another lifetime, he offered himself as food to a starving mother tigress so that she might have the strength to nurse her newborn cubs. The second kind of activity that benefits ourselves but not others is most prevalent, for we are so accustomed to thinking of our own welfare. How many times have we cut in line because we are in a hurry? Many of us dispose of toxic chemicals by just pouring them into a storm drain, killing all kinds of fish in the sea. Even simple acts like making a lot of noise and disturbing the peace are also reflections on our subconscious tendency to think of ourselves over others. The third kind of activity that benefits neither others nor ourselves is the most foolish, but many of us do this all the time without even being aware of it. The smoking of cigarettes harms our health and in the long run only benefits the cigarette companies. While the fourth kind of activity that benefits others as well as ourselves seems an obvious choice of action, many of us still choose to act otherwise. Let me share with you two stories of how we can benefit others as well as ourselves.

Once there was a very poor man who had nothing but a penny. He took his penny to the store trying to buy a piece of bread for his aging mother at home. But when he arrived at the store, the storekeeper took one look at the penny and refused to sell him anything, for his penny was actually counterfeit. The poor man was heart-broken and at a loss for what to do. Just then, a soldier passed by and asked what was troubling him. When the soldier found out what happened, compassion arose in him, and he gave the poor man a real penny in exchange for the counterfeit one. He put the fake coin in his pocket and continued on his way to report to duty.

Later, while serving on the front lines, he was hit by a bullet. Stunned by the impact, the soldier fell to the ground, but soon realized that, miraculously, he had not been hurt. As he felt over his body to make sure he was not dreaming, he pulled out the counterfeit coin from his pocket. The coin, with a huge indentation in the middle, had taken the bullet for him and saved his life. His compassionate act of saving the poor man also saved himself. [Because of our short-sightedness, when we do not see immediate benefits for ourselves, we often choose not to do the right thing. In this way we short-change ourselves without even realizing it.]

There once was a virtuous Indian king named Sarvada, He was most compassionate and always ready to help those in need. His reputation for kindness spread far and wide. In the neighboring country was a family of Brahmans. The father of the family had just passed away, leaving behind the mother, a daughter, and a young boy. Without the father, the family fell on hard times, and the mother decided to send her son to King Sarvada to seek his help.

At that time, King Sarvada's country was under attack by the greedy, tyrannical ruler of a nearby kingdom. While the king's imperial court was all worried about the impending attack, the king was amazingly calm and went about his day as if nothing was going on. The next day, the tyrant's army arrived outside the city gates and proceeded to march right into the city, without any opposition. It turned out that King Sarvada had decided to give up his kingdom so that the lives of his people would not be lost in bloodshed. Earlier in the night, the king had slipped outside his palace and left behind his imperial seal for the tyrant with words pleading the tyrant to spare the lives of his people.

The tyrant was also a suspicious man. He feared that the king might some day return to take revenge. In order to secure his place as the new king, he let it be known that there would be a huge reward for anyone who could bring him the head of the now exiled king.

The exiled king traveled all night securing a safe distance between himself and the tyrant now sitting on the throne. While fleeing, the king ran into the young Brahman boy who had lost his father, and the two exchanged stories. The king took pity on the young boy and promised to help him in whatever way he could. The boy looked the king over and wondered how the king, who had nothing with him, could really help him. The king guessed the boy's thoughts and told him, "The tyrant may have my kingdom, but still I may be able to help you. He has promised a huge reward to anyone who brings him my head. So, if you kill me now, you can go and collect the reward." The young boy had no intention of killing the king, so the king told the boy to tie him up and take him back to the tyrant. The young boy thought this was a good compromise and did as the king suggested.

When the boy brought the king back to the city, the people were all saddened to see Sarvada all tied up. News of the return of the king soon reached the tyrant, who ordered Sarvada to be brought before him. When the imperial court saw the state of Sarvada, they were overcome with grief. Their cries were so full of sadness that even the tyrant was moved to ask, "What are you all crying about?"

"Your Majesty, we ask for your forgiveness. We cry because we are so moved by the generous heart before us. First, he gave up his kingdom to spare the lives of his people. Now, he came back to give up his life so that he may help this young boy. He was once a king, but he did not mind being treated like a criminal. We are all moved by his kindness and benevolence."

When the tyrant heard this, he began to see why his people loved Sarvada so much. He went up to Sarvada, untied him, and handed him back his imperial seal. He told Sarvada, "I have your land, but it is obvious that I can never have the hearts of your people. I may as well return your land back to you."

In this way, the king got his kingdom back. In helping his people and the young boy, the king also helped himself. While we may not be able to reach the high standard of acting for the benefit of others without benefiting ourselves, we should at least move our sights a bit further and put others ahead of ourselves. In this way, we will end up helping others as well as ourselves.

C. Follow through our intentions

While it may be hard enough to be clear of what our goals should be, it is many times harder to have the stamina to complete what we set out to do. Once, a monk, who had achieved arhatship, was traveling with his student. Carrying the bags on his shoulder and respectfully walking behind his teacher, the student suddenly thought of how he would like one day to teach the Dharma to all sentient beings. The monk read his student's thoughts and was embarrassed that he himself never had such a grand desire to help all sentient beings. Thereupon, he asked the student to hand him the bags and he himself walked behind the student. The student just scratched his head and did what he was told. While walking in front of his teacher, the student had another thought, "Sentient beings are not easy to change, and the work of teaching the Dharma is arduous. I should just work on my own enlightenment." When the monk read the student's mind once again, he told his student, "Take my bags and walk behind me." The student had no idea what this was all about, but did what he was told anyway. From this story, we see that while good intentions are to be applauded, they alone are not enough. We need to follow through with our intentions.

Sariputra, one of the ten noted disciples of the Buddha, gives us an example of carrying through one's intentions. In one of his previous lifetimes, he was dedicated to practicing the bodhisattva path and the precept of giving. He vowed that not only would he willingly give his property and possessions to others, he would also not hesitate to give his body and life to those who were in need. The enormity of the vow shook the heavens and the earth, and a celestial being decided to test his conviction.

The celestial being transformed himself into a young man and placed himself on the path that Sariputra would pass along. When he saw Sariputra coming in the distance, he began crying loudly. Sariputra went up to comfort the young man and asked, "Young man, why are you crying?"

"Don't ask; there is nothing you can do to help. My mother came down with a deadly illness, and to cure her of her disease, I would need one of the eyes of a monk. There is no way I can find a living eyeball, let alone that of a monk. I am afraid my mother will die."

Sariputra thought to himself, "I have two eyes. Even if I give him one, I would still be able to see." So, he said to the young man, "Don't despair. I am a monk and I am most willing to give you one of my eyes. I have vowed to practice the bodhisattva path and give alms. In a way, you are helping me to actualize my vow. Please take one of my eyes."

The young man refused to remove the eyeball himself and told Sariputra that if he was truly sincere about his offer, he should pull the eyeball out himself. Sariputra thought that was reasonable, so he gritted his teeth and pulled his left eyeball out. The young man took the eyeball and yelled, "Who told you to pull the left eyeball out? The medicine calls for an eyeball from the right eye." At this time, Sariputra could only blame himself for not asking the right questions. Since he had vowed to practice giving alms, even the giving of his body, he decided to fulfill the young man's request. With determination, he took a deep breath, pulled out his right eyeball, and handed it to the young man. The young man took the right eyeball, gave it a sniff, and tossed it to the ground. He cursed, "What kind of monk are you? The eyeball smells so putrid; how can I use it for my mother's medicine!" The young man even put his foot on the eyeball and crushed it.

Sariputra might have been blind, but he could clearly hear what was happening. He let out a sigh and thought to himself, "The delusions of sentient beings are indeed hard to remove, and the bodhisattva path is not easy to travel. Maybe I should first work on my own enlightenment." At that moment, many celestial beings appeared in the sky and said to Sariputra, "Monk, please do not despair. The young man you talked to just now was here to test your resolve. You should not give up your practice of the bodhisattva path and alms giving so readily." When Sariputra heard this, he was embarrassed that he had doubted and once again affirmed his resolve. Eventually, after sixty kalpas, he became one of the ten noted disciples of the Buddha and attained enlightenment.

The path to buddhahood is a long one. During the journey, we are bound to face obstacles, and it behooves us not to give up easily. If we do, it is just like sowing seeds without bothering to give them water and fertilizer. Without nurture and the test of time, the chance of a plant blooming and bearing fruit is minimal at best. Thus, if we are to complete the goal we set out to do, we should be willing to do the "impossible" task and walk the "impossible" walk. We have to keep in mind that understanding and practice are equally important. If we continually put the Buddha's teachings into practice, one day we will discover that the Dharma and we are one.

I have to thank you all for coming here these three days to listen to this series of talks on the relevance of Buddhism to everyday living. First, we talked about how our perspectives will change When We See Clearly, then we discussed how we can practice the Dharma by Living the Dharma, and today we touched On Emotions, Economics, and Ethics—the three most basic issues of life. I hope you all can find some personal application from the few discussions we have had. My hope is you all can blend Buddhism into living and mix the art of living into Buddhism. I wish you all good health and Dharma joy.