I want to share a dharma about how we can help others
Most people want things for themselves
it's human nature to desire things
The Buddha said the cause of suffering is desire
Even our prayers are full of me me me and the things we desire
Heath wealth and happiness
A great man once said
If you want to be happy for an hour
Have a massage
If you want to be happy for a day
Go for a picnic
If you want to be happy for a week
Go to Bali
If you want to be happy for a month
Get married
If you want to be happy for a year
Win the lottery
But if you want to be happy for a lifetime
Help others
It is so much better to give than to receive
The Reverend Joel Osteen tells the following
A child from a poor family comes into Jacks grocer shop and looks at the fruit and veggies
Jack asks him what he wants but the child tells him he is only looking
Jack notices that the boy is holding some marbles
and tells the boy he will swap a bag of fruit for the marbles
The marbles are the boys pride and joy but his family was hungry so he offered them to Jack for the large bag of fruit
Jack told the boy that he only wanted red marbles and didn't like the blue ones the boy had
He told the boy to come back next week and bring red ones
The following week Jack handed the boy a large bag of vegetables and told the boy he wanted blue marbles not the red ones the boy had
This went on for months with Jack never accepting the boys marbles
Some fifteen years later Jack passed away and at his funeral there were three well dressed young men standing by the open casket
Each one in turn held Jacks hand
After the funeral the minister asked Jacks wife about the three red marbles he found in Jacks hand
She told him that jack had fed three families with fruit and vegetables for years in return for red marbles that he never took
It is so much better to give than to receive
A young man about fifteen years old was going door to door selling plastic containers that he had recycled
He explained that he did this after school to feed himself as he had no family
Some people felt sorry for him and gave him a dollar most just slammed the door in his face
At one house a girl answered the door and he stood speechless
She was so beautiful
The girl saw he was so thin and obviously starving and she offered him a glass of milk
He drank it down in one go so cold so delicious
It actually saved his life
Some twenty five years later the same girl had a life threatening growth in her brain
Unfortunately she could not afford the operation and there was only one doctor who specialized in the delicate area of her disease
The doctor stopped in to see her and the moment he saw her he said he would operate
The operation was successful and she was worried about the cost and how she could pay
On the bottom of the bill she received was a hand written note from the doctor
"paid in full with a glass of milk"
It is so much better to give than to receive
I heard about a poor family with five children
It was a struggle just for the food each week
The eldest boy wanted to go to Lunar Park for his birthday and the father had saved a dollar each week for a year just for this treat
They were so excited as they stood in line to get in
When it was the fathers time to pay he got such a shock at the price just to get in and he didn't have enough for the entrance fee
The man behind him tapped him on the shoulder and said in a quiet voice
"excuse me but $40 just dropped out of your pocket"
The father looked at him with tears in his eyes and said
"thank you so much
you are a saint
God will shine on you"
It is so much better to give than to receive
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
