Today, many people crave to attend and rush to some guru in Bodh Gaya. Many have forgotten the true nature of the guru. If this guru passed away, who are they going to chase after? We need to remember one thing: we all have Buddha nature. We don’t need to run after anyone. We need to ask ourselves ‘who am I?’ We need to understand ourselves. Through meditation, one can reveal oneself. Following our troubled mind will only bring us suffering and unhappiness. One must have a calm, silent and clear mind.
How to perceive beggars?
There are two things one must understand:
1) We all have Buddha nature, including beggars. In fact, beggars are also human beings. We discriminate ourselves as Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian and so on. When we cremate our body, can we distinguish whether the ashes are from a beggar, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean or from a particular person? In terms of Buddha nature, we are all the same. However, our conditions are different. Why are there beggars? Why am I not a beggar? Why are we different? Our karma can explain our differences from each other.
One needs to remember our Buddha nature. It is just like a flower. A flower is a flower. However, when we become judgmental we identify them as roses, orchids, lilies and many more. A flower is like Buddha nature and a rose is a flower. Orchid is a flower. Lily is a flower. In this respect, a beggar has Buddha nature. We all have Buddha nature.
2) Knowing in our heart that we can give, yet one may choose not to when they see a beggar, they are a beggar themselves. If we do not embrace a compassionate heart and willing to donate, we are beggar ourselves. Although we may not appear to be a beggar but our mind is like a beggar. Instead of giving, we are only keeping and protecting selfishly what we have. When we see a beggar, we need to embody a compassionate and a willing to donate mind. We need to learn to open our heart for others. We do not need to linger thoughts of how they can escape poverty; whether from their generation to next generation. When we give money to a beggar, we have to feel fortunate and thankful for this opportunity to offer. We must thank them for opening our hearts and nurturing our compassionate heart. If we had no beggars, where would we find the opportunity to give and cultivate our compassionate heart? It is just like if the world had no suffering beings. How can a Bodhisattva accomplish their vows? Although we might believe that beggars are suffering immensely, Bodhisattvas perceive all of us as suffering beings.
Before leaving the Korean temple, Master Dae In gave us the final teaching- Silence. Silence is the best Dharma. Some may be confused and wonder why. Silence gives us the opportunity to reflect upon ourselves in a serene and silent tone. With this mind we can live out a better life on a daily basis.
