IS BEING ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT CHARITABLE CAUSES A WAY TO ACCUMULATE PROVISIONS NEEDED ON THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION?
Question: Hi Master, Buddhism in Plain Terms says, “There are endless streams of good deeds that one can undertake, and having a benevolent heart is equivalent to performing all the good deeds there is”. On that note, there is a fellow practitioner, who is passionate about performing charity and wishes to set up a non-profit organisation. Is it necessary to obtain an approval from the local Practice Group?
The fellow practitioner reasoned that Master mentioned in Buddhism in Plain Terms that “All good and bad in this world are provisional. They are nothing more than the bases that we can leverage to pivot towards our chosen path”. In that sense, if a fellow practitioner is enthusiastic and actively involved in charitable causes, would it be considered that he is accumulating his spiritual provisions?
Answer: To accumulate spiritual provisions means to be conscientious in your mind cultivation and do it with an undivided mind and you do not think about anything else. Those who are spiritually accomplished will devote themselves to one (Buddhist) practice. In this context, ‘one practice’ is not referring to any specific matter or undertaking, it essentially means to be single-minded. The word ‘devote’ does not mean to desperately go about doing it, it actually means you need to put in the effort.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Hong Kong, China, 6 July 2016
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