WHAT YOU GIVE IS WHAT YOU GET
Master Jun Hong Lu: Once, there lived two brothers. One of them focused on reciting Buddhist scriptures and he did it diligently, but he never performed any kind deeds nor practised the perfection of giving to cultivate good fortune. The other brother, on the other hand, was fond of cultivating fortune, he was very kind and helpful – always reaching out to the poor and those in need, but he did not recite Buddhist scriptures.
The two men were reincarnated.
One day, one of them, who became a monk in that lifetime, was going around begging for alms. Along the way, he walked by the king’s garden and stumbled upon a luxuriously-decorated elephant, adorned with gold and silver. The elephant was the king’s favourite.
The monk, who had attained a certain level of spirituality, walked up to the elephant and said, “Brother, obviously we had deviated from our spiritual path in our past life. I solely cultivated wisdom but not good fortune, falling into this impoverished state, often with nothing to eat. You cultivated good fortune but not wisdom. You now enjoy a blessed life of ease, adorned with gold and silver, but you have degenerated into the animal realm”.
Master Lu says, “As Buddhist practitioners, we need to be enlightened to the importance of cultivating both good fortune and wisdom. There are some who may give readily but do not cultivate their mind, while there are others who devote themselves to mind-cultivation, but they are not willing to give – both of which are incorrect.
What we give is what we get. I hope all of you will cultivate the right cause to reap the right fruit. More importantly, Buddhist practitioners must understand the importance of cultivating both blessing and wisdom. When you help others, you are essentially helping yourself. We must always let go of the micro self in order to fulfil the needs of the macro collective.”
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Inspirational Short Stories, Volume 1 Chapter 13
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