No 192 of Living LIfe Series 1
Brethren, why do you come to a temple or place of worship? Why do we need to offer joss sticks or other offerings like financial contributions. Well, we need guidance. We need blessings. Worldly life never seems to be adequate. Somehow we seem to want more and more.
There is nothing wrong in wanting. But we cannot receive all the time. For, if we do so, the selfish streak in us may grow into a monster that cannot be satisfied.
Brethren, why do you come to a temple or place of worship? Why do we need to offer joss sticks or other offerings like financial contributions. Well, we need guidance. We need blessings. Worldly life never seems to be adequate. Somehow we seem to want more and more.
There is nothing wrong in wanting. But we cannot receive all the time. For, if we do so, the selfish streak in us may grow into a monster that cannot be satisfied.
A Lord Saint like Lord Bo Tien grants blessings to make us better people – better in every sense. It never was a saint's design to potentiate the greed in us, only to help us overcome life events so that we can proceed to be better people.
Receiving, brethren, is not the norm in life. Definitely, it is not the way to lead a spiritually motivated and fulfilling life. We must learn to give in as much as we intuitively want to receive. The satisfaction from receiving is limited. The joy and satisfaction in giving is limitless.
He, who gives more and more, somehow wants less and less. He is easily contented. He is not a slave of wanting. (But do not go overboard and deny self welfare, for that will be self sacrifice and can tentamount to self denial, self destruction and ascetism of sorts.)
Brethren, if we want to receive, we must also give. By all means, come to a heavenly saint for blessings. Come to the saint with your problems. Be thankful for His assistance, but please remember to give as well.
We can give our service, our presence, our time, our commitment, our thoughts of loving kindness, our deeds of compassion and so on … Of course, we can also contribute to the fund of a place of worship (eg tithes, love tidings) or charity.
It is a joy to receive. It is a greater joy to give. The satisfaction from receiving is limited and finite, but the satisfaction from giving is immense and ever pervading.
Receiving, brethren, is not the norm in life. Definitely, it is not the way to lead a spiritually motivated and fulfilling life. We must learn to give in as much as we intuitively want to receive. The satisfaction from receiving is limited. The joy and satisfaction in giving is limitless.
He, who gives more and more, somehow wants less and less. He is easily contented. He is not a slave of wanting. (But do not go overboard and deny self welfare, for that will be self sacrifice and can tentamount to self denial, self destruction and ascetism of sorts.)
Brethren, if we want to receive, we must also give. By all means, come to a heavenly saint for blessings. Come to the saint with your problems. Be thankful for His assistance, but please remember to give as well.
We can give our service, our presence, our time, our commitment, our thoughts of loving kindness, our deeds of compassion and so on … Of course, we can also contribute to the fund of a place of worship (eg tithes, love tidings) or charity.
It is a joy to receive. It is a greater joy to give. The satisfaction from receiving is limited and finite, but the satisfaction from giving is immense and ever pervading.
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