Doing meritorious work at pagoda

Going to a pagoda to do meritorious work is helpful for everyone. By doing this, we will have experiences for our practicing. Buddha once taught us “six harmonious methods” or six ways which lead people to harmony in daily life.

1. Physical harmony
2. Speech harmony without conflict
3. Similarity in thinking
4. Harmony in precepts
5. Unity of opinions
6. Mutual benefits

 

     In order to gain benefits and peace in life, practice these harmonies daily. We must and should practice these six methods because they are the paths leading to harmonies from top to bottom, and it is the spirit of coexistence. These six harmonies help people live, practice together in peace and happiness.

 

 For example, living in a Way-place, everyone participates in the work of supporting the Triple Jewels by doing work that benefits the community, serving retreats or serving people: sweeping the floor, watering plants, cooking, cleaning, and growing vegetables, etc.

  

First of all, everyone works together in the spirit of serving.

Body: do not commit evil deeds: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct (body is pure).

Mouth: do not lie, do not speak double-tongued, do not gossip, do not gossip about others, do not speak of other people's faults (mouth is pure)

  

Mind: no greed, anger, ignorance (pure mind), bearing in mind the practical spirit of Buddhism "serving and transforming sentient beings according to circumstances" or "following circumstances without being changed", following circumstances but not abandoning the aspiration "seeking the upper and transforming the lower". Likewise, although serving sentient beings with meritorious work... but not forgetting, not abandoning cultivation and practice, and spreading the Dharma to everyone.

 

Going to the pagoda to do meritorious deeds is to bring common benefits to the majority. Although sweeping, cooking, cleaning, planting vegetables, watering plants, these tasks do not seem to be great, they carry a great heart -gaining benefits, joy and common value to everyone.

Tâm Hướng

Translated into English by Nguyen Thi Tham