How to become a valuable person.

There are three things we need to think about:

First, this life needs values. Following Buddha's teachings on how to become a valuable client, we should open our merciful mind, contribute, help and save people, and support people in the allowed condition of ourselves.

We should take this action for ourselves, because of Causal Law, whose actions will bring the results to themselves. The difference is the period, which can be long or short, but if we do it we will have it, if we don't, then the wishes cannot come true. 

Hence, to become valuable people, besides handling personal issues, we also need to participate in beneficial activities. We volunteer to do the best things without procrastination of time, no further promises. 

Secondly, we need to develop our ideal of a living to achieve our purposes. Most of us stop at our living purpose, which is to gain money with a job, if lucky, it's a job in which we can become rich. 

But Buddhism shows that only true efforts help us to achieve our living purposes, to have stable jobs. If we just stop at this point then our lives will become boring, and there will be not much significance in this life. People can live a long life yet can also live a short life. Our true values rely on the quality of our lives, therefore we need to guide ourselves to an ideal, need to open our minds, and this ideal has many levels, for family, for community, for our country, for the world. Based on each person's mind, the level will be defined, but at least we need to have "purposes for others."

Third, it is about learning Buddhism. Buddhism is not only a belief system like other religions, but Buddhism is the philosophy of living of action, living in consciousness of merciful actions. If we are conscious, we can be worriedless of superstitions. Merciful or compassion, besides caring, also needs actions to save lives and people. While studying Buddhism, we have the chance to say goodbye to superstitions, and at Hoang Phap Pagoda, we have those activities on the weekends. 

Let's encourage ourselves to borrow Dharmas and books from the pagoda to read and learn, because no one can know everything. We use knowledge of Buddha to improve our lives in a better and beneficial way. About learning Buddhism, we should use the teachings in our daily lives. When there are issues, we won't be confused, because we already learnt about that, we have the basic knowledge, then we just need to apply it to solve the issues.

That's how we say goodbye to suffering and start to experience peace and happiness in life. 

These are three ideas, and we would like to invite everyone to think about these. We wish for all Buddhist to be blessed with five happinesses, "happy blessings", everyone meets each other in happiness, blessed with good health and long life to do what is worthwhile, blessed with wealth to share with other people. Blessed with luck in spending efforts doing things successfully. Blessed with knowledge to solve the issues and to overcome the struggles in life. Wish everyone peace and happiness. 

Hoa Đạo

Translated into English by Nguyen Thi Mai Thao