I.

“Should not dwell anywhere to give birth to the mind” in the Diamond Sutra means that one must not dwell anywhere to give birth to the mind. But continue asking, so where does the good mind of giving alms and doing good deeds come from? Some people will think that this question is a random question, talking about this and that and not connecting to anything. Instead of answering with words to see the red thread running through all the Buddha's teachings through different issues, the audience is also different. Let me tell you a folk story recorded by Huynh Tinh Cua in a story to relieve boredom, titled, “Beggar asking for gold”

There was a very rich man who was also very stingy and never did good deeds for anyone. One day, a beggar came to beg. He did not ask for money, rice, or anything, but he insisted on asking for a bar of gold. The rich man ordered his servant to chase him away, but the beggar refused to leave and kept lingering in front of his house, nagging very annoyingly… for three years. The rich man was curious, but he had to pay for it anyway, so he agreed and ordered his servant to follow him - where did the beggar marry the gold bar and what did he do with it? The servant who followed saw the beggar throw the gold bar up and down, jumping up and down with joy. A while later, he came to the base of a tree, probably tired, so he lay down to sleep, holding the gold bar on his stomach. The servant secretly took the gold bar back and returned it to his master. A while later, the beggar woke up and saw that his property was missing, so he hurried back to ask for another bar. The rich man said, "I just gave it to you, why are you still asking for it?" The beggar said, "I just closed my eyes and it disappeared, so I have to ask you for another bar." It is said that the rich man seemed to have been enlightened and realized life. It is clear that life is an illusion, when people close their eyes, they no longer have any wealth or career. Starting from the realization that wealth is just an illusion, then thinking about what they will leave behind when they die. The rich man suddenly had the intention to use his wealth and property to do good deeds to make up for his previous stingy nature. Thinking back, he realized that the beggar was the Buddha. Only the Buddha can change the thinking of the most conservative and stagnant people. The rich man was truly destined to meet the Buddha. So, is it true that doing good deeds also begins with the desire to have no place to stay...

II.

Second, giving alms and doing good deeds also have their roots in compassion for others. But that compassion comes from instinct, so comparing one person to another, seeing oneself as the recipient cannot be avoided. Vietnamese culture seems to see life in all its colors, so there is a saying - Giving grace without needing to be repaid. And even further, from childhood, children are taught by adults - to love others as you love yourself. How can one love others as you love yourself, how many people have the heart of gold to follow that advice. Most people are confused and then read the Buddhist scriptures and are shocked when they see the Buddha declare, "Whoever takes care of the poor and sick is taking care of the Tathagata." What the Buddha said is no different than saying, think of everyone else first before hoping to meet the Buddha. It turns out that diligently going to the temple to worship the Buddha without paying attention to the surrounding circumstances is just in vain. Doing good deeds is closely linked to material things and money, and there is another confusion when reading the Gospel and seeing Jesus teach, "Because of this life, in communicating with people of your same age, I tell you to listen. Use unjust wealth to make friends, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into their eternal home." Honestly, I feel uncomfortable with the strange way of speaking. Why use unjust wealth to give? What about the money made from sweat… It turns out that the programs calling for charity, calling for donations to build churches and pagodas have mixed in the so-called unrighteous money (and I think it is partly true that doing business is too gentle, how can there be money to give, but no one speaks like God, it is so harsh on the ears)… It was not until many years later that I understood thanks to the chance reading “Dubliners” by Irish writer James Joyce, he also confessed that this is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible to interpret correctly. While Buddha is an introverted poet, Buddha’s words are like rain that seeps deep into the ground. On the contrary, Jesus is a strict accountant who counts every penny in people’s pockets. However, Jesus also understands people’s weaknesses with money, giving away unrighteous money is clearly difficult to understand, but reading back to the first sentence – because of communion with people – means that people still have connections with the community, life does not stand still but flows. It turns out that Jesus is not only a financial accountant but also a spiritual accountant. Be honest. Honestly check your account to see if it matches your spirit. If the two do not match, adjust it properly. Here, Buddha also said - being rich and giving alms is one of the difficult things in life. However, if rich people and capitalists understand that the money spent on charity does not go anywhere, but it is the money that circulates in society, so that it will return to them, the company's brand will develop and become more well-known. Is that true?

III.

Reciting Buddha's name and doing good deeds are two necessary methods to cultivate the mind and nurture the character, suitable for many people's capacities. It is thought that cultivation is difficult, but it is said that cultivation is very easy. Do we often hear people say that? That is a view based on superficial actions, not going deep inside. It seems simple but in reality it has to go through a process of diligent training. It seems easy but in fact it is difficult. The difficulty lies in reciting Buddha's name, although Buddha is compassionate but everything is due to cause and effect, due to the mind of the person. The difficulty lies in doing good deeds and only seeing the material things you give but still the word "blessing". Do you know whether you have merit or not, even if you give millions of dollars in alms and offerings. Perhaps only the heavens and the eyes of wisdom know what people do, who is truly virtuous and blessed, in this life and the next. It seems easy but in fact doing good deeds and cultivating merit is not easy at all for those who truly have a good heart, loving others as they love themselves. The Buddhist scriptures have said it all, giving alms is not simple. - Building 100 temples is not equal to saving one person's life. Although the scriptures and laws say it from thousands of years ago, they are just like speaking to the present time. Do you see it easy or difficult? Many people diligently go to the temple while in society there are people lying waiting to die because they have no money for treatment. Human psychology is complicated. Wanting to give but thinking "give it all, what will I have to spend?" Actually, I should think the opposite "use it all, what will I have to give alms". Buddha with eyes that see through all people, so in the Nirvana Sutra taught. There are three impure acts of giving alms - at first wanting to give a lot but then giving less - Choosing bad things for others, keeping good things for yourself - Having given, having a mind of regret for what you gave. Not only did Buddha say that it is difficult to give alms when rich as mentioned above, but it is also difficult to give alms when poor. It is difficult because we do not always have something available to give (the good heart of people is here).

When I was young, I remember my mother and some adults in the countryside, who were from the West, imbued with Buddhist culture. Every time they scooped rice to cook, my mother would take a handful or two and put them in the jar. My mother taught me that it was okay to be short of a handful or two of rice at mealtimes, but the house always had something to give to people who came to ask for it. It is called accumulating good karma. Nowadays, we no longer see beggars carrying bags on their hips to ask for rice like in the past... but asking for money. I saw someone find some change and put it in a box set aside for those who are poor and lost on the road. Those who, although not well-off, have a good heart (I am not like that) have clearly sown a cause. And sowing a cause will reap a result, although we do not know what results we will receive in the next life, but people form a belief in the law of cause and effect in each successive life and continue to sow.

IV.

We have enjoyed and received much from society, our act of giving alms and doing good deeds seems to be a human duty to contribute (return) to many people who do not know that what we do is a practice. And among many Dharma doors, there is a Dharma door that mainly belongs to practice and very few people analyze (who would analyze a scent). That is the Dharma door of cultivating blessings. Does it start from the realization that life is ephemeral as said, people who have a good heart. Continuing to cultivate blessings, people need to keep the five precepts. Why? Because not killing is doing good deeds, giving life to all living beings, big or small. Not stealing is giving safety and peace to society. Not committing adultery, not lying is the same. Drinking alcohol, using intoxicants is the source of many sins. Not drinking alcohol, using intoxicants brings joy to society. Keeping the five precepts, also known as the five great givings, enjoys the fruit of not being wronged, no one makes you suffer, people admire you and then have prestige in society. While giving alms, we feel dissatisfied with the recipient (lazy, not willing to work, waiting for someone to give, etc.) so the person who cultivates blessings continues to accompany renunciation. Accompanying joy. In these two types, giving alms joyfully in any situation, so the merit is higher than giving alms. Is it easy or difficult to cultivate blessings? There is a folk saying that if you give money, you don't help with chopsticks to eat rice. It means that if you are hungry, I will help you with money but your profession and way of doing business are kept secret. No one will show you the way to do business. For a long time, I thought that the saying "giving a person a fish is not as good as giving a fishing rod" was a folk saying, but I never expected that it was Lao Tzu who said it. Similarly, the Buddha taught three types of almsgiving: material almsgiving, fearlessness almsgiving, and Dharma almsgiving. Dharma almsgiving is ranked higher, showing that cultivating blessings is not easy. According to the sutra, the Buddha taught that there are ten common types of almsgiving, such as almsgiving of food, drinking water, cloth, vehicles, flowers, fragrant objects, objects to be applied, places to lie down, places to live, and lamps. In the West, we see in the countryside, in front of each house, there is a jar of drinking water, or in Ho Chi Minh City, on many roads, there is a bucket of iced tea for the homeless - that is almsgiving of water. In addition to the 10 common types of almsgiving, the sutra teaches many other almsgiving that bring benefits to life, not only for the present life but also for future lives. But the article on cultivating blessings is quite long now. Please allow me to add what is called eternal almsgiving. That is, giving alms to do good deeds with long-lasting properties. As long as it exists, people's good fortune will increase day and night. There are 6 types of eternal charity: 1- planting fruit trees for shade. 2- planting precious trees, planting forests, for example. 3- building bridges for people to cross. 4- digging wells for drinking water. 5- building boarding houses for the poor, building and repairing temples. 6- building vocational schools to care for the elderly and orphans.

Currently, society is in great need of what is called eternal charity.

V.

Doing good and giving alms is at the top of the paramitas and supports the Dharma. Regarding people's precepts, filial piety is at the top. In the seventh month, the rain is drizzling, the earth and sky are hot. This month, the yin and yang seem to be getting closer to each other. People seem to feel this, so the seventh month is also the month when people turn to each other. Therefore, in the old days, in the seventh month, there was a story about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting each other across the Magpie Bridge. The story of Maudgalyayana looking for his mother. The custom of offering to wandering souls. It is not strange that the commemoration day for war invalids and martyrs, fallen soldiers also takes place in this month. Speaking of filial piety, of course children must support and feed their parents with delicious and rare foods. But is it really filial piety when parents are ashamed to look up because of those delicious and rare foods? Or is filial piety most highly valued when doing things to make parents happy and the village admire them? I do not know where the custom of offering to wandering souls comes from. At first glance, it seems superstitious, but on closer inspection, we see that it is a subtle cultural feature of the East, with humanity and love spreading to all species and all kinds of living beings. The living remember the many other souls who died in the graves, wandering the streets and corners of the market, hungry and thirsty, waiting for people to give alms on this day (the offering tray for the wandering souls includes rice, salt, sugar cane cut into pieces, paper clothes, porridge, a set of three offerings, sticky rice cakes, and rice cakes. After the offering is finished, the homeowner releases the tray for the children to jump in and grab the offerings). When I was a child, in the seventh month, I often followed the children in the neighborhood to steal the tray. It was very fun, but I didn't fully understand its meaning. Sometimes, I was scolded by adults as a wandering soul. Only when I grew up did I remember and felt happy, suddenly startled by the words "living wandering soul". It has a bad meaning, but the word "living wandering soul" means loneliness, not knowing where to rely on. Does it also include the sick and the infirm, without money for treatment, living in misery somewhere waiting to die? Orphans wandering the streets and corners looking for food? Yes and yes. In July, the custom of offering to the wandering souls coincided with the Vu Lan festival, the story of Maudgalyayana going to hell to find a way to save his mother. This time, almost everyone knew about the Bodhisattva Maudgalyayana because the story was so attractive and appealing that they did not pay attention to it. The offering and doing good deeds to save Thanh De from hell was the highest form of filial piety to build the story. That is what Buddha wanted to teach us. At this point, we can conclude. Children have many things that make their parents happy. But clearly, the thing that makes parents happier than receiving gold from someone is that their successful children know how to think of the poor and suffering people around them. The meaning is that parents who enjoy the blessings of their children's good hearts will live long (that blessing is extremely great). Charity is given all year round, but especially in July, when all the conditions are met for those who practice charity to show their charity and offerings. Obviously, there is nothing better than doing charity work to show gratitude to parents.

Long Xuyen, full moon of July 2013

Ngo Khac Tai