In a temple, many people show respects and make bows to the statue of Guanyin (a Bodhisattva).

One day, the temple was closed owing to maintenance, doorsill asked Guanyin statue "We are both made by marble, people step on me but show respect to you, life is so unfair."

Guanyin statue explained "Doorsill, don't foget 1000 years ago, we are the same marble, when workers carved the marble to be Guanyin statue, you couldn't suffer the pain and gave up ; I had to suffer a lot of pains while the carving yet I didn't give up, that's why people step on you but show respects to me now."

This story reminds you to face the difficulties bravely, as like as the Guanyin statue in this story.

Story of a Coolie

10/12/2010

 
A Westerner and a Chinese visted a poor country, they lived together and talked about food, the westerner said she can eat rice for 2 or 3 days but she can't eat rice as dinner every day ; the Chinese said she can eat pizza as dinner for a few days yet she can't eat pizza for every meal.

While they are arguing about food, a coolie delivered a fridge to their apartment, they asked the coolie why the delivery was so late, the coolie said he didn't have money to spend on transport, so he carried the fridge on his back and walked to their apartment.

Also, the coolie told them he wanted to keep the cardboard box of the fridge because he didn't have a bed, he wanted to sleep on it under cold weather.

After these 2 visitors knew that some people don't have money to spend on transport and no bed to sleep in poor country, they didn't argue to eat Western or Chinese food again, as long as they have food to eat.

 
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A rich businessman went to a temple and saw that a poor elderly donated 5 dollars to the temple, the monk appreciated the donation and prayed for the elderly. The businessman approached them proudly, he donated 50 thousand dollars, of course the monk was happy yet he asked his pupil to pray for the businessman.

The businessman thought it's unfair and asked the monk angrily "This elderly donated 5 dollars deserved you to pray for him, how come I donated 50 thousand dollars only deserved your pupil to pray for me?"

The monk explained "This elderly is very poor and it is not easy for him to donate 5 dollars, so I can see that he is 100% sincere, of course he deserved me to pray for him ; However, you are wealthy, it is very easy for you to donate 50 thousand dollars, and your attitude is proud, thus you are 50% sincere and deserved my pupil to pray for you.

The purpose of donation is to help the people in need, not to show off the wealth.

 
I believe many people want to live better, wear better and eat better, thus they always buy a lot of stuff they want, not they need.

Do you know what's the difference between "You Need" and "You Want"?

For example, May buys a hand bag to put her personal belongings when she goes out, the bag is what she needs ; May buys an expensive brand-named handbag to show off when she goes out, it's what she wants (it's not neccessary for her to buy a luxury hand bag to put her stuff).

Next time when you are going to shop, please ask yourself it's what you need or what you want. Buy less "You Want" stuff in order to save money or donate to help the poverty.

 
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In the poor country, little kids are thin, have nothing to eat, nothing to drink, nothing to wear, and always have to beg for food. After you see the above photo, do you want to help them to live better ?

http://www.worldvision.org
 
Imagine that you live very far away from home due to working, you can only go home to see your family once a year (on the first day of new year). On that day, you are in hurry to go home, you see a man is drowned in the river, your passer-bys ignore him and keep on walking quickly. Will you help him?

If you rescue him, you may lose the only chance to see your family this year ; if you ignore him, he will be dead. What will you do?

Hope that all of you will be like me to rescue the drowning person even though losing a change to have family gathering. Because you will still see you family in the following years ; if the drowning person is dead, he won't have any chance to see his family again. Try to help more people when we have ability to.

Good Umbrella

10/8/2010

 
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A good umbrella can protect you from rainstorm, typhoon and extremely bad weather, even though its life is so short that can be used for a few times.

In the world, many people try a lot of ways to live longer, but life is unpredictable, we can decide to have a meanginful life, but we can't control how long the life is. Let's think about it and try to live meaningfully every day.

Family Gathering

10/8/2010

 
This is a story of a Buddhist missionary : She has to leave home and stay in another country for a long time, of course she would miss her family, but she's still happy to see her family for several times every year.

She thinks the quality of her family gathering is more important than the quantity of her family gathering. Though she can only see her family for several times every year, she's happy at every gathering ; it's much better than some cases that family members always see each others but quarrel all the times.

Do you agree with her? Hope this story will remind you to cherish your family.

 
Do you eat vegetarian food? Do you know why should we eat more vegetarian food and less meat? This is a story I heard and share with you :

Animals have family members, if the animal parents are caught or killed, their children might be hurt by others or hungry to death ; if the animal children are caught or killed, their parents would be sad. Therefore, we should eat more vegetarian food and less meat so as to reduce animals' pain physically and psychologically.
 
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I'd like to share an Arabian story, a traveler went to desert with his friend but they had a big quarrel, he was very angry and wrote it on the sand ;

Afterward, he was in dangerous at an oasis and his friend saved his life, he really appreciated that and carved it on a large stone.

His friend asked him why would he write the unhappiness and appreciation on the sand and stone respectively, he said "Sand and unhappy memory with you will be blown away by wind easily, but I will never forget you saved me, just like wind can't blow away the stone carving."

This story reminds us to cherish the true friends. We should remember their helps, supports and good points rather than their mistakes and shortcomings.