Question: Dear Sayadaw! What kind of seeds should I plant if I want to get the fruit of wisdom?
“In UNICEF, many people are doing good deeds for the whole world. They make big projects of education, health, water, shelter but they are doing good deeds not for wisdom. Most of them are doing good deeds not with Buddha Dhamma and Shangha. Because most of them are not religious persons, not Buddhist, so they may not aim to be free from life cycle or to get enlightenment. They are doing very big jobs for the others but their aim is small, only for this life, only for food, only for a long life. They can not detach from this life and from what they understand. Most of them do not believe in next life. They may not think of the future life. They may only think of present life then they do good deeds only to solve the present problems and difficulties.
In fact, the mind is the most important. Even if you are able to do many big projects. If your intelligent is far away from Buddha Dhamma and Shangha, your activities may not be the causes of understanding the Four Noble Truth. You must be able to do what is good. Besides, you must have knowledge to connect with Buddha Dhamma and Shangha, we must be able to work for Buddha Dhamma and Shangha. It is concerned with habits, if we can change of our habits from working for ourselves to Buddha Dhamma and Shangha, we are sure to get wisdom in the right time. So it concerns with what we understand rather than what we are doing now.
In the beginning of Thabarwa center, not like the other meditation centers, we are always busy with old and sick people by solving problems of who are in trouble and can not solve by themselves. Police and government officers are working on those things, but they didn’t make a great job. That’s why in the beginning, we are underestimated by many people in the society. As a meditation center, we should not do so many social activities like this, we are doing the wrong way. We should not accept alcoholic or drug addicts and mental patients in the center. There are many complaints like this but I don’t change what we are doing in the center. Because I am not doing for myself, I am doing for those who are in need of help. That’s why if I stop I may be release, I may not have much difficulties. But for those who are staying in the center and in the society, who are in big troubles, they may can not survive and solve the problems by themselves.
That’s why I continue that job until now. But I am not doing for myself, I am doing for them and also doing for Buddha Dhamma and Shangha. I try to represent Buddha and also I am one of the son of Buddha. Besides, whatever I do I try to represent Dhamma by not to do bad, to do good, to clean the mind – to be stable and pure. I am helping them in order to teach them for good causes and good results. I want them to experience by themselves, by staying and helping the center. That aim is great, that’s why i can accumulate great merits. If i am thinking only for food, shelter, medicine, education, I will not much different with government officers, they are also doing like this. So you can also do the same if you dare to do.”