In the spontaneous act of giving, helping and other meritorious and wholesome deeds, without a thought of gaining recognition, reward or appreciation, your true nature expresses itself beautifully in radiating happiness and words of wisdom.

OM MANI PADME HUM

What is your feeling each day when you awake? Do you find it difficult to get up cheerfully? Are you afraid to face certain days because you do not like them? Are you the one who leaves your life to fate and do nothing about it? Have you any purpose in life?

How your mind reacts to life each day, each moment, will determine what kind of a person you will be. If you have no knowledge of the self, then you have wasted this opportunity as a human being. Then you will feel like one who is lost and is without any directions; then you will find that all mornings are not as pleasant and challenging as they should be.

Each day is a good day. If you have a Buddhist mind, you will look forward to understanding the happiness of each day, you will welcome the thousands of opportunities for you to perform some worthy deeds which are wholesome in nature. Without a day there is no more life left in you, so you should never reject the call of the morrow, you should get up with a happy frame of mind because you are alive and there will be vast opportunities again for you to cultivate, to practice your Buddhist Way of Life.

Take all opportunities to be lessons to learn from and to practise. Good deeds cannot be performed before big deeds can be readily practised without any thought of merit. Without any thought of merit for each good deed performed is the way of a Buddhist. You must not give only when there are people around you. Helping others in front of witnesses do not qualify it to be a good deed because that would be easy to do. But that does not mean that you should not be kind to others just because there are other people around. It all depends on your intention, your sincerity, and your mental attitude at that moment. It is always good to help others at any time. But it is better for one to be charitable when no one is around, when there is no one to see you helping a poor fellow. Do not perform deeds which you consider is worth your while to perform. It is the small drops of water that make up a bucketful. And charitable or meritorious deeds come from the heart. It is not judged by material things that you give away. A sympathetic smile, some comforting words, a sincere prayer - these are ways of giving too and these little acts can give greater comforts to those who receive than the material things that you can offer.

Act with a true heart, act without any expectations to be recognised or to be appreciated. At any time cultivate goodness and reject evil acts and bearing a calm mind, you will be the true Buddhist that the world needs. By your examples, you may show the way for others to follow. If this state of living can be attained and maintained, then each day for you is a good day. Bad days are created by your own mind. If you feel that today is not a good day for you, then it will certainly turn sour because your mind is attuned to expecting a bad day and you will sour up a perfectly good day. You will not see anything pleasant and the difficult day will follow you like your shadow.

To make a day pleasant, start with a calm mind, maintain love and understanding for others and look forward to give any help that you can give without making any distinction in your act. Whether an act is charitable or not, that is not to be considered just as long as you have the heart to provide some help which will benefit someone, that is a good act. And evil acts are those which bring suffering and harm to others. Knowing this, it is not difficult to know whether each act that you perform is good or evil.

Even when you are walking, you should take heed that you do not squash insects and ants under your feet. That is why you see good and practising Buddhist walking with the head towards the ground. This is not practised any more by modern man because they are no longer interested in anything other than getting their material wealth and the ants, bugs and insects therefore become pests to them, even animals are no longer given any thought of their well-being. So what is the kind of mind that you possess? Do you think that happy days are those when things go smoothly for you and when you have made some gains? Would these happy days be many in your life?

Change your attitude towards life and turn towards the path which will bring you inner joys and satisfaction which no one can steal from you. Spend your time in a worthwhile manner, enjoy each day as it comes, and you will find that your mind is ready for greater things and your life’s satisfaction will no longer be hinged to materialism, and you will be bending toward the spiritual path, seeking for the true joy of living and seeing other beings alive and well. Then you are ready to radiate your happiness to them and to learn to give in a manner which need no appreciation, not even from God who sees your good act. You will gain a mind of wisdom and you will give because you will find happiness in giving!

Friday, 5th February 1982 (1st Moon 12th Day)