Motivation - the substance beneath the form of our actions

[palani]

Hi Everyone - A good example of how motivation works!  So, let's focus on why we do things rather than just on how we do it.

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				April 3 At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: “I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment.” That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning. Buddha had been watching all along, and said: “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit.” Home Subscribe/Unsubscribe from Glimpse of the Day

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[Michael Tan]

Dear Palani and Dharma Brothers and Sisters,

"Relying on Joy" touched me. Thanks, Palani! I hope it also touches many others.

 

Pure/sincere motivation is Power! In my humble opinion, Dedications and offerings that arise right from the bottom of our hearts are real powerful. Be careful with this power! If our motivation is impure, we will also cause the fruition of that negative motivation!

 

This is what I think, too:

If we have been watching our mind and actions, we would probably have observed that at times, out of GREAT ANGER, made some kind of negative remarks or worse still, curses on someone. If those negative remarks or curses felt like they really came out from the very bottom of our hearts and especially when we really meant what we said at that point in time, then this kind of "highly negative "dedications"" is as pure(in the negative way) as the old beggar woman's pure dedication. The "highly negative "dedcations"" are probably many more times more powerful than our usual "pure dedications" made after performing some good deeds.

 

If only we could dedicate our positive dedications as strongly and as purely as when we do our "highly negative dedications", our many pure dedications would have greatly and truly benefit many sentient beings.

 

May we always check our motivations and carry out our daily activities according to the Dharma.

May our dedications and offerings as pure as the Old Beggar Woman's.

 

"Om Mani Padme Hung!"

 

Regards,

Michael :)

 

 

 

On 3 Apr 2011 11:16, "palani" <pal...@emgconsulting.biz> wrote:
> Hi Everyone - A good example of how motivation works!  So, let's focus on why we do things rather than just on how we do it.
>

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> April 3
>
> At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: “I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment.”
>
> That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning.
>
> Buddha had been watching all along, and said: “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit.”
>

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