PureInsight | September 17, 2006
[PureInsight.org] A wise man
once said to me, "It is compassion when a person can let go of his ego
and think from the perspective of others no matter what he encounters."
However, because of the lowered moral standards in modern society,
everyone sees self-preservation as very important and fewer and fewer
people can truly put themselves in other people's shoes and think from
other's standpoints. I myself learned to let go of my ego only after I
started cultivation. When a person competes and fights for personal
gain or desire, endless conflicts will occur. In fact, much ancient
wisdom such as "serenity brings about good fortune and peace generates
wealth" are very reasonable. One will gain only by giving and harvest
only by working hard. When one puts down his ego, he will truly feel
and enjoy the spiritual realm of "When it seems to be the end of
mountains, water and everything, after passing the shady willow tress,
there will be bright flowers and another village ahead."
It is
said that, in an ancient time, a person got lost in a desert. He faced
unbearable hunger and thirst, and was on the verge of death. Yet, he
lifted his heavy feet and persistently moved forward step by step,
until finally he found a little hut that had been abandoned a long time
ago. He found a water pump in front of the hut but it had not even one
drop of water. When he had nothing he could do, he suddenly noticed a
kettle next to the pump. The kettle's mouth was closed by a wooden plug
and a note was placed on the kettle, which said: "You have to pour this
kettle of water into the pump first and only then can you pump water.
But please, do make sure to fill the kettle with water before you leave
here." After reading the note, he carefully pulled out the plug and it
was true, it had water.
At this moment, the person was facing
a difficult choice: if he poured water from the kettle into the pump
and no water could be pumped out, he would possibly die of thirst in
the dessert, but if he drank the water from the kettle right away, he
could save his life, however this way, people who came here later on
would have no hope. After hesitating for a little while, he felt as if
there was a wonderful inspiration giving him power and he decided to
follow what was written on the note. He indeed pumped out pure spring
water from the pump and drank to his great satisfaction. Resting for a
moment, he filled the kettle full, put the plug back in and added a
couple of more sentences to the note: "Please believe me that the words
on the note are true and only if you put aside your concerns for life
and death can you have a chance to taste the sweet spring water."
Putting
down one's ego is a virtue of sacrificing oneself for others and is
also a lofty spiritual realm. When a person truly puts down his ego,
the wisdom of distinguishing the truth from lies will naturally emerge
and he will receive surprising rewards. Although in the human world
there won't always be any return right away after each giving, only by
giving can one receive a return and have a chance to taste the sweet
spring water. Therefore, whenever I see Falun Gong practitioners all
over the world sacrificing their money and their time with their
families to clarify the truth and save sentient beings, regardless of
the hot summer weather with burning sun above or the cold winter when
everything is frozen, my heart is filled with thousands of feelings.
Letting go of one's ego, putting aside life and death and sacrificing
for others without selfishness, is exactly the spiritual realm of an
enlightened being!
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2006/9/2/39802.html
