Comment on Mail To Shifu 1

Index finger said, “”Mr. Thumb, every one sees you only and praises you alone, they ignore my existence. Next time, I am not going to cooperate with you. Then only will they know how important I am.” The middle finger felt the same and quit. From then on, the hand could not lift up anything.

To hold up thing, the thumb and all the other fingers have to twist together. All the fingers only see themselves as individuals. They do not see themselves as part of a hand. An organization has front stage workers and back stage workers. Like a movie, at the end of the show, a long list of acknowledgement of the back stage workers is screened. But all spectators have begun to disperse when the movie ends. Who cares to watch the list of acknowledgement patiently? But if their names are not screened, there is going to be an upheaval. But objectively speaking, even if the name is screened, it is flashed for a second, only for the personal satisfaction of the person concerned. For laymen, the concern for such thing is normal. But if you are a cultivating person, if you are concerned whether Shifu does or does not remember to thank the back stage people it must be because you are trying to safeguard your beloved Shifu to remind him to be grateful to these deserving people and not to be blinded by fame and fortune. But if everyone is not looking for the reward of the basket of fruits, then isn’t a general “thank you” from Shifu be sufficient? I feel it will be ridiculous if after each group activity, like all prize giving out ceremonies, Shifu will have to take out a paper and reads, “First, I will like to thank my parents who give birth to me, my grandpa and grandma who take care of me, also my manager, the company’s management and also Mr. So and So, how he has helped me, of course not forgetting….”

A grand master of spiritual cultivation, Oshio said, “Man, does not see himself as part of the universe.” Similarly, when we worked with Shifu to start an activity of promoting qigong, or helping the sick people, a good cause has engineered us into a group to do some good deeds that benefit ourselves and others. The law of cause and effect is fair. You reap what you put in. The working of the law of cause and effect would not allow anyone to reap the whole fruit.

If you believe Shifu is a good man, a grand Zen master, then what do you think is his meaning of letting some people to serve? Shifu says that he sees that many people have no chance of being reborn as human after their death. I believe what he says. Even I have no confidence that after my death I would not be reborn as an evil ghost or an animal because I have read from some Buddhist books the reasons for being reborn as such and I have committed those sins! When Shifu let me drive him home, carry things for him, donate money, I carry them out willingly and happily and I also think of accumulating more good karma and because offering to Buddha, monk and good man will increase my good karma. Of course, Diamond Sutra says, if I give out alms, do good deeds, I don’t dwell on marks, don’t think of the merits they carry, the resultant merits will be limitlessly huge. I am learning about this principle. Hope all the fellow brothers and sisters will come and cultivate with me this way.

“Those who don’t thank people and those being thanked”, the principle is the same as in our qigong practice. When you pat people, are you giving good qi to them or are you expelling the bad qi in your body? Hence, both must thank each other. What if some of those being patted do not thank you? Forget it lah!

In my opinion, whether those of us who are learning qigong or the masters who are teaching qigong, if it is just for fame and fortune, then there are other places that provide better rewards. To learn our type of qigong and cultivation, the principle is to give, to serve and to sacrifice. Reap what you sow. the principle is true. But, sow before you reap. If you sow, you will reap. But if you think more of the reap before the sow, the reap is not going to be huge.

Everyone spends time, money and effort and some even could not be forgiven by their family members, what is it for?

Cham
Translated by Lu An Kong (12/12/2009)