Leading with the Mind of a Servant
July-September 2011
PRACTICE IN DAILY LIFE
Photo by Corey Leopold
… Serving others from the heart is the best offering to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Shantideva said:
Having even the mere thought to benefit others
Is considered much more beneficial than making offerings to all the buddhas. What need is there to say anything about
Those who actually attempt to bring happiness to others?
– Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Chapter One, v. 27
Even one person or one insect – each sentient being – is cherished most by each bodhisattva. Of course, needless to say, it’s the same for numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas. This one sentient being who could be against you is cherished most by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. This one sentient being becomes most unbelievably, unbelievably, unbelievably precious. Even slightly disrespecting one sentient being is disrespecting all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. In the same way, showing even modest respect to one sentient being is the best offering to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. So you can see how being the director of a center has incredible advantages!
Don’t let yourself think, “I am the leader,” having arrogance and pride, etc. This blocks you from helping the center. It opens the door to many problems, instead of opening the door to all happiness and enlightenment and bringing all sentient beings into happiness – the four types of happiness1 – benefiting all sentient beings of the six suffering realms. If this is your wish, your goal, it opens the door to all problems. It offers so much harm to all sentient beings and yourself.
The most important thing for this life’s happiness, especially for the sentient beings you meet, is to have the thought:
I am the servant and they are the masters. I am the servant and they are the kings. They are the masters and I am like the dog. Sentient beings are the ones from whom I have received all my happiness. They are the dearest and most kind.
They are the ones from whom all opportunities come, in relation to whom I have the opportunity to purify all my negative karma, create all the merit, and attain enlightenment. So they are the kindest of all. I should use my body, speech and mind to serve others, especially the people of the center, as well as all the animals and insects.
This is also the attitude one should have with one’s family, or if you are a teacher or the leader of a company, etc.
Keep Your Mind in Virtue
The purpose of a meditation center is to take care of the minds of others, to keep the mind in virtue as much as possible. This means keeping your own mind in virtue. YOU HAVE TO TRY. IT IS VERY GOOD TO TRY. If you can’t do that, you can’t help others. Your motivation should be to use your body, speech and mind to create even the smallest happiness in others. Many people in the world waste their lives. People try to climb mountains, no matter what risk to their life. Some people use themselves as bullets, getting fired from cannons, and so forth – unbelievable things – putting their lives in danger to achieve such insignificant happiness in this life.
The Ornament of Sutra, by Maitreya Buddha, says:
The child of the victorious ones, who has stabilized the supreme perseverance of thoroughly ripening the multitude of sentient beings, will work to have even one virtuous thought arise in a sentient being’s mind, even if it takes ten million thousand eons, without getting upset.
When you train the mind in positive virtue, especially a good heart trying to benefit others, it creates very good communication. There is no Great Wall of China or Germany between yourself and others. It brings so much happiness to you and others, and brings world peace.
Excerpted from Service as a Path to Enlightenment, a collection of advice for those in positions of leadership within the FPMT mandala. Although this small booklet was originally offered to FPMT center, project and service directors, the advice within is valuable for any student. Copies are available through The Foundation Store.
[...] Leading with the Mind of a Servant [...]