Learning to Be In the Service of Others
I suppose that “serving others” means just this: fulfilling their needs without egotistical purposes, which is probably the most difficult task because it implies constantly putting others before ourselves (including our ideas), considering their welfare more important than ours, never letting oneself be discouraged by obstacles, misunderstandings, even insults. Sometimes the sense of futility is overwhelming when we are stuck with the realization of the vastness of these people’s needs and the widespread indifference of government offices, so naturally the thought comes: “What difference can MAITRI, this tiny drop in the ocean, really make?”
Well, Rinpoche says that on the ultimate level even if just one being got liberated thanks to his/her contact with our center, then the very existence of the center itself has been worthwhile. On a relative level other kinds of figures and results are demanded in order to justify the presence of a leprosy center.
On a subtle level it is easier to gauge the results of one’s own work when dealing with dying or ultimately ill persons than when treating people at a mass level like we do. Affecting their minds in such a way that the nightmare they have gone through may become a source of a new awareness that will ultimately free them from karma, is difficult, as the approach of the whole leprosy eradication program is very materialistic. And the workers themselves have to grasp the meaning of karma and its effects.
Recently, Rinpoche urged me to purchase land and build a center of our own, as soon as possible. Right now the major difficulty is finding a large piece of land with all the required characteristics: over here even having money is no guarantee for a quick deal. When eventually, with lots of perseverance and prayers, this is done, then alternative medicine and healing (Rinpoche’s project for a very long time) can be applied along with care of the homeless and social rehabilitation. I can almost touch it: with your moral and practical support please help us make it come true.
