The Good SamaritanA Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid details to make it more dramatic so that her students would feel the moral lesson. Then she asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?”
After some moments of silence, a student in front stood up and answered, “I think I’d vomit.”
Reflections
In a materialistic, self-centred and pleasure-seeking world today, many have become insensitive to the suffering and pain of others ... compassion is really lacking. It is no easy task to inculcate good moral values in the young ... it's a challenge in our Dhammaduta work.
The other day I was having a Buddhist Sunday School lesson with about 60 Standard 4 pupils. A Power Point presentation with pictures was shown depicting how fortunate some kids can be. When a slide was shown of some poor african children ... malnourished, without footwear, with torn clothes due to poverty ... many of the pupils in the class laughed !
It's really shocking ... what has become of our education and society?
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin
5 comments:
bro.oh, can u tell me the thruth? is this world full of conspiracies and agendas?.........how far are all the news in the "news reporting" is true........how far true is the truth? why ppl are still searching for the elixir of life after they have the buddha's sanskrit? dont they know that buddha's sanskrit is actually the "elixir"?? i'm really angry and disappointed at the same time......... i really have nothing to say..........nothing..... nothing............nothing.........i feel like i can no longer stand the pressure ....... cant they learn that "trust" is very important? can i trust u? plz say yes.............
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for your queries and comments. Truth? Ha! An elusive thing! What is good and what is truthful, and what should we believe? To my mind, the best answer is found in the Kalama Sutta the Buddha gave more than 2500 years ago ... it's the charter of free inquiry. ( I shall post the Kalama Sutta in my blog. Go over it carefully. In the quiet, peace and silence of your mind, ponder and reflect on this Teaching ... and one day you too will realize for yourself what is truth and what is good. When you see this for yourself, there's nothing to believe. One believes in something when one is not sure or clear of the truth. When one realizes the Truth through Dhamma practice ( Dana, Sila, Bhavana ), one's mind experiences joy, peace, clarity, wisdom and freedom.
Naturally, the world is full of all sorts of people with different 'agendas' ... such is Samsara ... defiled minds are rooted in greed , anger or hatred and delusion or egoism. People with 'dust in their eyes' chase for happiness, pleasure etc in the outside world . They fail to realize that ultimate peace, happiness and freedom lies within the mind ...'one has to travel within and not out' ... development and purification of the mind is the only way to Nibbana.
When one develops the mind through Dhamma practice, one's anger, disappoinment, sorrow and other negative mental states will begin to lessen. Joy, calmness and peace will grow.
Understanding and realizing the Dhamma will help one cope with the pressures, stresses and Dukkha of life.
Can you trust me? Do not expect me to say yes ... apply the Kalama Sutta spirit ... find out for yourself ...
Take care.
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin
May be they are lack of loving or may be there are problems in our education&society,I am not sure .But something certain is that we must learn how to think or see something in different angle.
From:Chooi Yit Tsin
Dear blackright nikkon,
Indeed, one suffers because of one's greed, anger and delusion ... not sinful but ignorant and foolish ... not understanding the true nature of things.
Dear Yit Sin,
Yes, there may be various factors causing people to behave in negative ways. But basically, unwholesome actions are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion.
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