A friend’s account: When I took up full-time Dharma work more than a decade ago, a friend warned me about the messy nature of the organisation I was going to work in. In short, he advised against me working there. I didn’t bother – because the details shared were vague anyway. Till today, I’m not exactly sure what he was talking about. And I was clear I wanted to do Dharma work and nothing else. Back then and till now, I have passion for no other work. Even in much of my spare time, like writing about this, it’s still related to sharing the Dharma.
I’m still working in the organisation, though many staff come and go due to various reasons. Maybe I have already experienced some of the obstacles that the friend was talking about, but they turned out to be inconsequential personally – because my focus was and still is on making the best of the opportunity to share the Dharma. All other matters are distractions I do my best to ignore – which thus renders them insignificant. This applies to all other forms of Right Livelihood too – if your focus and motivation is right, the wrong things that pop up hardly matter.
Amituofo. Sadhu your great aspiration to do Dharma works and sharing the Dharma. During this era of defilement, I agree that many, Buddhists and non-Buddhists, tend to do things without a Right view and leading to superstitious and non-meaningful or even karmically negative doings. With a right view and true understanding of the Dharma, and knowing what you are doing for, then whatever others do or speak, it means little and we should not be swayed or to get frustrated over these never ending, impermanent mundane matters…
Let’s all so it together in ways we can – full-time, part-time or even as volunteers! Amituofo
(Y)