Ubuntu (Zulu):
People become people
through other people.
Humanity (English):
Human beings are humanised
through being humane to one another.
Buddhahood (Sanskrit-English):
Beings become Buddhas
through helping other beings become Buddhas too.
Paraphrased from a friend’s notes: Ven. Heng Sure once visited slum villagers who were really connected to one another despite being really poor. They welcomed them (himself and three other guests) with song and dance in a circle, with the elders in the centre, and the young outside. They welcomed them into their shabby houses and gave them warm water in tin cans. Four families had pooled their money together to buy them four teabags for tea. They really honoured their guests and relationships with one another. This is completely unlike a child sitting engrossed in a high-tech electronic game. When a parent enters the room, it is as if he didn’t at all because the child doesn’t notice. If the child is asked something, he might just give a grunt. Human relationships can be eroded by such overuse of gadgets.