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Being Present in Non-Action, Serving in Action
The great suffering that young people with aspiration face today is not only poverty, illness, social injustice, or afflictions, but also environmental pollution leading to extinction, war, drugs, the disintegration of family structure, and alienation, which causes the souls of young people to become rootless. In order to become a “Dharma instrument” that brings about change, the practitioner needs to see deeply into all causes and, at the same time, transform afflictions, because only when we are able to master our afflictions do we have enough strength to confront all existing suffering.
Since the Engaged Buddhism movement (1964), ethics has been divided into two aspects:
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Passive presence: a person who carries within themselves four basic elements, even without doing anything, is already a benefit to family, Sangha, and society
• Stability – as solid as the ocean, as radiant as the sun
• Understanding – deeply comprehending the suffering and dreams of others
• Love – a love that does not bind, helping the flower of happiness to bloom
• Freedom (liberation) – not being bound by afflictions - Active presence: every activity—from sitting meditation, walking meditation, to washing dishes, driving, using the computer—is a means of practice to nourish the four elements of passive presence, thereby generating the strength to transform poverty, war, oppression…
Building a Sangha or a happy family must be based on the foundation of passive ethics. When each member truly embodies stability, understanding, love, and freedom, then every act of service is harmonious, bringing trust and radiating happiness to the community, helping the journey of service to go very far without breaking down.
