Do You Treat the Poor and the Rich Differently at the Temple?

Imagine you walk into a temple. A Buddhist devotee dressed in luxurious silk is offered tea by a nun, who chats with her warmly. Meanwhile, an elderly man in plain cloth sits quietly on the veranda, waiting endlessly for someone to ask after him. Does this scene feel familiar? But is equality really about treating everyone exactly the same?

Equality Is Not About Leveling Rights and Benefits

We often misunderstand equality to mean that everyone should have the same standard of living, that the rich and the poor should be made alike. Thầy Thích Chân Quang clarifies: "Leveling rights and benefits means forcing everyone to possess the same set of benefits, regardless of their different blessings from merit and different efforts. Equality, on the other hand, is an ethical attitude in how we interact with all people."

In reality, those who work more receiving more is fairness according to the law of cause and effect (karmic law). Forcing everyone to live identically would go against fairness and could never be carried out in society. Even within a temple, those with greater blessings from merit are naturally beloved by devotees and receive more making offerings. But that is not equality — equality is an attitude of the heart.

The Roots of Favoritism

Why do we so easily show favoritism? Thầy Chân Quang names three causes: "First, someone who has conditions (dependent origination) with us from past lives. Second, they have some appealing quality, such as good looks or refinement. Third, they flatter us or seek our help." All of these stem from selfishness and the influence of cause and effect (karmic law).

Think of a grandmother who loves her most mischievous grandchild, no matter what wrongs he has done. That is karma from the past. Such favoritism unintentionally makes the rich more arrogant and the poor more insecure.

The Steadfast Practitioner Sees Everyone Alike

The essential point is that a practitioner must dwell constantly within their own mind/heart. Thầy teaches: "To practice means to always remain with your own mind/heart in order to watch over it. Standing before all people and all circumstances, the mind/heart does not chase after them." Because of this, when meeting the wealthy, the practitioner's mind/heart is not drawn toward their blessings from merit. When meeting the poor, there is no contempt.

In truth, the deeper one's meditative concentration, the more attentive one becomes to the poor and suffering. This is because they understand: "Poor people are prone to feeling inferior; they see the temple but rarely dare to come forward. A steadfast practitioner will call them over, ask after them, and ease their sense of inferiority. That is the ethics of equality."

The Rich Need a Lesson, the Poor Need a Helping Hand

Thầy tells the story of a wealthy devotee, arrogant and demanding, who wanted the temple to follow her wishes. Thầy remained cool and did not indulge her, in order to dissolve her ego. But with the poor apprentice workers, he took the initiative to talk with them, ask after them, and then instructed his disciples to care for them. He said: "When people are poor, they feel inferior, so we must make up for it. When they come to the temple, they need love and warmth."

This is true equality: not measuring people by wealth, but by compassion. With the rich, sometimes a stern attitude is needed to temper their arrogance. With the poor, a smile and a kind word are needed so they feel respected.

In a Practice Community, Do Not Unknowingly Nurture Prejudice

Those who manage the community must also be careful not to show favoritism. Thầy warns: "The person you dislike, you keep sending off to fetch water and cook rice... not realizing that you are building the very steps for them to rise. Those very people will later become the leaders of the temple."

Therefore, opportunities for study and service must be given evenly. Do not be lenient with those you feel conditions (dependent origination) with, and do not burden those with fewer blessings from merit with the hardest tasks — service is not a punishment, but an opportunity to accumulate merit.

Equality is not about leveling rights and benefits, but about a heart without discrimination. When you meet someone poor, take the initiative to share. When you meet someone rich, remain calm and do not flatter. Begin today: ask after the woman selling lottery tickets, smile at the security guard, shake the hand of someone with a disability. That is equality made real in every moment.