Want Great Blessings? Don't Settle for Small Ones

Have you ever wondered why some people are born into wealth while others are born into poverty? We bow and practice day and night, yet blessings seem nowhere to be found. Today, understanding the answer to this question will let you see life through entirely different eyes.

Once we know the way, we must help others know it too. Do not keep the way to yourself.

But before helping others, we must first understand the fundamentals of the path ourselves.

Understanding Cause and Effect: The First Step for One Who Knows the Way

The teacher says that when we first come to the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), the first thing we must understand is not the Buddha himself or the scriptures, but the law of cause and effect (karmic law). Knowing what is wrong, what is meritorious, and which causes lead to which results. This is the foundation for going further.

Only by knowing wrong and merit, cause and effect, do we gradually gain the inspiration to study the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) more and more deeply.

Understanding cause and effect (karmic law) is not merely theory. It helps us face suffering (dukkha) and success with balance. When things go wrong, we take responsibility ourselves, and sadness fades. When we succeed, we are not arrogant, because we know it is the fruit of blessings from merit accumulated in past lives.

Do Not Be Satisfied with Small Blessings

Many people come to the temple asking only for small things: a little wealth, a little beauty, a luxury car, a fine house. But the teacher warns that we are not permitted to settle for tiny blessings. Blessings must be truly great, and our future lives must be great as well.

We must rise above and create truly great blessings from merit. Only from such great blessings can we do work that touches all sentient beings.

To attain enlightenment, liberation, or birth in a higher realm, our blessings from merit must be immense—not just a little practice here and there. Look at the leaders of nations: their blessings from merit are millions upon millions of times greater than ours. What causes did they plant? That question urges us to reach for great blessings.

A Great Heart and a Great Opportunity

To have great blessings, one must create great merit. But how? Two things are needed: a great heart and a great opportunity. A small heart cannot accomplish great things. If the opportunity has not yet come, first keep your heart great.

To have great blessings, one must accomplish great merit... One must have a great heart. A small heart cannot do great things.

Great opportunities do not come easily. But when we keep a great heart, the Buddha will give us the opportunity. Begin with truly great aspirations. You might take on endeavors such as these.

Encourage others to help restore the village temple.

Repair the road in front of your home so people can travel safely.

Establish a transparent charity page to help those in need.

Ask in Order to Do Good, Not to Enjoy the Fruits

The teacher advises: do not pray to receive benefits for yourself; pray for the opportunity to do good. The Buddha responds readily when we pray to benefit others. Then the Buddha will give us the opportunity.

Especially when we pray in order to do good, rather than praying to receive, the Buddha responds to us very easily.

The teacher says that if we stand praying for a luxury car, the Buddha will not grant it, because that is asking for the fruit. But if we ask for the opportunity to do good, the Buddha will readily support us. So do not pray for enjoyment; pray instead for the chance to help build a temple, repair a road, or assist sentient beings. When the heart turns toward the benefit of others, the Buddha will open the way.

The Story of the Road and the Secret Vow

The teacher recounts that when he was still a layman, he repaired the village road. When the work was done, he stood quietly in a corner, looked up at the sky, and made this vow.

"I vow that anyone who sets foot on this road I have repaired will, in the future, follow the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)."

More than thirty years later, that vow came true as he traveled everywhere to teach the Dharma. It is proof that with a great heart and a sincere vow, great blessings will surely come.

Conclusion: Begin Today

Do not settle for small blessings. Think of great merit, beginning with the smallest acts but carried out with the greatest heart. Keep your resolve on the path strong by inviting others to the temple, filling a pothole, building a temple, or simply vowing that all beings may come to know the Buddha's teachings (Dharma). When your heart is great enough, the Buddha will give you the opportunity to create boundless blessings from merit.