Voluntary Work
A volunteer at an FPMT center wrote saying that he felt he was valued as a worker rather than as a Dharma brother. He felt that there was a lack of support for the volunteers in general. His idea was that the volunteers could undergo a trial period of a few months and if they proved to be good workers, then they could be given some pocket money for them to continue to work.
Dear one,
Thank you for your letter. I have heard your thoughts and your situation, and also your background. In essence, what I want to say is that the center has limited finances. It can’t feed the whole world. That is the background of the center. In the world, there are so many people who need help: homeless, hungry people, etc. People think only of this world, but there are numberless worlds. I heard there are volunteers who do their work as agreed and do get pocket money. So, I would like to request humbly of you: it is very important for you to take responsibility and fulfill the offer of service to the center, to sentient beings, and to Buddha's teachings. The center is there to provide what is needed to educate sentient beings in Dharma, liberate them from samsara, and bring them to full enlightenment.
Please think many times during the day: “The purpose of my life is to free others from suffering; I'm here to serve others. All sentient beings are the source of my realizations and enlightenment. They are very kind, most kind.”
There are different ways to meditate on this. An extensive way is to think that all your happiness of the three times come from your good karma. Your good karma is something you have been able to generate due to the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhas comes from bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas come from bodhicitta. Bodhicitta comes from the existence of obscured suffering sentient beings.
With much love and prayer, and please, with this positive mind, please enjoy your life at the center.