..续本文上一页rue for those extremely wealthy people, who in their limited lifetime may not use their wealth properly for meaningful causes. Once you depart from this world, you will have that regret. This morning, when I spoke to an entrepreneur from Ningbo, he told me about an entrepreneur who had a net worth of 7.4 billion yuan. Last year, that entrepreneur had a severe illness, but he was still full of hope and never made any will or arrangements about his money for after his death. One day, he suddenly died, and at that time, even the successor to his enterprise had not been appointed. For those who have no idea about impermanence, and who solely strive to earn money, this case undoubtedly raises an alarm. For this reason, no matter how much money you possess, you should be prepared and arrange in advance what you want to do with your wealth. The best choice is to give some of your wealth to charitable causes when you are gone.
Those who love to carry out charitable acts are extremely happy deep in their hearts. When they see that due to their efforts a needy person is able to receive help, able to emerge from hardship, and gain the hope to return to a good life, this feeling cannot be expressed by words. It can only be described as “Just like when you drink water, whether it is cold or warm, you feel it yourself.” Likewise, for the recipient of charity, it is hard to express his or her gratitude in words when someone gives a helping hand at the time of greatest adversity.
Unfortunately, in our present society, many people only care about themselves. They want to obtain happiness, joy, and wealth for themselves, but they never think about how to contribute to others and share that same happiness with others. This problem is closely related to the education system. During childhood, many people do not receive any education about charity; they don”t know how to devote themselves to charity and contribute unselfishly. What they care about is blindly asking for something from others. On account of this lack, when these young people grow up, whatever they do remains completely selfish. A society, family, and organization made up of such people will not have a good mindset and will not give service to the public.
While everyone longs for happiness, most people do not know that the true source of happiness is helping others, and the source of suffering is selfishness and self-cherishing. If you want to find happiness, carrying out charitable activities is the best way. In Chinese, charity is called “Ci Shan.” “Ci” is about having compassion in our heart, and “Shan” is about selflessly benefiting others. If you can truly achieve this sense of honor and commitment, whether you are a government official, the wealthiest person in the world, or a beggar, your mind will always be enriched, and your future will be bright.
The concept of charity has a long history in the Han area. Confucianism talks about “benevolence and love,” Buddhism advocates “compassion,” and Taoism speaks about “accumulating virtues.” Although each religion expresses this idea differently, they all believe in the concept of saving life, serving the community, and taking care of the welfare of the people. However, in the 21st century, people are putting their full attention on economic development. They have completely neglected spiritual development. In fact, when moral and ethical values in a society are declining and going backward every day, no matter how much material development progresses and advances, true serenity and happiness will never be obtained. As such, what we need the most is the improvement of the overall quality of life, not just more material development alone. We all should learn altruism and contribute to others without asking for anything in return.
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