Compassionate Altruism and Bodhi Cultivation: Speaking on Buddhist Charities and Public Welfare Undertakings

Introduction
Charity is the core of Mahayana Buddhism; compassion is the spirit of the Bodhisattva path. “Loving kindness brings happiness to all sentient beings and compassion saves all sentient beings from suffering”, goes a saying in the Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom (Mahāprajñāpāramitā Śastra)(大智度论). In Baoji Jing(宝集经), we are also taught to “provide money for the poor, medicine for the ill, protection for the defenseless, home for the homeless, and support for the helpless.”

Undertaking public welfare can benefit all sentient beings. Buddhism believes that causes and conditions bring all sentient beings together, and Buddhist teachings promote public welfare based on the concepts of “unconditional loving kindness for all” and “interconnectedness and coexistence among all”.

Moreover, “The Buddhist mind is a compassionate mind”, as mentioned in the Sutra of Visualizing the Buddha of Immeasurable Length of Life (观无量寿经). Compassion manifests itself in the “Four Boundless Minds”, i.e. loving kindness, compassion, joy, and giving, all these four minds benefiting others as well as oneself. The basic spirit of the Buddha is compassion towards all sentient beings and to achieve enlightenment and liberation together with all living beings, thus altruism is the Buddha’s core principle. The Bodhisattva path of Mahayana Buddhism holds the view that we should “benefit all sentient beings both upwards and downwards”. Therefore, practicing charity as a skillful means composes the building blocks of charities and public welfare undertakings in the Buddhist context.

Responding to Social Needs

With advances in technology, there are more and more abundant goods and materials, but the world has become less and less moral and violent. Due to the endless desire for material life, the pressing of poverty, and challenges in life, many people cannot overcome their difficulties and choose to commit suicide, rob, or steal. These actions cause disorder to society and ruin the public order. Thus Buddhist charities and public welfare undertakings have become more and more important these days. On the one hand, they play the role of stabilizing the society, purifying the mind of the people, and decreasing hatred and violence. On the other hand, they also provide resources for those in need in order for them to walk out of financial difficulties and start a more hopeful and valuable life.

As a saying in The Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith (大乘起信论) goes, “all Dharma and everything can be viewed as a result from the gatherings of causes and conditions; nothing escapes karma, the law of causes and consequences; out of great compassion, one should cultivate all positive causes and practice all blessed deeds; one should try to share the Dharma with all sentient beings instead of staying satisfied in the state of Nirvana.” Thus, the Buddhist charities and public welfare undertakings should not only provide the substance properly for human beings but also nourish the sentient beings spiritually with the Buddhist education. Furthermore, it is based on the Buddhist principle of “unconditional loving kindness for all” and “interconnectedness and coexistence among all” that we provide service for all living beings in the society.

Generosity and Kind Deeds to Benefit All Living Beings

The Buddha educates and transforms sentient beings with his compassion and wisdom. Among all his teachings, generosity (or giving) is a method used to initiate the karmic connection with numerous sentient beings. Being the first of the Six Perfections of Wisdom (paramitas) in Mahayana Buddhism, “generosity” includes three different dimensions, which includes donation (of money or materials), teaching (Dharma propagation and merits dedication) and bestowing confidence (giving confidence and compassion). The concept of working for the benefits of others is an extension from the standpoint of benefaction. Not only can it help us eliminate the attachment to “self” but also it helps us make good connections with others imperceptibly. In order to give an impetus to Buddhist charities and public welfare undertakings, cultivating human mind and benefiting sentient beings should be put as a prerequisite. Generosity and kind deeds for all sentient beings’ welfare can reach harmony of body, mind and spirit.

Charities and Welfare Organizations

Two thousand and five hundred years ago the Buddha had become the greatest humanitarian. The Buddha educated sentient beings, purified human mind by Dharma, and set the model for all sentient beings. Things have changed with the passing of years, but today we still follow the Buddha’s teachings and engage in charitable undertakings.

Today there are lots of religions engaging in charitable undertakings. Buddhist communities have also joined efforts in contributing to this respect. For example, they have applied to register with their respective governments as charity organizations. The service of Buddhist charity organizations includes medical treatment, orphanage, shelters/ nursing homes, relief for those in poverty and illness, and emergency rescue, etc. They are established in order to meet the needs of the society in different areas. Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation(佛教慈济基金会), Buddha’s Light International Association(国际佛光会), Dharma Drum Mountain Charity Foundation(法鼓山慈善基金会), Ling Jiou Mountain Welfare and Charitable Foundation (灵鷲山社会福利慈善事业基金会) and Life Conservationist Association(关怀生命协会), to name a few, are famous charity organizations. Each organization may have its specific objectives. The main objective of Buddhist Lotus Hospice Care Foundation(莲花基金会) is hospice care. While the main objective of Taipei Kuanyin Counseling Hot Line Association(台北市佛教观音线协会) is counseling, and the Samantabhadra Family of Compassion Ocean(普贤慈海家园) founded recently by Ven. Jing-Yao is an organization engaging in influencing and reforming prisoners. The Chinese Buddhist Temple Association(中华佛寺协会), Chinese Buddhism Association(中华佛教护僧协会) and Buddhist Sangha Health Care Foundation(佛教僧伽医护基金会) have the same objective serving and helping the sangha. The main objective of Chingjou Social Welfare and Charitable Foundation(净觉社会福利慈善事业基金会) is to take care of elders. In addition, the Society Improvement Foundation(净化社会文教基金会) and Ci-Hang Social Welfare Foundation(慈航社会福利基金会) promote Ven. Ci-Hang’s mission for charity, education, and culture. There are still many other Buddhist organizations such as: Bliss and Wisdom Charitable Foundation(福智慈善基金会), ChengTe Social Welfare Charitable Foundation(正德社会福利慈善基金会), Chue Feng Buddhist Art & Culture Foundation(觉风佛教艺术文化基金会), etc.

Take “Chinese Young Buddhist Association” for example, its main objectives are caring for prisoners, campus lectures, social public welfare and education for life; meanwhile, it also seeks to mobilize the community to establish both domestic and international disaster relief funds and to take actions to care for the need when necessary.

Vision and Outlook

All of us are Buddhists; we should follow the Buddha’s spirit of compassion and advance “charitable undertakings” step by step beyond the bound of region, religion and race. We’re all members of the same family because all of us live in one global village. When the Sichuan Earthquake and the Myanmar cyclone occurred, friends from all over the world offered concerns and support to the victims, helping them overcome the disaster and walk out of the sorrow together.

In the 21st century, we should make good use of the internet to connect to the world, building a cooperative relationship among regions, countries and to establish a platform for mutual aid and communication, which will expedite expressions of charity and public welfare so as to develop more beneficial outcomes and profit more people in need.

We wish there will be more and more Buddhist charities and public welfare undertakings established, with the compassionate spirit of the Guanshiyin Bodhisattva among the sea of suffering, to “manifest in whichever convenient way whenever sought after, and to offer rides for all to the other shore”. Let us hope we will nourish the sentient beings with the dew of the Dharma and to proactively benefit others with an altruistic mind. Let us promote peace and harmony for all human minds. Peace and harmony for the society and the world.

（The author is President of Chinese Young Buddhist Association）