Search Buddhist Channel

Buddhist begging bowl contains profound lesson

By Julia Gregg, Courier Press, February 16, 2007

Evansville, IN (USA) -- A friend and I have an ongoing discussion about what really matters - that is, what is essential to good living. We have this discussion, of course, from a historically privileged position.

We're usually agreeing or disagreeing over pasta, dessert or flavored coffee, so it's safe to say Abraham Maslow's lower-level basic needs are usually off our radar screen.

But it's not safe to say that we don't struggle. She has five children, and I have so many lessons to learn that I deplete myself on a fairly regular basis.

One of my most recent profound lessons centered on this same friend's Christmas gift to me, a hand-thrown ceramic bowl, a Buddhist begging bowl. The lesson of the begging bowl, she said, is that what we need will come to us - that at the end of the day our bowls will have been filled.

But I am a worrier, I admit to her. I don't want to be, but my mother was, and her mother before her, so I suppose worry is in the genes. Sometimes I quietly and privately agonize about having enough time, money and energy to give to those around me who need what I have to give. Ironically, I tell my son - and I honestly believe it, despite my worry - that we are only a channel through which money, time, love and energy flow; what we give out comes back again to us. There will be enough.

I have placed the glazed begging bowl on my desk, and every morning it reminds me of my basic "channel" belief that rests somewhere within my core. Every night before bed I realize that - for that day - I have had enough. The lesson is reassuring.

I looked up the history of the begging bowl, and I found that the Buddha divided what was put into his bowl into 49 portions, portions that sustained him on his way to enlightenment. Once enlightened, he threw his golden bowl into the river, having no need for possessions.

I am hardly so evolved. I need my bowl. I like looking at it.

What my friend thinks we need, ultimately, besides basic sustenance, is positive relationships. She tells the story of helping an elderly acquaintance clear out a life's assortment of memorabilia and junk - an acquaintance with no family to assist her. "I was throwing away things that meant nothing anymore to anyone. She had no one left in her life, and I could see so clearly that the possessions that were left were valuable to no one. She was alone."

I see my friend's point clearly: In the end, nothing remains but what we have given to others through relationship and what they have given to us.

But I can't let go of the idea that beauty matters, too ... that it's not only the love, care, support, listening, thinking and sharing of ideas and food and drink that sustains us.

It's the perfect beauty of the hand-thrown sea-green pottery bowl wrapped in sunshine on the edge of the desk ... the perfect poem centered in the middle of the book lying open there, too.

Ah, but how much better that the bowl was a gift, my friend says. How expanded the poem becomes when it is shared.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP