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| Working on his roof |
Saturday, I went with Andy and Mo to the 06 de Enero Colonia to take pictures of their last roof of the season. They have installed about 100 roofs over the last three years. Each roof requires the recipient to help and then help with labor on the next person's roof. One lady was there working since she received a roof earlier in the season. She felt badly when she received her roof. She was so poor that she couldn't provide a meal for the workers. Yesterday, she brought some "Mole" chicken and we all shared a little chicken and tortillas.. The roofing project is building community while gently sharing the gospel.
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| One happy lady |
I just had to include this photo. This is the lady who was helping with the roof. She is perhaps one of the happiest individuals that I've met. She says that she is always "feliz". What a smile!
Today's photos and narrative illustrate the limited relationship between money and happiness. Over the past two years, I've learned there is substantial research showing a lower and upper limit on money's contribution to happiness. In the USA there is a "happiness window" between abject poverty and middle-class incomes. That is, more money does bring true, lasting happiness to destitute people (those who are truly poor, and just just lazy), but this only works if income levels do not exceed true needs. Adding more wealth does not add more happiness after real needs are satisfied. In fact, much of the evidence indicates that adding more wealth when it's not needed, puts the happiness wagon in reverse!
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd add another note on today's post, because the lesson is so obvious: Just giving people stuff, without requiring their responsible involvement eventually increases overall suffering (greed, selfishness, entitlement attitudes, etc.). From my perspective this is especially true when it comes to God offering us salvation. I think He does what Andy and Mo have modeled with their roof ministry (or, perhaps, I should say this the other way around, that Andy and Mo are doing what God has modeled in His salvation ministry): "Each roof requires the recipient to help and then help with labor on the next person's roof." I assume this requirement must be agreed to before the person(s) get a new roof, and if they don't agree, then they don't get a new roof. The Gospel, as presented in the NT, is exactly like this, although I've never heard it described this way. Of course, if this is true, the implications are profoundly disturbing, because it means the Gospel is not being proclaimed.
ReplyDeleteI came back to look at these photos again! I'm still thinking about what they mean. I just spent the evening at the neighbors watching several presentations on photography by National Geographic photographers. "A photograph is worth a thousand words," so we're told, and I believe this statement is true. It is one of the reasons I take photography so seriously, and it may well be that pictures are much more effective than prose. You write, "She was so poor that she couldn't provide a meal for the workers. Yesterday, she brought some 'Mole' chicken and we all shared a little chicken and tortillas... I just had to include this photo. This is the lady who was helping with the roof. She is perhaps one of the happiest individuals that I've met. She says that she is always 'feliz'. What a smile!" This is an extremely insightful observation, I think, as it demonstrates the joy a person gets from being generous. And so, the take away I get, is that it is just as important to receive as it is to give, and letting this happen ensures God gets credit for all the good it does. He alone is the Savior, providing gifts and resources in line with faith and obedience. This ensures we remain bothers and sisters, without spiritual hierarchies.
ReplyDeleteAvalokiteśvara
ReplyDeleteNīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī
In Sanskrit:
Namo ratna-trayāya!
Namo āryāvalokiteśvarāya,
Bodhi-sattvāya Mahā-sattvāya Mahā-kārunikāya!
Om sarva-raviye śudhanadasya namas kritvā imam āryāvalokiteśvara ramdhava
Namo narakindi hrih Mahā-vat-svāme Sarva-arthato-śubham ajeyam
Sarva-sat Namo-vasat Namo-vāka mavitāto
Tadyathā:
Om avaloki-lokate-krate-e-hrih Mahā-bodhisattva
Sarva sarva Mala mala Mahi Mahi ridayam
Kuru kuru karmam Dhuru dhuru vijayate Mahā-vijayati
Dhara dhara dhriniśvarāya cala cala Mama vimala muktele
Ehi ehi śina śina ārsam prasari viśva viśvam prasaya
Hulu hulu mara Hulu hulu hrih Sara sara siri siri suru suru
Bodhiya Bodhiya Bodhaya Bodhaya
Maitreya narakindi dhriśnina
bhayamāna svāhā!
Siddhāya svāhā!
Mahā siddhāya svāhā!
Siddha-yogeśvarāya svāhā!
Narakindi svāhā!
Maranāra svāhā!
śira simha-mukhāya svāhā!
Sarva mahā-asiddhāya svāhā!
Cakra-asiddhāya svāhā!
Padma-kastāya svāhā!
Narakindi-vagalāya svāhā!
Mavari-śankharāya svāhā!
Namo ratna-trayāya!
Namo āryāvalokiteśvarāya svāhā!
Om Sidhyantu mantra padāya svāhā!
Initial Vows of Great Compassion Dharani Recitation[edit]
"If there are monks (Bhikshus), nuns (Bhikshunis), laymen (Upasakas), laywomen (Upasikas), pure youth and maidens who wish to recite and hold(keep reciting) this mantra, they should first arouse their great merciful and compassionate hearts for all living beings, and follow me [Avalokitesvara] in making these vows:
(* The pronunciation of "Namo" is [na:mo:] in international phonetic symbols)
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I quickly know all Dharmas;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I soon obtain the Wisdom Eye;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I quickly ferry all living beings (to the shore of liberation);
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I soon obtain virtuous skillful means (to enlighten various living beings);
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I quickly board the Prajna Boat;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I soon transcend the ocean of suffering;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I quickly achieve precepts, Samadhi and the Way;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I soon ascend the mountain of Nirvana;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I quickly dwell in the house of non-action;
Namo great compassionate Avalokitesvara, May I soon unite with the Dharma-Nature Body.
If I go towards the mountain of knives, the mountain of knives of itself breaks up;
If I go towards the boiling oil, the boiling oil of itself dries up;
If I go towards the hells, the hells of themselves disappear;
If I go towards the hungry ghosts, the hungry ghosts of themselves become full.
If I go towards the Asuras, their evil thoughts of themselves are tamed.
If I go towards the animals, they themselves attain great wisdom.