Swami Vivekananda

[Guest guest]

"We may all be perfectly sure that it will go on beautifully well

without us, and we need not bother our heads wishing to help it. Yet,

we must do good; the desire to do good is the highest motive power we

have, if we know all the time that it is a privilege to help others.

Do not stand on a high pedestal, and take five cents in your hand and

say, `Here, my poor man,' but be grateful that the poor man is there,

so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It is

not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankful

that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy

in the world and thus become pure and perfect….

 

"No beggar whom we have helped has ever owed a single cent to us: we

owe everything to him because he has allowed us to exercise our

charity on him. It is entirely wrong to think that we have done, or

can do, good to the world, to think that we have helped such and such

people. It is a foolish thought, and all foolish thoughts bring

misery. We think that we have helped some man and expect him to thank

us, and because he does not, unhappiness comes to us. Why should we

expect anything in return for what we do? Be grateful to the man you

help, think of him as God. Is it not a great privilege to be allowed

to worship God by helping our fellow men? If we were really

unattached, we should escape all this vain expectation, and could

cheerfully do good work in the world."

[Guest guest]

Thankyou. Sri Janaardana Kalianandaswami

<baba108 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>sacred-objectsSent: Mon, 07 Nov 2005

05:45:02 -0000 Swami Vivekananda

"We may all be perfectly sure that it will go on beautifully wellwithout us, and

we need not bother our heads wishing to help it. Yet,we must do good; the desire

to do good is the highest motive power wehave, if we know all the time that it

is a privilege to help others.Do not stand on a high pedestal, and take five

cents in your hand andsay, `Here, my poor man,' but be grateful that the poor

man is there,so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It

isnot the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankfulthat you

are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercyin the world and

thus become pure and perfect?."No beggar whom we have helped has ever owed a

single cent to us: weowe everything to him because he has allowed us to

exercise ourcharity on him. It is entirely wrong to think that we have done,

orcan do, good to the world, to think that we have helped such and suchpeople.

It is a foolish thought, and all foolish thoughts bringmisery. We think that we

have helped some man and expect him to thankus, and because he does not,

unhappiness comes to us. Why should weexpect anything in return for what we do?

Be grateful to the man youhelp, think of him as God. Is it not a great privilege

to be allowedto worship God by helping our fellow men? If we were

reallyunattached, we should escape all this vain expectation, and

couldcheerfully do good work in the world."

 

Bona fide

Yellow sapphire

 

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