Doing a Good Deed, Being Nice, and Unconditional Love

Greetings!

Over 12 million people have watched the video 'People power frees man trapped by Perth Train' by ABC News (Australia) on YouTube.

I first saw it on TV.  It was inspiring how people automatically joined in to push the train in order to free the man.  The whole scene was peaceful, and not a bit chaotic. After they helped freeing the man, people simply got on the train and moved on with their lives.  It was a compelling display of people power and the innate good in man.  

I read an interesting story on the Chinese newspaper about Confucius.  I forgot the details of the story.  Anyway, a man did a good deed or something heroic.  The official wanted to give him a big reward.  The man said he had simply followed his heart to do what he felt was right.  He refused to accept the reward.  When Confucius heard about the incident, he said, "He should have accepted the reward.  In doing so, the story will spread, and more people will follow his example to do good according to their hearts."  (In ancient times, stories spread by word of mouth.)  Some time later, a man did something good.  He proudly accepted a reward and saw himself as a hero. When Confucius heard about that, he said, "Oh, this is not good.  Now people will help others or do good expecting recognition and rewards."

In a social experiment TV show, a woman played the role of a gambling addict who publicly grabbed coins from a fountain outside of a casino.  She then asked people to give her money so that she could go into the casino and gamble again.  Many people told her that it was wrong to steal from the fountain, and that she had a serious gambling problem.  In another scene, the woman asked people to help her grab more coins from the fountain.  A few people actually did as she asked.  Some of us went beyond our common sense trying to be nice, and thought being nice was the same as loving unconditionally.  However, it was not.  A man walked by.  The woman asked him for money for gambling.  He gave her $50.  The TV host came out and asked him why.  The man said, "Isn't it always good to do a good deed." 

Some people tried to do good because they wanted good to return to them.  It was the Law of Cause and Effect, they thought.  Since money was a tool, they gave freely to those who asked thinking they were doing good deeds.  However, it was not necessary the case.  For instance, a young man who was obviously an alcoholic asked for money in the street.  A few people gave him money.  He went into a bar for more drinks.  He drove off intoxicated.  His car hit a tree killing himself and a man who was taking a walk.  In the Law of Cause and Effect, those who gave him money and the bartender were in part responsible for the accident.

In a story, an abbot intuitively foresaw his young student was about to die in a couple of weeks.  Without saying anything, he asked the young monk to go home and visit his mother (for the last time).  After a couple of weeks, the student returned safely looking more vibrant than ever.  The abbot inquired if something special had happened during his trip.  The student said it was a smooth trip, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  The abbot asked him to think again.  After a long while, the student recalled a minor incident on his way home.  He saw some ants on the riverbank struggling to survive because of the rising water.  He scooped the ants onto some leaves to save them from drowning.

What is a good deed?

Perhaps we should examine our way of thinking when we did something because we thought it was a good deed.  When the young monk scooped the ants onto the leaves, he never thought of karma or receiving good in return.  I recalled I read somewhere that 'true heroes never set out to be heroes; they just rose on the occasions and did what they felt they should do'.  

During the Perth train incident, I believed people who helped simply allowed themselves be.  On that day, people moved a train to free a fellow human being.

Be the light, love, and peace that we are.  Imagine what will be if more and more of us seeing each other as one!

Peace,
Q of D

I saw no purpose of being there

Greetings!

This is the second healing experience.  (Please refer to my last post The Stop at a Railroad Crossing.)

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Near the end of August 2012, we moved back to the state we used to live.  One day, I read about a festival celebration hosted by a charity group on the Chinese newspaper.  Before I went to the event, I prayed that if I could be of help, please let someone who was in charge talk to me about volunteer work.

Many people came for the celebration.  Most of them seemed to come from a certain place.  They talked in a language / dialect I did not know.  Since I did not speak their language, I let go of the idea to volunteer there. 

When I was about to leave, a woman walked by.  I greeted her with a smile.   We exchanged pleasantries.  (Years ago, I had made a vow to acknowledge verbally or mentally all the people that I met as my way of honoring God.)  Soon she walked to me again.  She asked in English if I had time to volunteer.  She said she was the person in charge.  To put a long story short, I began volunteering one day a week.  I also participated in their monthly community service.

The woman in charge was with me when I volunteered for the first time.  During our conversation, I asked why she talked to me about volunteering since many people had come for the celebration.  With a puzzling look, she said she thought I had asked to be a volunteer!  

The volunteer work was not what I expected.  There was nothing to do.  I was in the office by myself the whole day.  The phone rarely rang.  When it did, it was the woman in charge checking on the volunteer on duty.  I eventually learned it had been that way for years.  Other offices in the big cities such as Chicago and New York were more active in community services.  As for this office, the main function was to coordinate with the main office in fundraising to help those in need in the case of a global natural disaster.

After some weeks, I really wondered why I was there.  The person in charge did talk to me as I had prayed.  Could it be just a coincidence and nothing more?  With nothing to do, I saw no purpose of being there.  

One day, I was glad to hear that another volunteer would come in the afternoon, and I could go home after she arrived.  I had met this volunteer during the monthly community service.  She was nice, confident, and treated everyone with respect.  

This volunteer came in early one day.  For the first time, we chatted.  When she heard I did not know much about the computer, she immediately offered to help me.  We went to sit by the computer.  As I listened to her instructions, I made a simple comment about how well she communicated.  She said she wasn't that good, and thought I was just trying to be nice.  I said, "I always speak from my heart.  I don't say things to flatter other people."  I looked at her.  Then I said, "In truth, you had been a teacher for many lifetimes.  That is why you are good at communication and teaching."  As I was talking, she clutched her chest.  There was an indescribable expression on her face.  She managed to say "It's so strange ... your words touch somewhere deep inside my heart" before she broke down in tears.

She cried for a long time.  When she got a hold of herself, she said something in my voice went straight into her heart.  She then talked to me about her pain and sorrow.  She told me how she came to USA.  She loved her parents and had taken good care of them.  She helped her siblings the best she could.  Her parents and siblings loved her very much too.  Her parents got sick and passed away.  She was one of the most loving people that I had ever met, yet for years she lived in pain because she thought she could have done more for her parents.  It caused her health, and she almost died.  While waiting for surgery in the hospital, she made a vow to honor all seniors as if her own parents from then on.  She turned her sorrow into strength.  After retiring from her career, she volunteered in nursing homes and hospitals.  She treated everybody with love and respect.  She had been very busy in her volunteer work, but it was obvious she had not released her deep hidden pain until that afternoon.

Right when we finished talking, someone knocked at the door.  We hugged, and I left.  When I got inside my car, it came to me it was time to leave for I had served the purpose of being there.  Few days later, I told the person in charge I would serve until the end of that month.  

In her willingness to teach me about the computer, that afternoon was the only time we got to talk to one another before I left.  I could not volunteer the following week because I had an appointment.  A week later, she was busy with her other volunteer work.  Weeks later, she sent me a beautiful happy new year card.

I have learned from my experiences that much more are at work in where we go and whom we meet.  Sometimes we may not see the purpose of why we are there, but eventually we will.

Many blessings,
Q of D
    

The Stop at a Railroad Crossing

Greetings!

For a long time, I thought my limited knowledge of English was my shortcoming, and being a Chinese woman in a western culture was a disadvantage.  One day, the words from a channel changed my view.  I learned it was by design I came in as a Chinese woman who did not have the mastery of English.  Some people wanted to know more about me because I came from a different culture.  Meanwhile, others reached out to me because they wanted to help me.  It was through these interactions healing took place.  (Click to view my post Our self-perceived shortcomings and disadvantages.)

On many occasions, healing indeed occurred when people were helping me.  Most of the times I had no idea I was an instrument until things continued to unfold, and the human me was surprised as well as humbled to be part of the healing plan.

Since I published that post, two such healing experiences came to my mind.  Here is one of them.  Some details are withheld or changed to protect the privacy of the person involved.

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There I was in a young man's car.  I did not really know anything about him.  He was at the circle.  He came last week too.  I believed I had seen him once at the circle before.  I had not expected for him to drive me home.

What happened was I did not have the use of a car at that time.  My husband needed the car.  I told my friends I would see them again in some weeks.  (We met every Thursday.)  The owner of the holistic center immediately said she would pick me up and drive me home.  I was grateful, but I thought it was too much trouble for her.  So I declined.  However, she said, "What is a circle without you!  I will pick you up next week."  To my dear friend, I can't thank you enough for your love and support.

On Thursday, my friend picked me up.  When we arrived, I saw a young man talking to the teacher of the circle.  The owner greeted him and joined in the talk.  They seemed to know him very well.  I talked with others at the circle.  When the circle was over, the owner and the teacher talked to the young man again.  There was a serious look on their face.  Later, the owner drove me home.

The following Thursday, we had more people than usual.  A spiritual teacher from another state was with us.  When the circle was over, people continued to chat.  The teacher and the owner talked to the young man for a long while.  They seemed to be very concerned about him.  At one point, the owner looked back at me.  A while later, she came to me.  She wanted to stay at the center to talk to the others, and asked if it was alright to me that the young man drove me home instead of her.

I thanked the young man for taking the time to drive me home.  He said it was no problem.  He was going in that direction anyway because he had an appointment in a nearby city.  While he was driving, we carried on a conversation about our families.

Soon he drove near a railroad crossing.  At that very moment, the red light flashed and the gate came down.  His car was the first car in front of the tracks.  In my heart, I thought "Oh, no!  I would have been home in just a few minutes!  I certainly hope he will not be late for his appointment."  We were relieved to see that it was a short train.

However, the train stopped right on the track in front of us!  Thinking that the road would be cleared once the train started moving, we waited.  He began to tell me his story and what was troubling him.  I listened with compassion.  When he finished talking, we realized 20 minutes had gone by.  The train remained on the track.  He made a U-turn to go on another route to drive me home.  On the way, I tried to say something that might help him.  From the expression on his face, I knew no words could lift the heaviness off his heart.  He was at a point of life where life did not mean much to him anymore.    

At home, I realized it was not a coincidence the owner asked him to drive me home. It was in divine order that the train blocked the road.  Without the unexpected stop, I would not get to hear his story.  I understood why the teacher and the owner (both were very intuitive) were deeply concerned about his well being.  How might I help him, I wondered.

In the afternoon, I sat down to pray.  I suddenly remembered a prayer which helped me a lot during the challenging years.  One day years ago, I found a small printed sheet of paper tucked inside a book.  It was a prayer to lift our sufferings.  I had since said that prayer many times.  It brought me peace when I was sad or worried.  I took the sheet of paper out of my handbag.  I felt it was time to pass it on.  Holding the paper in my hands as an offering to the Loving Divine, I prayed for the well being of the young man. I prayed the prayer would help him as it had helped me.

Then I opened my eyes.  Tears filled my eyes when I saw the time on the clock.  It was 4:44 PM!  444, the Power of God's Love, was a very significant number in my life.  I knew no matter what happened it was going to be alright.  I remembered there was some sort of event at the center that night.  I prayed the young man would be there.  I put the prayer in an envelope.  He was there, and I gave him the prayer.  I did not see him at the circle again.

Some months later, I went to a big Body, Mind, and Spirit Festival in another county.  A volunteer at the festival greeted me with a broad smile.  I recognized he was the young man.  He looked like a different person.  He looked happy and healthy.

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There was a time I was overwhelmed with fear and worries.  A customer (a spiritual friend) walked in.  Seeing the state I was in, she took a beautiful angel figure out of her handbag.  She said the angel had been blessed, and she wanted me to have it. My heart was constantly filled with gratitude for the love and kindness that others had bestowed upon me.  I had since given away the angel figure with love just as my friend had given me.

I did not have the use of a car for about 3 or 4 weeks.  Another wonderful healing experience also happened during that time.  On the surface, sometimes it might seem we did not have much connection to those we chanced to meet, but our connection could be lifetimes deep.

Love as Love Is, and give generously.  In the truth of oneness, who is the giver or the receiver?

We are the giver and the receiver.

Love,
Q of D