The Three Acts of Goodness
buddhism·@josejirafa·
0.000 HBDThe Three Acts of Goodness
Good day everyone! The Chinese New Year just recently concluded and the entire experience was so liberating for me. I came to a deep and meaningful realization of the intricacies of the Chinese culture and the underlying Buddhist philosophies that drives their traditions. It was so refreshing to be a part of that night. Anyways, I didn't really have the chance to talk about my experiences during the Chinese New Year at Chu Un Temple. For that very reason, I would like to share with you The Three Acts of Goodness which was displayed on a standee in the temple. #### <center>The Three Acts of Goodness</center> I am not a practicing Buddhist but I would love to think that I am. The basic tenets of their philosophy are just so appealing to me - the idea that the world around you lies in your very hands, or rather in the inner recesses of your mind.  The three acts of goodness weren't really formalized until 1998, which was introduced by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. He believes that these habits are important to be cultivated as it affects our future immensely. Just like Mahatma Ghandi who said "We must be the change we want to see in the world", Master Hsing Yun also realized that the very foundation of the society starts from each one of us. He asserts that each one of us has the capacity to affect the entire community, nation, society and the whole world by exercising the three karmas of a person - body, speech, and mind. Each one can be used positively and negatively and sure enough, the result will be proportional to how the karma was used. ### <center>Karma of Mind: Think Good Thoughts</center>  Are you familiar with The Law of Attraction? If you aren't, it is actually a New Thought Philosophy which believes that focusing your mind on the positive or negative thoughts will bring about either positive or negative experiences into one's life. The same idea is preached by Buddhists. Each one of us is invited to think positively if we want to gain positive experiences. We often overlook the power of optimism. We see ourselves at the worst but expect for the best. It doesn't really make sense. The mind is a very powerful tool. Prayers can move mountains. Meditation can clear thoughts. COgnitive therapy can cure mental illnesses. Our minds are like factories and each thought is brought into the world. In this light, I urge everyone to think of the positive side of things at all times. It's rather very simple. If we are greeted with an unexpected circumstance, just remember that our minds are capable of distorting reality. #### <center>Karma of Speech: Speak Good Words</center>  Words cut deeper than a knife. What we bring out to the world through the words that we speak is a direct reflection of ourselves. As an advocate of emotional intelligence, I really believe how important it is to be mindful of our words. Most of the time, relationships are not destroyed because of a lack of compatibility between partners. I would like to believe that it mostly boils down to our reactions towards impulses. Let us say that two partners are having a quarrel over the remote control. The girl has the device in her hands but the boy grabs it directly and changes the channel. We can imagine how shallow the situation is. However, if you listen to testimonies of people in a relationship, a small spark such as this would already constitute a breakup. Now, instead of the girl saying what she really feels in the most constructive way possible, "I am mad at you for I am offended by your lack of respect for my rights. Please do not do that again", most of the time we resort to anger, rage, and immediately revert to our primitive instincts - to hurt. We curse our partners and end up saying what we don't really mean. It's a sad tale but it is happening around us. This is why I urge everyone to be mindful of our thoughts. We need to be aware that sometimes we don't really say what we mean and work towards articulating what we really have to say. #### <center>Karma of Body: Do Good Deeds</center>  I believe that this is the end result of the habits mentioned above. Our intentions are translated into actions. There is nothing more honorable than doing what you can to help others. After all, we should leave the world a little bit better than when we found it. We become agents of change by the practicing these virtues. We become capable of achieveing great things through ourselves. <center></center><center><sub>@steemph.cebu | @steemiteducation | @air-clinic | @thealliance | @steemph </sub></center>
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