Why is it that you don't often hear of charitable work being done by Buddhist?

Perhaps it is because Buddhists don't feel the need to boast about the good they do. Several years ago the Japanese Buddhist leader Nikkyo Niwano received the Templeton Prize for his work in promoting inter-religious harmony. Likewise a Thai Buddhist monk was recently awarded the prestigious Magsaysay Prize for his excellent work among drug addicts. In 1987 another Thai monk, Ven. Kantayaoiwat, was awarded the Norwegian Children's Peace Prize for his many years of work helping homeless children in rural areas. And what about the large scale social work being done like schools, child-minding centers, dispensaries and small-scale industries for self-sufficiency. Buddhists see help given to others as an expression of their religious practice just as other religions do but they believe that it should be done quietly and without self-promotion.

by S.Dhammika

If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?

If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But if by poor you mean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist countries are quite rich. America, for example, is an economically rich and powerful country but the crime rate is one of the highest in the world; millions of elderly people are neglected by their children and die of loneliness in old people's homes; domestic violence, child abuse, drug addiction are major problems; and one in three marriages end in divorce. Rich in terms of money but perhaps poor in terms of the quality of life. Now if you look at some traditional Buddhist countries you find a very different situation.

Parent are honored and respected by their children, the crime rates are relatively low, divorce and suicide are rare, and traditional value like gentleness, generosity, hospitality to strangers, tolerance and respect for other are still strong. Economically backward but perhaps a higher quality of life than country like America. However, even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics alone, one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic countries in the world today is Japan where a good percentage of the population call themselves Buddhist.

by S.Dhammika

Buddhist Poem #7

I sit quietly on the rock,

Watching train of clouds fleeting by.

Sun shines ever so bright.

by Dok Kem Pa