Benefiting Self, Others, and All

 

One day, Ananda explained to the monks that those who give in to greed do not understand what is meant by benefiting self, benefiting others, and benefiting all.

We can see from our experience that our craving is usually of a selfish nature: we want something either for ourselves or for those close to us. The satisfaction of this craving is a temporary sense-indulgence that brings us short-lived happiness.

The only way to truly benefit ourselves is to awaken—in other words, to transcend the cycle of rebirth—whereby we obtain lasting liberation and genuine happiness. Until we free ourselves from rebirth, we will not be liberated. As long as we remain within the cycle of rebirth, we are bound by craving and ignorance and will not find true liberation or happiness.

In benefiting others, we move beyond thoughts of self to those of others. At this point, we will realize that all beings, not just ourselves, wish to eliminate suffering and attain happiness. With this realization, we will want to help others accomplish this. We begin by wishing that those we love and care for would attain happiness. Then we wish the same for those we do not know and, gradually, for those we do not like. Ultimately, we will develop the wish for all beings to be free from suffering and to attain happiness.

When we shift the focus of our wish for happiness and liberation away from just ourselves, we will begin to think less of our own happiness. Instead of looking at everything in a self-centered way, we will transform our thoughts into those of caring for others. We will stop asking what is in it for us and will instead ask how we can help others.

The concepts of benefiting ourselves and benefiting others occur at a low level of realization. When our understanding reaches a higher level, we will realize that all beings are one and that there is no duality between self and other. To benefit one being is to benefit all beings. Therefore, to benefit others is to benefit oneself. Realizing this interconnectivity among all beings will enable us to realize that we do not need to worry about self-benefit because when we help the whole, we help ourselves. So, there is no need to worry about “me.”