Spiritual Corner - The Philosophy of A Farmer

The earth is round, and the whole world is revolving in circles. No matter who you hurt, in the long run, you are hurting yourself. You may not be aware at this point, but it will revolve back. Thus, if you take advantage of other people, do not be complacent, soon you will have to pay for it; similarly, if other people have done anything against you, you do not have to be indignant or to take revenge, anything they do, they will be hoisted by their own petard.

“Whatever you do to others, you do it to yourself.” This is a teaching that deserves deep contemplation. No matter what you do to others, the recipient is ultimately yourself; similarly, what you give to others and when you pay for others, the one who really benefits is not the other person but your own self.

There was a farmer whose corns always won the prize of the best breed but he always shared the seeds with other farmers. Some people asked him why he was so generous, he replied, “When I am good to other people, I am actually being good to myself. The wind blows and spreads the pollens all around, should my neighbours sow inferior seeds, then in the process of pollination, it will affect the quality of my breeds. Thus, I am most willing to let my neighbours get the same good quality breeds.”

His words may sound simple but are deeply philosophical. Anything you do to others, you are doing it to yourself. So whatever you want for yourself, you should first let other people to have it. The best guarantee of a secret recipe is to do as the farmer did : if you want to maintain the prize-winning breeds, you should first let other people to share the champion breeds. If you want others to love you, you have first to love others; if you wish to be cared for, you have first to care for others; if you want others to be good to you, you have first to be good to others.

Yours,
Fr. Thomas Loh
(Article from the Internet)