Life is like a Bodhi tree, and the soul is like a mirror, which must be wiped frequently to avoid dust. The journey of life is full of unknowns and expectations, and there are some things that we try our best to, but we fail to do so; There are some people who we treat with sincerity, but in the end we have to go our separate ways.
When our hearts are full of doubts and we yearn to find a place of tranquility to cleanse our souls, many people choose to go to the temple and seek answers. Holding three sticks of incense, he prayed to the gods, hoping that life would be as he wished, and that all problems would be solved.
In the temple, many people who come to worship the Buddha face the Buddha statue and reverently light a few sticks of incense.
People walk into the temple with a desire for life and a sincere heart, whether it is for a career, marriage, children or parents, their wish is for a better life.
In the temple, they toss coins in merit boxes to express their sincerity and faith in the hope that their wishes will be fulfilled. The original intention of setting up the merit box was to let everyone express their respect for the temple and their expectations for life, and it was also a way to show their sincerity.
Kind-hearted people who visit the temple will give their hearts in the merit box, whether it is large or small. However, some people wonder where the money goes and where it is used.
Previously, the temple relied mainly on donations from local merchants to maintain daily life, but this donation was unstable, sometimes there were none, sometimes more, sometimes less.
The operation and maintenance of the temple requires a lot of money, including regular maintenance of the facilities, restoration of old and dangerous areas, as well as the daily expenses of the monks and temple activities.
Therefore, the temple has set up a merit box to accept donations from devotees to maintain the operation of the temple.
This can be understood as "monk's wealth", and these funds are often used for charity and public welfare in addition to the operating expenses of the temple. This is probably the inheritance of the Buddhist spirit.
Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty and has always advocated guiding people to be positive and benevolent, and has been admired by many rulers.
Thanks to this, the Buddhist culture was passed on and carried forward, and the number of Buddhist temples built increased with it, and the community of Buddhist believers continued to grow. With the improvement of the level of economic development, some temples have received support from the state, especially in today's increasingly developed cultural and tourism economy, some well-known large temples have sufficient financial reserves and still retain merit boxes.
So, what is the purpose of this merit box? What happens to the money that is put into it? In fact, there are very few famous temples in China. In the north, there are Shaolin Temple, White Horse Temple, etc.; In the south, there are many ancient famous temples such as Lingyin Temple and Qixia Temple.
These high-profile temples attract the keen attention of many devotees, and a steady stream of pilgrims come to pay their respects. Some people pay great tributes, either out of a strong belief in the Dharma, or for the fulfillment of their wishes, while others pay homage to the majestic architecture, rich history, and rich cultural traditions of these temples.
All these factors caused them to continuously put money into the temple's merit box, so that the money in the merit box gradually accumulated.
Despite the notable fascination, there are still many ordinary temples that do not have admission fees and seem to be obscure and unpopular compared to the crowded Shaolin Temple.
These temples carry the continuation and evolution of religious culture, and their existence is indispensable and has far-reaching meanings. For these temples, there is little support from the outside world, so the "monks" in the merit box can largely supplement the various expenses of the temples, and although these money is meager, it can have a huge impact on the lives of the monks.
How do those well-known temples use the donated money? In fact, the past and the present are the same. The main expenses of the temple are still used for daily operations, and the rest is used for charity. There is no need to worry about the money being diverted for other purposes, but there are indeed cases of individual monks embezzling the money for personal gain.
This kind of behavior occurs only in a very small number of temples and is a serious violation of Buddhist teachings. Buddhism emphasizes "law" and uses "law" to explain everything in the world. Some monks keep the money that their followers have sincerely donated, which is a departure from the Dharma, and at the same time, it also corrodes their own practice, not to mention the universality of sentient beings.
For donations from devotees, temples should be used properly to maximize their value.
They should give back to the society with a positive attitude and spread positive energy and Buddhist good thoughts, which is the duty of practitioners. For many, the temple is not only a symbol of the Buddhist faith, but also a place to seek inner peace and cleanse the mind.
There, they can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, breathe in the fresh air, and let their minds be freed. The experience is extremely enjoyable and delightful.
So, at the end of the day, do we really care if the money we're investing is safe? Most people don't really care, they just want to achieve some small goals.
In many cases, we do our best to do everything we can, not to force the final result, and to leave the result to time, but as long as we go all out in the process and do our best, the result will not be too bad.
As we grow older, we look at the world and find ourselves more and more relaxed.
Some people may change because their wisdom is thoroughly developed, allowing them to accept everything that happens, and at the same time to face everything calmly.
This is the result of continuous cultivation in the process of growing up. As the saying goes, "Bodhi has no tree, the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing in the original, where to stir up dust", true wisdom comes from inner purity and peace.