Monasticism for the Benefit of Sentient Beings

Life is exceedingly transient. Amid the impermanence that characterizes existence, we come into this world and must ask: what, ultimately, can we accomplish? If one lives merely for oneself, life is endowed with little genuine meaning and becomes nothing more than an endless cycle of karma-making and mutual entanglements of debt of gratitude and resentment. By contrast, if one's life can be devoted to serving and benefiting sentient beings, then one may leave this world without regret.

For this reason, by engendering the aspiration to assume monasticism, one is striving to let go of the attachments and concerns associated with family and worldly affairs and is thereby freed from worldly anxieties and obligations. One offers one's entire life in dedication to sentient beings, serving all wholeheartedly and selflessly. In such a life, there is no concern for oneself, but only love and compassion for sentient beings. Having gone forth, there is no turning back; life becomes remarkably unburdened and free. One’s sole concern is the welfare of sentient beings. Our purpose is to enable all beings to encounter and understand the Buddhadharma, for only a life guided by the Dharma is a life endowed with genuine happiness and well-being.

To dedicate one's life to the service of sentient beings constitutes the true value of monastic life. To employ the Buddhadharma in benefiting others is to live a life free from regret. Guiding beings away from suffering and toward ultimate happiness is the path that brings us inner peace and assurance.

From an early age, I had many interactions with monastics. Having come to understand both the benefits and the mission of monasticism, I came to choose this path for myself. Thus, entering the monastic life was not an act of blind conformity, but a decision made in the wake of genuine inner awakening. Therefore, if we are able to discover what is most meaningful in life, we should simply commit ourselves to it wholeheartedly.