Following Function

I have often been pondering one of Master Sheng Yen's adages, in fact the first of the 108 sayings: "Our needs are few, our wants are many". When I first heard this saying, I was puzzled. I wondered, how is it sometimes possible to distinguish one's many wants from the very few needs? How can a person tell what really 'needs' to happen in this moment, or in any moment for that matter?

I had a reflection today where I started to think how much suffering comes from not quite knowing where I am of most help to others. There are times when, in spite of my good intentions which I think I have, I am not that helpful to a situation. I might go to a meeting thinking that I have some vital contribution to play, only to realize that I wasn't needed that much after all. Or, perhaps I was needed in a less active role. In those moments, I might consider that there were other places in which I could have been more helpful, yet of course this only creates a mental vexation,

In my reflection, I found that one useful concept is that of following the function of the mind. The true mind doesn't move to help one being, then the other, and then the other, because the mind doesn't actually move at all. There is only this belief that the mind moves, because there is a sense of self attaching to all these thoughts. "I" think "I" am good if I do this or help in this other way, but these are also just racing thoughts. I assign values to actions based on how they uphold a sense of self. But this isn't really being in the present moment at all. Instead, it is just catering to a concept  of a self. So there is sometimes a value in 'not having anything to do', as that experience challenges what we mean by this self who has to do so much in order to be a 'good' self.

It sometimes takes a lot of imagination to reverse the attitude that one must somehow 'go somewhere' 'with something' or 'for someone', in order to have one's existence validated. It is not an easy practice, because most people want to see themselves as virtuous and responsible beings in some capacity. With that comes the view that one should do the most things in the least amount of time. But it's also important to know that all these moments in time don't belong to anyone, and there is nothing so tangible about all this doing and serving. In the end, trying to serve so many parts of our life teaches us the impermanence of our roles. It is a gentle reminder that there is no tangible, solid self that endures the problems and continuous shifts of daily life.


References
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18193328-108-adages-of-wisdom