Master Sheng Yen's third adage is, "Devote wholehearted effort without calculating who does or gains more." Now I continue this conversation by asking, what is the opposite of this kind of whole hearted devotion? Sometimes, I can easily get into the habit of comparing what I do and how much I do, to co-workers, thinking that I am more valued by the company if I do more. In fact, everyone has something important to contribute that can never be quantified. It is a kind of soul force, perhaps, that is unique to everyone, although the soul is not something one would find being discussed in Buddhist teachings.
The philosopher Gabriel Marcel has argued that one thing society is losing recently is the ability to see oneself as part of a fraternity (and/or sorority) under God (Marcel, p.39). This means: we forget that we are created in a way that we are indispensable. Instead, modern corporations and bureaucracies tend to position people and their skills as somewhat disposable. I start to think of myself not as a unique being, but as little more than a series of forces or powers that work for certain machinery to drive an economic impulse. Needless to say, this is a rather dehumanized account of things.
On the other hand, doing a devoted effort is to almost abandon the notion of gain or loss, in a definite spirit of devotion. When I do something with devotion, I might care for it the same way that a mother cares for her child: very exacting, detailed and mindful. Has anyone ever done this at work--take a particular task and devote a motherly care to it, as though it were one's child? I would consider doing it, as a way of cultivating peacefulness in the present moment as well as a selfless attitude toward my work.
References
Marcel, Gabriel (1960). Mystery of Being 1. Reflection and Mystery. Chicago: Gateway
Sheng Yen. 108 Adages: http://www.dharmadrum.org/content/about/about2.aspx?sn=46
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