Dirty dishes and the way of the bodhisattva

You might have heard about the Bodhisattvas. Those great sages who work tirelessly for the benefit of all beings. You might have heard about the buddhist path being a path of boundless kindness and compassionate action. You might have asked yourself how someone like you could ever aspire to something like that.

The way these things are sometimes described they can seem pretty intimidating.

But hold on. Do you recognize the following from your place of work? Are there angry notes all over the place with messages like "Your mother doesn't work here!!!"? Is the sink always overflowing with dirty dishes because no-one ever empties the dishwasher? Is your inbox bombarded with indignant e-mails urging people to immediately go clean up their mess in the kitchen?

Why, how wonderful! This is your chance to practice the way of the bodhisattva!

How about you empty the dishwasher when it needs emptying? Put away the dirty dishes whether they are "yours" or not. Preferably you should do it when there are no other people around. Otherwise you run the risk of doing it just to show others what a good person you are.

Do it without expecting anything in return. Swallow your pride and don't listen to that little voice saying "Hey, this is not my job! The slobs who left this mess here should take care of it themselves." That's just the voice of your ego. And try not to feel too heroic about it either. Don't be a martyr. That would be the ego again.

That simple act is kindness.

That simple act is compassionate action.

That simple act is the way of the bodhisattva.