Date: April 3, 2008 (Thursday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Place: March 30, 2008 – Tainan Region
Think about it, the cart I am pulling is getting heavier and heavier day by day. Being over 70 now, how do I pull such a load? I may not know my own limitations, and am still Trying my best to pull the cart with all I can but I do it because I feel that since I have been born into this world, I mustn’t evade my responsibility to the world. There is suffering in this world, and I cannot just stand there and do nothing about it. I truly feel that helping to relieve suffering is our responsibility. In truth, toward all of you, what I hope for is that all Tzu Chi people everywhere have the same sense of mission as I do, and shoulder such a responsibility together with me. Who are you shouldering this responsibility for? It is not for me nor for anyone else, but for yourself because rare is the chance to be born as humans and even rarer to hear the Buddha’s teachings. and walk on the Bodhisattva Path. So since we are already born as human beings, get to hear the Buddha’s teachings and are walk on the Bodhisattva Path. Why don’t we seize this opportunity and work diligently? The Buddha teaches us to reach out to those in suffering. We should all have the same compassionate heart to give of our love selflessly without asking anything in return.. To do that we must be upright sincere honest and trustworthy. We do all this to be responsible for ourselves by giving of our selfless Great Love to others. Thus, we reach out to others because we cannot bear to see living being suffer. This is why we do the work we do. If we do not make great vows and do not possess such selfless Great Love, we would not have been able to inspire others and unite the strengths of so many people today. So, every one of us harbors love within, and when everyone’s selfless love is pooled together, there is great strength. That is why we are able to bring aid to all those in suffering in such faraway places. For example, all around the world, Tzu Chi volunteers have been to 65 countries to provide relief and give of their love. We see that when we relieve the suffering of those who are in need at the same time, we form affinities with local residents. Their love is inspired and they begin to take up Tzu Chi mission. They’re like seed that begins to grow. Think about it, one seed can grow into one tree and this one tree will bear numerous fruits that further give rise to innumerous seeds. Everyone, in giving of ourselves this way, we have inspired the love of many people across the word. This is what we need to do before we can care for the Earth. Only when we first inspire the love in people and purify people’s hearts and minds. Can we encourage others to take action to care for the Earth. So, having walked this path for over forty years, we are now calling upon everyone to help care for the Earth.
If we do not look after and care for the Earth, we will indeed face crisis. This place of land that we rely on to sustain our living is continually being damaged and destroyed. Fellow bodhisattvas, once we join Tzu Chi and become a part of it, we will have the chance to encourage and learn from one another. As for the Jing Si lineage & Tzu Chi’s dharma path, some people will say, “Buddhism is just Buddhism, why is there a need to found a Tzu Chi dharma path?”. I would like to tell everyone that though is all Buddhism and we are all Buddhist practitioners, our method of practice is different. By that, I am definitely not dismissing chanting and meditation as a form of cultivation. I do not dismiss them as they are also methods of cultivation. However, on Tzu Chi’s dharma path, I hope that everyone can value the importance of our society and our relationship with people because living in this world, we are interacting with one another every day. Everyone, this is our cultivation ground, Tzu Chi dharma path is a cultivation group. As a member of Tzu Chi you need to be self-disciplined, hardworking, frugal. Only because you have taken me as your Master, do I have the right to ask this of you. If you were not my disciple, then I would not have such expectations of you and I would not tell you: “You should do it this way” “When you are interacting with other, you should work harmoniously together since you are all my disciples, you should take on my missions as your own, accept the principles of the Jing Si lineage and pass on the dharma that I teach”.
So the spirit of the Jing Si dharma lineage must be passed on and to do so, you must first learn to discipline yourself and tame your mind. Everyone has different habits and temperaments, but once you become Tzu Chi volunteer, you must learn how to tame your mind. Those who are obstinate and stubborn must learn to be more accommodating and those who are petty-minded must learn to be more broad in heart and mind. We do this because we’re practicing the Bodhisattva Path. We must harbor a broad and spacious heart, and cherish even those who have no relation or ties with us and help to relieve them of their suffering.. With such mindset, we only hope that all living beings can be free of suffering. We do not ask for our own peach and happiness but only for all living being to have a stable and happy life.. This is to extend love even to strangers. Our society today truly needs such living bodhisattvas who will care for those whom they don’t even know and will do what they can to help those in need. Such is to extend love even to strangers. But can we feel others’ suffering as our very own? When we care for others by feeling their suffering as our own, we should bear a grateful heart.
In Tzu Chi, there is nothing that I ask of you, I do not ask anything from you except for your wisdom life to grow. Do you know how your wisdom life can grow? It’s only through our interaction with people that our wisdom life can grow. Otherwise, what else can we do to nurture our wisdom life? If we let our days pass by emptily, with each passing day, our life also diminishes. If we spend our the life that without giving of ourselves to care for those in need and to see others’ suffering, thereby realizing how blessed we are. If we have not done any of this, we’ll not be able to realize the Dharma. Then, how are we able to transform ourselves? When we cannot transform ourselves, how can our wisdom life be nurtured? So everyone, I hope you will all realize that the Buddha has already paved this path to enlightenment for us to follow and have shared what he had awakened to with us by teaching us that we should let go of interpersonal conflicts and clear away our delusions and afflictions. This is the inner state of the Buddha. It is to broaden our hearts to the point that to us others achievements are just the same as ours. This is empathy. In other words this is to feel others feeling as our very own.. When they are happy, we are happy because their happiness is our happiness. This is to have love for even strangers. When we see what others have achieved, we should rejoice in their success as well. Before they succeed, we must be there to supper them and help them grow. So everyone, please open up your hearts to embrace everything with a broad heart, be understanding toward everyone, and be content at all times. In the Tzu Chi organization, everyone’s hard work and dedication serves to give us strength as everyone works together with join efforts. So, we mustn’t see our interactions with others as what hinder us in our cultivation. We should think that Tzu Chi is very beautiful and be content and grateful that all those around us can be our mentors and guides. We must be understanding, accepting of others. These are the four principles that will never become outdated. So everyone, please be mindful always.
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Place: March 30, 2008 – Tainan Region
Think about it, the cart I am pulling is getting heavier and heavier day by day. Being over 70 now, how do I pull such a load? I may not know my own limitations, and am still Trying my best to pull the cart with all I can but I do it because I feel that since I have been born into this world, I mustn’t evade my responsibility to the world. There is suffering in this world, and I cannot just stand there and do nothing about it. I truly feel that helping to relieve suffering is our responsibility. In truth, toward all of you, what I hope for is that all Tzu Chi people everywhere have the same sense of mission as I do, and shoulder such a responsibility together with me. Who are you shouldering this responsibility for? It is not for me nor for anyone else, but for yourself because rare is the chance to be born as humans and even rarer to hear the Buddha’s teachings. and walk on the Bodhisattva Path. So since we are already born as human beings, get to hear the Buddha’s teachings and are walk on the Bodhisattva Path. Why don’t we seize this opportunity and work diligently? The Buddha teaches us to reach out to those in suffering. We should all have the same compassionate heart to give of our love selflessly without asking anything in return.. To do that we must be upright sincere honest and trustworthy. We do all this to be responsible for ourselves by giving of our selfless Great Love to others. Thus, we reach out to others because we cannot bear to see living being suffer. This is why we do the work we do. If we do not make great vows and do not possess such selfless Great Love, we would not have been able to inspire others and unite the strengths of so many people today. So, every one of us harbors love within, and when everyone’s selfless love is pooled together, there is great strength. That is why we are able to bring aid to all those in suffering in such faraway places. For example, all around the world, Tzu Chi volunteers have been to 65 countries to provide relief and give of their love. We see that when we relieve the suffering of those who are in need at the same time, we form affinities with local residents. Their love is inspired and they begin to take up Tzu Chi mission. They’re like seed that begins to grow. Think about it, one seed can grow into one tree and this one tree will bear numerous fruits that further give rise to innumerous seeds. Everyone, in giving of ourselves this way, we have inspired the love of many people across the word. This is what we need to do before we can care for the Earth. Only when we first inspire the love in people and purify people’s hearts and minds. Can we encourage others to take action to care for the Earth. So, having walked this path for over forty years, we are now calling upon everyone to help care for the Earth.
If we do not look after and care for the Earth, we will indeed face crisis. This place of land that we rely on to sustain our living is continually being damaged and destroyed. Fellow bodhisattvas, once we join Tzu Chi and become a part of it, we will have the chance to encourage and learn from one another. As for the Jing Si lineage & Tzu Chi’s dharma path, some people will say, “Buddhism is just Buddhism, why is there a need to found a Tzu Chi dharma path?”. I would like to tell everyone that though is all Buddhism and we are all Buddhist practitioners, our method of practice is different. By that, I am definitely not dismissing chanting and meditation as a form of cultivation. I do not dismiss them as they are also methods of cultivation. However, on Tzu Chi’s dharma path, I hope that everyone can value the importance of our society and our relationship with people because living in this world, we are interacting with one another every day. Everyone, this is our cultivation ground, Tzu Chi dharma path is a cultivation group. As a member of Tzu Chi you need to be self-disciplined, hardworking, frugal. Only because you have taken me as your Master, do I have the right to ask this of you. If you were not my disciple, then I would not have such expectations of you and I would not tell you: “You should do it this way” “When you are interacting with other, you should work harmoniously together since you are all my disciples, you should take on my missions as your own, accept the principles of the Jing Si lineage and pass on the dharma that I teach”.
So the spirit of the Jing Si dharma lineage must be passed on and to do so, you must first learn to discipline yourself and tame your mind. Everyone has different habits and temperaments, but once you become Tzu Chi volunteer, you must learn how to tame your mind. Those who are obstinate and stubborn must learn to be more accommodating and those who are petty-minded must learn to be more broad in heart and mind. We do this because we’re practicing the Bodhisattva Path. We must harbor a broad and spacious heart, and cherish even those who have no relation or ties with us and help to relieve them of their suffering.. With such mindset, we only hope that all living beings can be free of suffering. We do not ask for our own peach and happiness but only for all living being to have a stable and happy life.. This is to extend love even to strangers. Our society today truly needs such living bodhisattvas who will care for those whom they don’t even know and will do what they can to help those in need. Such is to extend love even to strangers. But can we feel others’ suffering as our very own? When we care for others by feeling their suffering as our own, we should bear a grateful heart.
In Tzu Chi, there is nothing that I ask of you, I do not ask anything from you except for your wisdom life to grow. Do you know how your wisdom life can grow? It’s only through our interaction with people that our wisdom life can grow. Otherwise, what else can we do to nurture our wisdom life? If we let our days pass by emptily, with each passing day, our life also diminishes. If we spend our the life that without giving of ourselves to care for those in need and to see others’ suffering, thereby realizing how blessed we are. If we have not done any of this, we’ll not be able to realize the Dharma. Then, how are we able to transform ourselves? When we cannot transform ourselves, how can our wisdom life be nurtured? So everyone, I hope you will all realize that the Buddha has already paved this path to enlightenment for us to follow and have shared what he had awakened to with us by teaching us that we should let go of interpersonal conflicts and clear away our delusions and afflictions. This is the inner state of the Buddha. It is to broaden our hearts to the point that to us others achievements are just the same as ours. This is empathy. In other words this is to feel others feeling as our very own.. When they are happy, we are happy because their happiness is our happiness. This is to have love for even strangers. When we see what others have achieved, we should rejoice in their success as well. Before they succeed, we must be there to supper them and help them grow. So everyone, please open up your hearts to embrace everything with a broad heart, be understanding toward everyone, and be content at all times. In the Tzu Chi organization, everyone’s hard work and dedication serves to give us strength as everyone works together with join efforts. So, we mustn’t see our interactions with others as what hinder us in our cultivation. We should think that Tzu Chi is very beautiful and be content and grateful that all those around us can be our mentors and guides. We must be understanding, accepting of others. These are the four principles that will never become outdated. So everyone, please be mindful always.
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