080404 To Pass on Tzu Chi's Dharma Path Generation after Generation

Date: April 4, 2008 (Friday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Place: March 31, 2008 – Yun Lin Region

In the Tang dynasty, there was a Mr. Zhang Gong-yi whose family had nine generations living together. At the time, Emperor Gao-Zong placed great importance of filial piety, so he set up and annual ward to promote filial piety, hoping that there’d be harmony between different generations in the same family. One time when Emperor Gao-Zong made a tour of inspection around the country, he visited Zhang Gong-Yi’s big family, Mr. Zhang was the head of this big family. So, Emperor Gao-Zong asked him: “How are you able to maintain peace and harmony in such a big family of nine generations?” Mr. Zhang answered by writing the Chinese character “forbearance”. He wrote it 100 times on the paper. Seeing that, Emperor Gao-Zong’s eyes, brimmed with tears. That’s right. What it takes is forbearance. For a big family like Mr. Zhang’s to live together in harmony, forbearance is indispensable. But, is it enough for just one person? That’s not enough. But if there is just one person who is not tolerant, the family will be in disharmony. That is why everyone needs to be tolerant and forbearing. So, is our group, Tzu Chi, a big family? Some of our commissioners have inspired so many that you can say there are many generations. In that commissioner’s group, Tzu Chi is 42 years old. and with one inspiring and guiding the other. There may well be nine generations in the family of Tzu Chi already, it is my hope that Tzu Chi can continue for hundreds of thousands of years to come. That is what every volunteer in this big family of Tzu Chi should aspire toward. So, everyone of us should work mindfully in our community to recruit more living bodhisattvas. I hope we can work hard to pass on Tzu Chi’s spirit to other. With one more person becoming a volunteer, our society will be filled with more harmony.

We must know that if one has a very volatile temper, his family will have no peace and harmony. In fact, ont only his family, but the community he lives in will also be affected. So, if everyone can be harmonious and forbearing, both our family and our community can benefit. I often speak of how we must first cultivate ourselves before there can be peace and harmony in our family, society, and country. Indeed, everyone must cultivate moral character. To do that, we must first cultivate a peaceful heart. If our hearts and minds are not peaceful, how are we to cultivate moral character? So, every one of us must work to help cleanse people’s hearts and minds. So that their afflictions can be cleared away every day. Man cannot live without water. That’s true for our spiritual life too. So, we must drink the “water of wisdom”. Just like how we need to clean water to sustain our daily living. Our wisdom life is also needs to be nourished by the water of Dharma, so we can grow spiritually. If we take in the water of Dharma, what is there that we cannot bear with? Instead, we will be able to let go of everything. With that, our heart and mind will become broad. When our heart and mind is broad and spacious, what is there that we cannot to tolerate? What is there to complain and fuss about?

This morning, I went to our Great Love Farm. It is truly a very beautiful fame with a pond a field, a garden, etc. I saw many flowers blooming beautifully and they are very fragrant. The scenery around the that farm is very beautiful, especially in the setting of the countryside. So, I walked around the farm, enjoying the scenery. Indeed living in this world, no matter what one’s procession is, we must be grateful to one another and respect one another. For example, if there were no farmers, how would we have rice and vegetables to eat? So, for everything in the world, we must face all with a grateful heart. Everyday, as we hold a pair of chopsticks and a bowl to pick up food on the table for us to eat, our hearts must give rise to gratitude. Since we feel grateful and, we should try to repay others. Since everyone in society has contributed to make life we lead possible out of gratitude, we should try to give back. So, living in this world, we must have a sense of mission, which is to give of ourselves and give back. So, at every moment, we must be grateful, because (in our daily living) sometimes we’ll forget about being grateful and respectful. When we are happy, we’ll remember to be grateful to others but sometimes we not only forget about being grateful but even get petty and find fault with others. Doing so, we actually give ourselves a hard time, So, be they farmers, manual laborers, construction workers or those working in the textile factories. If it were not for them, who may be old now but who had made a lot of contributions to society back when they were young and healthy, how can we enjoy all that is, so very easily accessible to us and very convenient for us to use today? For that, we must be grateful at all times. But now they are old and need to be cared for. There are a great number of people like this who need us to spend time with them, care for them and give of our love to them. So, we must respect the elderly members of society. Respecting the elderly is also to respect the law of nature, because they are advanced in age, and, like what I just said, even when we are caring for the elderly, we mus have gratitude and respect towards them because whey they were in their prime, they had mad their contibution to society. No matter if they are well cultivated and have a good disposition or not, and no matter what work they did before, they dedicated themselves to our society, and we must pay them our respect. That is especially true in the family of Tzu Chi. Tzu Chi will be 42 years old this coming May. If it were not for those who had paved the path, how could there be the Tzu Chi that we see today? That is why every day, I am very grateful---I am grateful to every senior Tzu Chi volunteer as well as those today who are dedicating themselves, seeking nothing in return. So, be they Tzu Chi volunteers in the past, at present or in the future, I’ll always be grateful to everyone for his effort.

Everyone, I am here to share with you all today that we must pass on Tzu Chi’s spirit not just for nine generations, but for countless generations to come, and for hundreds of thousands of years to come. All of us here today are considered the first generation as I am still alive. As the first generation, we have responsibility to pass down Tzu Chi’s spirit. May everyone harbor a broad and spacious heart that is forbearing, accommodating, and filled with selfless Great Love. Together, let us pass on Tzu Chi’s dharma path generation after generation. Only then can Tzu Chi’s dharma path thrive always. As a member of the Jing Si dharma lineage, everyone must remember to discipline himself and tame his mind. We must also be deligent in our daily living by working hard tirelessly, leading a frugal life, and persevering in the face of hardship. These are the principles that all of you, as Jing Si disciples must pass on. So, please harbor a broad and spacious heart to care for others with your selfless Great Love. When we are doing so, please remember that the love we extend to others must be the pure, unadulterated Great Love. So, please abide by Tzu Chi’s Ten Ptecepts. Only then are we truly working for Buddhism and for Buddhism and for all living beings.