080406 - The Beauty of a Simple Life

Date: April 6, 2008 (Sunday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Place: March 30 & 31, 2008 – DaLin Tzu-Chi Hospital

Look, in the month of April, it is spring, a general time of happiness and joy because the weather is nice and cool. Inside the hospital, however, one also experiences the kind of severe weather that is seen in spring. You never know when it will suddenly pour (meaning, you never know what kind of emergency there will be). So, emotionally, as medical personnel, it is probably much like a rollercoaster because you are dealing with people’s lives. Life is the most precious and also the most fragile. The Buddha taught us that life is suffering. Some people would say, “How is it ‘suffering’?” “I enjoy my life everyday.” “Everyday I’m very happy.” This is the case of one old woman. When she was still healthy, she was a member of a senior group and did a lot of traveling with other elderly. She and her husband were very close, and they had a very good time traveling with other elderly. But, upon losing her husband, she became very depressed. Perhaps this affected her immune system and she developed rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, we can see that life, indeed, contains suffering. She used to lead a very happy life and used to be very healthy. But upon losing her husband, she lost her other half, her pillar. Her pain and grief were deep. Such pain from losing her spouse caused her to develop a physical illness. This disease made her suffer a lot. Our doctors still treated her, though there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis. So, she was lucky to have come to our hospital where our doctors helped improve her condition. Since there’s no cure, some might think just leave things be and not give treatment. But, if we try, perhaps there is still a chance for the patient to recover. Life is very precious and yet it is also very fragile. Seeing patients get better from their disease is our greatest reward.

Yesterday, I also went to visit the intensive care unit(ICU). The staff there work very hard. Every time I visit the ICU, I feel gratitude from the bottom of my heart and am very moved. Everyday, these staff face critically ill patients. Some are conscious. Some are unconscious. Some cry out in pain while others show a smile. I really feel for the staff. All day, they care for such patients. It is truly very demanding work. However, I believe that all ICU staff face it with the spirit of a bodhisattva. Though everyday, they face critically ill patients, they care for the patients with love and patience so that one day, perhaps a few days later, the patient can be transferred to the common ward. Yesterday, I saw a very happy elderly man. He kept smiling and was very happy. Elderly man said: I live in Ruili. If you come to Ruili, please come visit me. Master answer: Alright. Elder man said: And have a drink of tea with me.] When I saw him, he told us where he lived, and invited us to tea at his home. He kept saying what good tea he had. Though he was in the ICU, he didn’t seem like an ICU patient at all. Why was this? Because he was about to be transferred to the common ward. You see, he was very happy. He kept telling me the different kind of vegetables he grew, kept saying, “it’s all organic”, and kept inviting me to his home. He was truly adorable. I believe this kind of happiness is even greater happiness than having a pile of money in front of us. Money can’t buy happiness. Our happiness comes from curing the patients and relieving them of their suffering so that they can smile again. That is why I often say that the most beautiful smile is a patient’s smile. So, when we see patients happy and healthy, we will also be happy. Happiness does not necessarily come from making a lot of money. In life, we are like a passing traveler. It is also like the seasons which come and go. This is similar to our life. Who does not have suffering in their life? Everyone has suffering. But the suffering may be lurking beneath the happiness. Should something happen to us, the layer of happiness cracks, the suffering that lurks beneath will surface. By the time suffering comes, it will be difficult to offset it. I often see this played out for people.

I also saw graduates of our Tzu Chi University working at our hospital. I was very happy to see this. There are around 150 graduates from our Tzu Chi University working at our Tzu Chi Hospital in Dalin. One doctor who graduated from our university recalled that in their student days they didn’t really want to wear uniforms. What is a uniform? It is only a standard outfit to identify people as part of a particular group. Doctors have white robes as their uniform. Nurses also have uniforms--- their white uniform and the head piece. That is what identifies one as a nurse. Everyone has to wear clothes. Dressing neatly makes us look better, too, doesn’t it? We shouldn’t think of uniform as a restriction. If we were to think of it as a restriction, then it should be taken as self-discipline. It teaches us to dress neatly, not sloppily. It is about the image we present. Police have police uniforms. Soldiers have military uniforms. Every group has its specific uniform and image to uphold. You can only wear the student uniform when you are a student (and you are a student only once). In life, many things are like this. Depending on the roles we play, we should present the proper image of that role. I hope everyone shares the same mission to properly fulfill our roles and duties. If we can do this, we will live out the best kind of life. In this Dalin area, a rural place, there might not be the entertainments there are in the city. But I’ve always felt that the most beautiful place, the most beautiful state is to be found within. The most beautiful experience comes from within. When we quiet down our minds, that sense of peace is the most beautiful thing. A heart of love--- that’s the most wonderful experience. If we go out and have fun, we would just be traveling to places. We’d get ourselves tired, and the food we eat outside might not be sanitary. Vegetarianism is a special feature of our Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital because all the heads of the hospital , be it the superintendent or asst. superintendents have been promoting vegetarianism. Eating a vegetarian diet is good for our body but also our spirit. I feel that this kind of lifestyle is most simple and beautiful. The most important thing is saving lives. Seeing how you medical personnel have enabled patients to recover from illness, the work you do is truly benefiting humanity.