Date: April 12, 2008 (Saturday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
We, too, used to be so adorable at one time. Right? But when we were growning up, we weren’t as lucky as this group of children because we grew up in a different time. Back in our day, decades ago, those who could go to kindergarten were very, very few, and only the fortunate were able to go to attend primary school, and for those students, most of them went around barefoot. The children today are able to dress in nice, neat clothes. Some of the children today even insist on wearing name brands. To tell the truth, I don’t know what “brand name” is about, but kids often talk about this brand and that brand being “name brand”. Today’s times are very different. But I hope that our children will not focus on brand names. Rather, I hope that our children don’t know anything about what is a “name brand”. Just having neat, clean clothes to wear and dressing tidily is the best “brand” that shows our good character.
We should teach children the art of dressing properly and appropriately. We should teach them this from a young age. Education is truly very important. Education is what brings hope. The hope of our society lies with education. On my recent trip, on the morning I was to leave Kaohsiung, a big crowd of people had gathered in the lobby. I saw a group of primary school children who were dressed very neatly. The children really presented an impressive sight. I quickly asked the commissioner next to me: “who are these children? They are so well-taught, and so neat and tidy. They are so adorable.” She said, “That’s the youth choir that we formed here in Kaohsiung. They’re from different schools.” I said, “How come they’re all dressed the same?” “That’s their choir uniform.” They were truly very neatly attired” it brought me a lot of joy. But, I also felt some unease. I felt joy because these children made me feel a lot of hope. The reason I felt unease was because my next stop was going to be Tainan and we have a primary & secondary school in Tainan. That’s where my next stop was. So, I really felt a bit uneasy because if I went to our schoolds and saw that our own students were not as good as these kids, I didn’t know how I would take it. So, that was why I felt unease.
So, after that, I left Kaohsiung and traveled north to Tainan. There, I was also greeted by an impressive sight. By the school’s gate, there were very neatly attired students. I also saw our primary school students, the first and second graders, even though we were at the secondary school. Why were there primary school students here at the secondary school? They had come to welcome me showing that I was already very dear to them. Actually, the school only opened last September so it hasn’t been a year. This is only the beginning of the second semester. How come they felt so close to me? They were just like our students in Hualien. I went into the school and saw our secondary school students who were likewise in very neat attire. These children are like young saplings and we can already begin to see them growing more and more into a tree. The primary school students, meanwhile, are like seeds already sprouting. It was truly moving to see. It also made me very grateful. In this world, there is nothing that can’t be achieved as long as teachers really dedicate themselves for the ideal of education.
So, I stayed there and watched some of the activities they were holding. Then, I went into the auditorium , and watched the primary school students perform. As we saw in the footage , they performed songs in sign language. They did a very good job. They performed two songs and performed both very well. They were truly very, very adorable. Besides performing sign language, they also shared their thoughts. One child said, “The teacher said that last year, when Grand-master visited, we were like little sparrows twittering away . The teacher said that now we are like little angels and are very cute.” After they finished their sharing, they returned to their seats. They were sitting for a long time, but they were very quiet. Every child sat very upright. No one was leaning against the chair. Everyone was very quiet, too. During the program, I would, at times, turn around to look at them. But every time, they were always sitting very properly. When I went onstage to speak, I kept looking at the children from the stage. Just like before, they sat very still. No one was moving about. They were truly so adorable. It made me think of last year, at the time of the Year-end Blessings Ceremony . That was the school’s first semester. The school had just opened. At the Year-end Blessing Ceremony held there, I didn’t even have any chance to speak because everyone was moving about and chattering and making noise, playing games or talking to their neighbor. There was no way they could settle down to listen. That was the way it was then. This time, it was completely different. In such a short period of time, only 100 days or so, the children have changed. They are able to be so neat and orderly. Even child’s attire and appearance was very neat and clean-cut which really made them so endearing . They really made me see hope.
The principal of the secondary school also showed a video on the secondary school. The students were very orderly even more orderly than college students and no less good than the primary school students. So, I truly see hope in these children. These tiny seeds have already sprouted. The secondary school students are truly growing into trees. Their roots are growing in the soil and are already growing new shoots. These new shoots and branches are all very beautiful formed. In them, we really see little gentlemen and little ladies. Our children really are reflecting such an image. Those are our schools in Tainan. The children are truly learning. I’m also very grateful that Tzu Chi volunteers are going into the streets to share Jing Si Aphorisms with others. I truly hope that these can purify people’s hearts. I hope people of all ages can learn from it. Then, there will be a lot of hope.
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
We, too, used to be so adorable at one time. Right? But when we were growning up, we weren’t as lucky as this group of children because we grew up in a different time. Back in our day, decades ago, those who could go to kindergarten were very, very few, and only the fortunate were able to go to attend primary school, and for those students, most of them went around barefoot. The children today are able to dress in nice, neat clothes. Some of the children today even insist on wearing name brands. To tell the truth, I don’t know what “brand name” is about, but kids often talk about this brand and that brand being “name brand”. Today’s times are very different. But I hope that our children will not focus on brand names. Rather, I hope that our children don’t know anything about what is a “name brand”. Just having neat, clean clothes to wear and dressing tidily is the best “brand” that shows our good character.
We should teach children the art of dressing properly and appropriately. We should teach them this from a young age. Education is truly very important. Education is what brings hope. The hope of our society lies with education. On my recent trip, on the morning I was to leave Kaohsiung, a big crowd of people had gathered in the lobby. I saw a group of primary school children who were dressed very neatly. The children really presented an impressive sight. I quickly asked the commissioner next to me: “who are these children? They are so well-taught, and so neat and tidy. They are so adorable.” She said, “That’s the youth choir that we formed here in Kaohsiung. They’re from different schools.” I said, “How come they’re all dressed the same?” “That’s their choir uniform.” They were truly very neatly attired” it brought me a lot of joy. But, I also felt some unease. I felt joy because these children made me feel a lot of hope. The reason I felt unease was because my next stop was going to be Tainan and we have a primary & secondary school in Tainan. That’s where my next stop was. So, I really felt a bit uneasy because if I went to our schoolds and saw that our own students were not as good as these kids, I didn’t know how I would take it. So, that was why I felt unease.
So, after that, I left Kaohsiung and traveled north to Tainan. There, I was also greeted by an impressive sight. By the school’s gate, there were very neatly attired students. I also saw our primary school students, the first and second graders, even though we were at the secondary school. Why were there primary school students here at the secondary school? They had come to welcome me showing that I was already very dear to them. Actually, the school only opened last September so it hasn’t been a year. This is only the beginning of the second semester. How come they felt so close to me? They were just like our students in Hualien. I went into the school and saw our secondary school students who were likewise in very neat attire. These children are like young saplings and we can already begin to see them growing more and more into a tree. The primary school students, meanwhile, are like seeds already sprouting. It was truly moving to see. It also made me very grateful. In this world, there is nothing that can’t be achieved as long as teachers really dedicate themselves for the ideal of education.
So, I stayed there and watched some of the activities they were holding. Then, I went into the auditorium , and watched the primary school students perform. As we saw in the footage , they performed songs in sign language. They did a very good job. They performed two songs and performed both very well. They were truly very, very adorable. Besides performing sign language, they also shared their thoughts. One child said, “The teacher said that last year, when Grand-master visited, we were like little sparrows twittering away . The teacher said that now we are like little angels and are very cute.” After they finished their sharing, they returned to their seats. They were sitting for a long time, but they were very quiet. Every child sat very upright. No one was leaning against the chair. Everyone was very quiet, too. During the program, I would, at times, turn around to look at them. But every time, they were always sitting very properly. When I went onstage to speak, I kept looking at the children from the stage. Just like before, they sat very still. No one was moving about. They were truly so adorable. It made me think of last year, at the time of the Year-end Blessings Ceremony . That was the school’s first semester. The school had just opened. At the Year-end Blessing Ceremony held there, I didn’t even have any chance to speak because everyone was moving about and chattering and making noise, playing games or talking to their neighbor. There was no way they could settle down to listen. That was the way it was then. This time, it was completely different. In such a short period of time, only 100 days or so, the children have changed. They are able to be so neat and orderly. Even child’s attire and appearance was very neat and clean-cut which really made them so endearing . They really made me see hope.
The principal of the secondary school also showed a video on the secondary school. The students were very orderly even more orderly than college students and no less good than the primary school students. So, I truly see hope in these children. These tiny seeds have already sprouted. The secondary school students are truly growing into trees. Their roots are growing in the soil and are already growing new shoots. These new shoots and branches are all very beautiful formed. In them, we really see little gentlemen and little ladies. Our children really are reflecting such an image. Those are our schools in Tainan. The children are truly learning. I’m also very grateful that Tzu Chi volunteers are going into the streets to share Jing Si Aphorisms with others. I truly hope that these can purify people’s hearts. I hope people of all ages can learn from it. Then, there will be a lot of hope.
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