Date: April 27, 2008 (Sunday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Tzu Chi’s radio program started in 1985. It was called the “Tzu Chi World”. Over the years, the program was able to be heard by people in prison. They had access to Tzu Chi Monthly Magazine as well as our radio program. So, while in prison, the prisoners had the chance to purify their minds through this wholesome media. They’ve made mistakes in life, and so, they’re serving a prison sentence. Yet, even in the prison environment, they were able to access wholesome radio programs and came to know that in the outside world there are people who are working very hard, living frugally and enduring hardships just so that they can help other people. Back when these inmates had not yet entered prison they were mixed up with a bad crowd and had gone astray. Perhaps back then, they didn’t have any chance to read or listen to such programs. But now, they can hear our radio programs everyday and read inspirational books and magazines, such as our magazine in the prison. So, they’ve started to reflect on their deeds because they’ve been able to listen to a program that does truthful reporting and also guides people to have the correct view on things. Because our programs are wholesome, and guide people toward the right direction, when the prisoners listen to it, their minds became more pure.
As a result, many prisoners have changed. They’ve changed in their behavior and thinking. They used to have wayward thinking. Now, they have wholesome thoughts and they are now determined to correct their wrong ways and head in the right direction. When the prisoners show good behavior in prison, sometimes, they can be released early on parole. When they leave prison, some would then join Tzu Chi and begin doing volunteer work. Many of our volunteers, such as recycling volunteers, are people who have turned their lives around and now join in the effort of serving the society. There are many such cases.
“Although I was physically locked up, I was able to have a calm mind and self-reflect and think about what I did. Of course, I couldn’t figure everything out. But through Tzu Chi’s radio program, I was able to think about it more deeply.” The person we saw was Mr. Wang. He had been sentenced to 17 years in prison. But while in prison, he came in contact with our wholesome media, Tzu Chi Monthly Magazine and our radio program. He gradually saw where he had gone wrong. He had made bad friends. That’s why he ended up being falsely incriminated and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. However, he was released from prison on parole before his sentence was up. When he got out of prison, he went to look for our recycling station in his community and joined in the recycling work. Since then, he’s been doing Tzu Chi’s work. Because our Tzu Chi volunteers embrace all people with love, trust, forgiveness, so, he joined Tzu Chi. Everyone cared for him and he did not hide his past from them. He was very candid about his past and revealed what he did over ten years ago and that he had just gotten out of the jail. So, the volunteers cherished him, and gave him care and support. And now, Mr. Wang is in turn counseling others. Every month, he visits the local prison to counsel the prisoners there. He also runs an organic farm and provide jobs to people who were recently released from prison.
“(Mr. Wang) treats us very well and takes care of us. He doesn’t act like your boss, more like a friend.” “Everyone has their habits. If we can accommodate their habits and guide them then they can change their wrong ways and walk on the right path. That’s all.”
Indeed, all it takes is a change in thinking. If our thinking is wrong, our actions will also be wrong. So, we must look after our mind and make sure our thinking is correct. If our thinking is misguided or wrong in any way, our wrong actions could cause big problems for our family, society, and country. It all originates form one wrong thought. Our mind can create a pureland. Our mind can also create a hell as well as an inner hell. Our thoughts are very important. They determine whether we take the right or wrong course. Because our thoughts and actions create different causes and conditions, they will lead to different consequences. Such is the law of karma--- cause and effect. We must take it seriously. Good thoughts are what make people do good, and because of these good thoughts, everything they do will be a positive contribution to the world. So, a good thought will result in positive, good impacts on our family, our society, our world. But if our thoughts are wrong, there will be problems in our relationships with our family and relationships with prople around us. It all depends on what thoughts we have. Good thoughts will lead to many wholesome deeds and positive contributions. As I often say, human beings are born good. So, we already have good seeds in us. As long as there is good land to sow the seeds in and other supporting conditions are also present such as enough water and sunlight then the good seeds will grow well. This is the working of “causes and conditions”. Everything in this world is the cumulative result of every action taken. Our environment is the way it is now because of everything we’ve done which have added up and created global warming. So, every one of us was involved in it.
But, by the same token, when each of us has good thoughts coming together, we will have great strength and can do a lot of good. Look at Tzu Chi’s Four Missions. Weren’t they all made possible by pooling together every person’s contributions? So, the more good people there are in the world, the greater the possibility there is for our world to become a pureland. If each person can change his or her temper and be peaceful, perhaps our natural world can also return to the natural order of things with orderly seasons and everything in equilibrium. In a word, it all depends on our thoughts, our direction. As long as we have good thoughts and our direction is right, our world will be very beautiful.
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Tzu Chi’s radio program started in 1985. It was called the “Tzu Chi World”. Over the years, the program was able to be heard by people in prison. They had access to Tzu Chi Monthly Magazine as well as our radio program. So, while in prison, the prisoners had the chance to purify their minds through this wholesome media. They’ve made mistakes in life, and so, they’re serving a prison sentence. Yet, even in the prison environment, they were able to access wholesome radio programs and came to know that in the outside world there are people who are working very hard, living frugally and enduring hardships just so that they can help other people. Back when these inmates had not yet entered prison they were mixed up with a bad crowd and had gone astray. Perhaps back then, they didn’t have any chance to read or listen to such programs. But now, they can hear our radio programs everyday and read inspirational books and magazines, such as our magazine in the prison. So, they’ve started to reflect on their deeds because they’ve been able to listen to a program that does truthful reporting and also guides people to have the correct view on things. Because our programs are wholesome, and guide people toward the right direction, when the prisoners listen to it, their minds became more pure.
As a result, many prisoners have changed. They’ve changed in their behavior and thinking. They used to have wayward thinking. Now, they have wholesome thoughts and they are now determined to correct their wrong ways and head in the right direction. When the prisoners show good behavior in prison, sometimes, they can be released early on parole. When they leave prison, some would then join Tzu Chi and begin doing volunteer work. Many of our volunteers, such as recycling volunteers, are people who have turned their lives around and now join in the effort of serving the society. There are many such cases.
“Although I was physically locked up, I was able to have a calm mind and self-reflect and think about what I did. Of course, I couldn’t figure everything out. But through Tzu Chi’s radio program, I was able to think about it more deeply.” The person we saw was Mr. Wang. He had been sentenced to 17 years in prison. But while in prison, he came in contact with our wholesome media, Tzu Chi Monthly Magazine and our radio program. He gradually saw where he had gone wrong. He had made bad friends. That’s why he ended up being falsely incriminated and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. However, he was released from prison on parole before his sentence was up. When he got out of prison, he went to look for our recycling station in his community and joined in the recycling work. Since then, he’s been doing Tzu Chi’s work. Because our Tzu Chi volunteers embrace all people with love, trust, forgiveness, so, he joined Tzu Chi. Everyone cared for him and he did not hide his past from them. He was very candid about his past and revealed what he did over ten years ago and that he had just gotten out of the jail. So, the volunteers cherished him, and gave him care and support. And now, Mr. Wang is in turn counseling others. Every month, he visits the local prison to counsel the prisoners there. He also runs an organic farm and provide jobs to people who were recently released from prison.
“(Mr. Wang) treats us very well and takes care of us. He doesn’t act like your boss, more like a friend.” “Everyone has their habits. If we can accommodate their habits and guide them then they can change their wrong ways and walk on the right path. That’s all.”
Indeed, all it takes is a change in thinking. If our thinking is wrong, our actions will also be wrong. So, we must look after our mind and make sure our thinking is correct. If our thinking is misguided or wrong in any way, our wrong actions could cause big problems for our family, society, and country. It all originates form one wrong thought. Our mind can create a pureland. Our mind can also create a hell as well as an inner hell. Our thoughts are very important. They determine whether we take the right or wrong course. Because our thoughts and actions create different causes and conditions, they will lead to different consequences. Such is the law of karma--- cause and effect. We must take it seriously. Good thoughts are what make people do good, and because of these good thoughts, everything they do will be a positive contribution to the world. So, a good thought will result in positive, good impacts on our family, our society, our world. But if our thoughts are wrong, there will be problems in our relationships with our family and relationships with prople around us. It all depends on what thoughts we have. Good thoughts will lead to many wholesome deeds and positive contributions. As I often say, human beings are born good. So, we already have good seeds in us. As long as there is good land to sow the seeds in and other supporting conditions are also present such as enough water and sunlight then the good seeds will grow well. This is the working of “causes and conditions”. Everything in this world is the cumulative result of every action taken. Our environment is the way it is now because of everything we’ve done which have added up and created global warming. So, every one of us was involved in it.
But, by the same token, when each of us has good thoughts coming together, we will have great strength and can do a lot of good. Look at Tzu Chi’s Four Missions. Weren’t they all made possible by pooling together every person’s contributions? So, the more good people there are in the world, the greater the possibility there is for our world to become a pureland. If each person can change his or her temper and be peaceful, perhaps our natural world can also return to the natural order of things with orderly seasons and everything in equilibrium. In a word, it all depends on our thoughts, our direction. As long as we have good thoughts and our direction is right, our world will be very beautiful.
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