080428 Seeds of Bodhi Sprouting in Mexico

Date: April 28, 2008 (Monday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Truly, see how Bodhi seeds have been sown across the world and have taken root and grown into Bodhi forests worldwide. See, though we began with just one volunteer, we now have around 40 volunteers in Mexico.

The footage we saw just now was on the Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexico border. From the footage that we see, we can imagine what life must be like for this group of local Mexicans. How impoverished they must be and how arid it is there. Why are there so many impoverished people there? It’s because a lot of Mexicans are looking for an opportunity to try and cross the border to the U.S. illegally. People put their lives at risk trying to cross the border into the U.S. Some people climb a very high fence. It is a very high fence and very dangerous. If they are discovered, they’ll be sent back. Others dig a tunnel and crawl through it over to the U.S. territory. Just think how difficult it must be to dig and crawl through the tunnel. They take many, many risks for the sake of a better life, or just in order to earn a living. Since most of the people there are waiting to cross the border into the U.S., they only built very crude and simple residences for them to stay temporarily. Their living conditions are very difficult. Not only so, but they are surrounded by desert. Truly, words cannot describe what their life must be like.

In 1994, our volunteer in Mexico, A-rong, came to discover these people (in La Morita). After that, she kept thinking how she could help them. So, she began working with our volunteers in Los Angeles, California to provide free medical services and food supplies for them. So, Tzu Chi volunteers began by providing free medical services. At the same time, they also distributed food supplies and material provisions. Gradually, some people came to realize that crossing the border into the U.S. was not easy. While some people are able to make it across on their own, the women there are continuously bearing more children. The number of elderly, women, and children is also gradually increasing. Seeing this group of children, our volunteers’ hearts truly went out to them. So, in order to give them a better future, in 1995, our volunteers came up with a plan to build a school for them. Our volunteers in Mexico raised the funds for the school themselves. See how hard they worked to give the children hope. The school was completed in 1996, and now, there are close to 1,000 students attending the school, and there have been many graduating classes since then. For each class of graduate students, you’d see how much hope and promise they hold. Such hope and brightness radiates from them. There is truly much hope for their future. The children there are very hardworking and can withstand hardship. Now, we have even inspired many locals to serve as our volunteers.

Of the 39 volunteers we have in Mexico, close to half are locals. We can see that the Bodhi seeds we sowed have sprouted and grown into small trees. Next, in order to bring peace and harmony to society and people’s hearts and minds, we have been continuously recruiting volunteers. How have they been doing this? It is truly very moving to see--- By going door-to-door, our Tzu Chi volunteers visit every household to give out fliers that were very simply designed. Their fliers are not like small posters, no. They collected the paper others threw away and used the blank side to provide the information they wanted to get across to people. But most of the locals are illiterate. Even some of our volunteers can’t read Spanish. So, when they got the fliers, our volunteers would turn it round and round as they couldn’t tell which way the right side up is. Out of our non-local volunteers, only A-rong can speak Spanish. So, they have to rely on the local volunteers to spread the word. This is because this year, our volunteers are spreading the word about the Buddha Day ceremony. Most of the locals are Roman Catholics. It is truly very difficult to get them to celebrate Buddha Day. But, if you talk to them about Mother’s Day, they’ll understand. Or if you talk to them about Tzu Chi Day, they also feel grateful to Tzu Chi. This is because many families are without a father, since in many cases, the father disappears and no one knows his whereabouts. So, many are brought up by their mothers. So, we’d talk to them about Mother’s Day, and then tell them about Tzu Chi Day before letting them know that Tzu Chi is a Buddhist organization and that celebrating Sakyamuni Buddha’s birthday is like celebrating Christmas. So, it doesn’t get in the way of their faith, and all they have to do is to show their respect. To do that, our volunteers went door-to-door to spread the word.

We also saw that our volunteers went to promote recycling at a primary school that we built. Our volunteers explained to the students how PET bottles can be made into blankets as well as our reusable bags, etc. We explained everything in great detail to them. The principal and the teachers all understood, so they led the children to do recycling. At the same time our volunteers also led the local people to become familiar with recycling. Seeing that, I was very moved. Truly, I see that our Bodhi seeds have been scattered worldwide, and no matter which country it is, these seeds have all sprouted and have grown into a forest of Bodhi trees. They all originate from the same seed--- the seed from Taiwan. See, how much hope there is.

In view of the climate nowadays and how the Earth is continuously being destroyed, we need to take action urgently to purify people’s hearts and minds as only then can we save the Earth. We need to be humbly pious and sincerely prudent. Everyone, we have sown these seeds of love everywhere across the world. It is my wish that every single one of these seeds can be scattered farther and wider, and the Bodhi seed in everyone’s heart can sprout and grow into a tree so that there will be a forest of Bodhi trees that can further bear more seeds that will scatter far and wide across the Earth so that the globe is covered with Bodhi trees. That is what we hope for. All in all, I’m truly very grateful. Even in the most impoverished of places, our volunteers are able to offer hope and promise to the people living there. For that, I’m truly very grateful. Our volunteers in Mexicao are cultivating both blessings and wisdom, and turning the Wheel of Dharma together, I thank them.

080427 The Capacity of the Media to Help Purify Minds

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.

080426 To Give Hope to the Future

Date: April 26, 2008 (Saturday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

What we see is the Loess Plateau (in Gansu, China). (Loess is a silty type of soil, yellow in color.) Gausu has the thickest layer of loess in the world with a thickness of 700 to 800 meters. On the Loess Plateau, if there is no rain, it’ll be very difficult to grow any crops. The people there are farmers and live a difficult life. They work diligently but the conditions of their environment make life difficult because there’s no water. So, they cherish water just as if it were gold. They cherish every single drop of water. The life of the women there consists of fetching water and taking care of their family. We also see the men planting crops. They use a cup to water the crops. A cup of water is used to water two or three stalks of corn.

Everyone, how do we use water in our everyday life? Look how little water they have to use. Seeing it, we must learn to cherish what we have in the past several years, Tzu Chi built over 10,000 water cisterns for them to collect rainwater. The water cisterns have improved their lives. However, in the past five years, their climate has changed. They’ve experienced very severe drought. If it does not rain, having water cisterns itself cannot help. So, we begun plans to relocate them to another area. Last month, the construction for this new village began. We plan to build 200 houses for the 900 residents of this village, so that they can leave the dry, arid mountain. The construction has already begun. If all goes according to plan, they will have a new home to settle down in and, the county government also plans to give them farmland. The water from the Yellow River can be pumped to irrigate the farmlands. We hope this area will be able to accommodate more people so that we can move people out of the drought-stricken mountains. If they move here, there’d be hope for their future.

We also see the difficult life of the children in Gansu. These children are students. They board at the school because their home is far away. There are only 29 teachers at this school teaching over 400 students. If the student live far away, he or she has to live at the school. There are around 200 students living at the school. Their living quarters is a small room.
“How many people in a room?” “Twenty-five” “Twenty-five?” “Yes.”
These students are very studious, and can endure hardship. Their quarters are very simple and crude. Look at their beds. Their bed consists of wooden boards laid on top of a stack of bricks, stones, or roof tiles. These form bed legs. Because these bed legs are stacked, they are all a different height so the beds are not all even. Look at what they eat.
“Is this your dinner?” “Yes.” “What is it?” “Steam bun.” “Everyday?” “Yes, everyday.” “What about you?” “This is my dinner, too.” “Steam bun too?” “Yes.” “With water?” “Yes.” “Do you get tired of eating it?” “No.” “Does it taste good?” “Yes.” “Do you have to eat it?” “Yes.” “Why?” “I’ll get hungry.” “You’ll get hungry.” “What about you?” “Rolled steam bun.” “What’s in this box?” “Rolled steam bun.” “How come there are so many rolled steam buns?” “It’s for the next two weeks.”

How do they study at night? We saw that they use candles. Three students share one candle. One candle lasts two nights.
“The three of you use this candle to read?” “Yes.” “Why use candle, not a flashlight?” “Flashlight is too expensive” “Too expensive. How much is it?” “Around 10 RMB (US$1.43)” “How about a candle?” “Half a RMB (US$0.07)” “That’s why you use candles?” “Yes.” “Can you see at night?” “Yes.”
Look at how studious, how hardworking they are despite the harsh conditions. They study very hard, because they know without education, there’s no hope for their future. Their parents also know that education is a must, no matter how poor they are. So, the parents work very hard so that their children can go to school. Though conditions at school are hard, the children endure it all because they know education provides the only hope. There are close to 500 students and just 29 teachers. There are so many students and the school is in such poor condition. Yet, the children are very studious. More than 60 percent of the students graduate and continue their education. See, because they study hard, that’s why this percentage is so high. This is due to the hard work of the students, the hard work of the teachers, and the hard work of the parents. Everyone endures the hardships without complaint. These students have only one wish in their heart, to improve their life. For this, they willingly endure such harsh living conditions. So, they approach it with a simple heart. Their material circumstances are hard, but their hearts are untouched by it. They are willing to do this for the sake of their future.

All in all, if we are content with our life, we will not be miserable. As long as the students have goals for a better future, they can withstand their current hardship. This is why I often say we need to have self-discipline, be diligent, frugal, and withstand hardship. If we cannot discipline ourselves, and overcome our inner hurdles, how can we get ourselves to be diligent? We need to work hard. Aren’t they working very hard to get an education? To work hard for their future requires self-discipline. They have to discipline their minds to be able to study hard and be frugal and be content to bear with such harsh conditions. They have to be frugal in order to survive. And, even if we have abundant material supplies, we should not be wasteful. If we can live more frugally, we can save money to help others. See, how many people are surviving a hard life by working hard and being frugal. Although these students live a hard life now, I wish them well & see a bright future for them.

080425 Doing One Good Deed Every Day to Help Eliminate Disasters

Date: April 25, 2008 (Friday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Yesterday, I saw a news report that, in Taiwan, there are now around 20,000 foreign laborers who are waiting for jobs. Taiwan hired over 360,000 foreign laborers, but they have now become a problem to Taiwan. Taiwan is such a small island and people’s way of living has continually been changing over the decades. People are no longer willing to work long hours or shoulder more responsibilities. They also fear doing laborious work but instead like to spend their time doing recreational activities, exercising, etc. They refuse to do house chores and instead use the time to work out or relax. So they hire people to do their housework for them. As a consequence, they have now become indolent and lazy. All they want to do is enjoy life and spend money. Seeing people’s attitude to life in Taiwan makes me very worried. Furthermore, we see so many countries in the world already suffering from food shortages. The Three Major Calamities the Buddha spoke of, disasters of water, fire, and wind, are already happening one after another before our eyes. Take Australia for example. Australia used to grow enough grains that it could help feed 20 million people around the world. But six consecutive years of drought have reduced Australia’s rice crop by 98 percent. With that, Australia has problems feeding even its own people, let alone supplying grains to other countries. Because of the drought in Australia, many rice fields have to be left fallow, leading to a sharp decrease in grain production. They have no choice but to leave the land fallow. Even nine out of ten rice mills there have now shut down. So, everyone, we mustn’t be ignorant to this crisis that concerns all of us. Even if we have money, one day, there may not even be rice to be bought. I really don’t know what we can do by that time. The world population has kept increasing. Mothers nowadays no longer breastfeed their babies. If babies can be breastfed, how much resources can be saved? First, there would be no need for milk bottles and no need for powdered milk. To get milk, we have to raise cows. So, without such a demand for cow’s milk, we would not have to raise so many cows. Turning cow’s milk into powdered milk also requires processing and manufacturing, etc. You also need containers to package the powder, boiled water to mix with the powder, sterilizers to sterilize the bottles, milk bottles to feed the babies with, and many, many more things. Doesn’t the production of all these things release a lot of greenhouse gases? All this adds up. See how easy it is to breastfeed a baby. When the baby is hungry, the mother just has to hold him to her breast. That is the bond that brings a mother and child close to one another. This is how close a mother and child can be. All in all, I really don’t know why people do not follow the natural course of things. It truly is very worrying and frightening.

The price of commodities have been rising and there’s shortage of grains. Thinking about it makes me very worried. This is already happening in the Philippines and many people cannot afford to buy rice. Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines have now increased the amount of rice given to the impoverished. But I don’t know how much longer they can afford to continue providing this extra supply. In an impoverished area of Caloocan city, two major fires occurred in three days. Tzu Chi volunteers also went to provide timely aid and give out rice to those affected. At the Philippine community called Dreamland, we used to give out 5 kg of rice every 3 months. Now, we give out 10 kg per month. This is because it is getting harder and harder for them to find a job, thus causing the poor to become even poorer. So, it is getting harder and harder for Tzu Chi volunteers to carry out relief work.

Indonesia’s government has also sought Tzu Chi Indonesia to help provide aid to a village of 4,000 families in North Jakarta as they face the crisis of having no food. So, Tzu Chi volunteers have been asked to distribute aid to the people there. Tzu Chi volunteers have gone door-to-door to give out 4,500 tickets so these families can go collect rice. See, the burden to provide aid is getting heavier. What’s more frightening is the kind of situation affecting North Korea. Because of drought, they can no longer grow crops. Originally, S. Korea provided aid to N. Korea but S. Korea is also suffering grain shortage now. So, North Korea has been hoping that we can provide aid to them. But, many countries have now placed restrictions on rice exports. For example, China has also placed a ban on rice export. Where exactly can we buy rice that we can ship and give to North Korea? That is why I say at least we can still talk about the rise in the cost of rice right now, but in the future, there may not even be rice to buy. I really don’t know how we will be able to carry out our relief work. It truly is very worrying. Living here in Taiwan, we truly must be aware and vigilant of what is happening around us. We really must pull ourselves out of the inclination for comfort and leisure, wanting to eat well and live the good life but have a non-stressful job with good pay and a short commute. Don’t think that way. See how some of the foreign laborers in Taiwan are now facing the threat of losing their jobs. Where are these 20,000 or so laborers to go? My heart truly goes out to them. Everyone, we really must practice doing one good deed every day where we make a small donation every day. If we can all do this, pooling all the coins together, we should be able to make a great difference. So, if every one of us can contribute a little, pooled together, it can do a lot. In the future, where are we going to get the relief supplies from? It’s very worrying.

Commoditiy prices are already rising significantly. In the Buddhist sutras, the Buddha had said that when famine, which is among the Three Minor Calamities, occurred, that would last for seven years. Can you imagine? Seven years. If we do not hasten to make a change right now, there will not only be a seven-year famine, but also a seven-month epidemic. Not only will we suffer an epidemic that lasts seven months--- We all still remember the SARS outbreak. Fortunately, it was put under control within a short period of time. Otherwise, if it had become a major epidemic, it may have lasted seven months. If the food crisis we’re facing deteriorates, and the prices of petroleum an other goods keep rising, serious wars may break out. Everyone, we must be humbly pious and sincerely prudent. We must do good and nurture virtue. Only when we have virtue will we have good karma. Only when we’ve created good karma can there be less disasters. We must understand this. This is what the Sakyamuni Buddha explained over 2,000 years ago. With the advances in technology that we have, we can now see all that is happening around the world. For events that happen in countless places around the world, we can obtain the information with the technology we have. Everyone, we really must call on every person to do one good deed a day. Even a small act of kindness is okay. Only then can we eliminate disasters. I often speak of how one good deed can eliminate thousands of disasters. This doesn’t mean that when I do one good deed myself I alone can help to eliminate disasters. No. It means that only when each and every one of us can do one good deed a day will the force of the good karma we’ve created be strong enough to avert disasters.

080424 - Doing Our Part for the Earth

Date: April 24, 2008 (Thursday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

In the past, we often heard people describe the U.S. as a heaven on Earth. But, since many years ago, The U.S. has been constantly affected by disasters with one natural disaster occurring after another. This year alone, it has already suffered from wildfires, floods, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. There has almost been no break in between. On March 21, Missouri received heavy rainfall that continued for 12 hours, greatly devastating Missouri. The surging water levels burst the riverbanks, submerging several towns in water. For several days, these towns were inundated. The nearest Tzu Chi chapter was in St. Louis, Missouri so on March 29, when the waters started to recede, our St. Louis volunteers went to survey the disaster condition. Then in mid-April, Tzu Chi volunteers began distributing debit cards worth US$300 to the flood victims, so that they could purchase the things they need. Our volunteers also gave them necessity packs. This is what has been happening these few days. So, Tzu Chi volunteers in the U.S. have truly been kept busy in recent years. Indeed, they have been working ceaselessly to bring relief aid to people affected by disaster. My heart truly goes out to them. These disasters happen because of the effects of global warming. That’s what causes such erratic climate conditions like floods, wildfires, hurricanes, etc. And so, our volunteers have been carrying out relief work constantly. So, environmental protection is something we must promote and practice always in normal times, so that the effects of global warming can be eased.

Yesterday was Earth Day in U.S., so Tzu Chi volunteers in the U.S. also worked hard to promote environmental awareness. However, it was not only for yesterday as they have been doing so many years now. On that vast piece of land, Tzu Chi volunteers in every state have been working diligently to protect the environment. Let’s first look at Tzu Chi’s recycling work in Northern California. Many of us know that there are a lot of high-tech companies in Northern California. So, in a place with so many high-tech companies, there are lots of things that can be recycled. In that are alone, we have 30 or so recycling points and over 200 recycling volunteers. The things they recycle are mainly paper products like cardboard boxes and cardboard cylinders because there are newspaper printing companies, many computer companies, and electronics companies in the area. ASUS also has a branch located in that area. The deputy manager there also leads the staff at ASUS to join him in doing recycling. Usually, Friday afternoons are allocated as recreational time for the staff. In the past, they would go hiking or swimming, or do other sports activities. However, Tzu Chi volunteers went there to promote and bring awareness about recycling. So now, during this recreational time at work, everyone dedicates themselves to doing recycling. During this two-hour period, if they spent it recreationally, the time would pass without anything really being accomplished, but they have now chosen to make use of this time to do recycling together, and they have truly accomplished a lot. From this, we can see that a change of action or a change of thought can transform our life, it can lend greater meaning and value to our life as we put in a effort to protect the Earth. This is the difference that a change of thought and acting can make. No matter what the weather is like, everyone works diligently to do recycling as usual. This is what a great difference promoting environmental consciousness can make and what Tzu Chi volunteers everywhere are working hard to do around the world.

Among these recycling volunteers in California, there are blue-collar workers as well, such as Mr. Lu Guo-qiang for example. He is Vietnamese. In 1975, during the Vietnam War, he fled his country and became a refugee. During that period, many Vietnamese fled their country by boat. If you all still remember around thirty years ago, these boat people from Vietnam truly faced very tragic fates. Mr. Lu was on one of these boats. This one boat carried over 400 passengers. They drifted in the sea for 16 days and had run out of water and food. During these 16 days, he saw how the atmosphere of the crowded boat went from noise to occasional groans, to silence. At a time when everyone had reached the end of their ropes, a glimmer of hope appeared. A ship from Taiwan saved their lives including Mr. Lu’s. That’s why he has always felt indebted to this ship from Taiwan that had saved him and brought him to the U.S. Though he had arrived in the U.S., he was still a refugee. Being a refugee, it was very difficult to find a job and sustain a living. However, with a heart of gratitude. In the end, he found a job working as laborer for a canned food company. However, he has always kept in mind the Taiwanese ship that had saved him. Sp, since retiring in 2005, he has been dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the charity organization from Taiwan—Tzu Chi. He is now already 67 years old. Every Saturday from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., he does recycling. He has been doing so for over three years. Even though winter was very cold. In the U.S. this year, he still did not rest for a single Saturday. He ahs said before that it was so cold that when he had a runny nose, the mucus would immediately freeze up, so it wouldn’t even run down. As for his hands, it would be all swollen. Others would ask him to rest for the day, but he wouldn’t. He truly uses his life to the fullest to benefit others. At the same time, as soon as he thinks of Taiwan. He has never been Taiwan, but knowing that his life was saved because of a Taiwanese ship, he is filled with gratitude. So, now is his opportunity to give all that he has to repay his debt of gratitude with all his life in caring for the Earth, he is also working tirelessly for Taiwan’s Tzu Chi by dedicating himself as a volunteer. It truly is very touching to see. So, there are truly many touching stories to tell. Be it helping the suffering or protecting the Earth, the work that Tzu Chi volunteers in the U.S. do is truly very touching. For that, I can never say enough “thank you”.

080423 An Indonesian Teenager's Endurance, the Way of Vegetarianism

Date: April 23, 2008 (Wednesday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Sofyan said: “Since meeting Tzu Chi people, there is more meaning to my life. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if it were not for Tzu Chi especially since Father has passed away. I don’t know how we’d survive, if not for Tzu Chi.”

Indeed, anyone would find it heartbreaking to see a child like Sofyan. He was born into an impoverished family in Indonesia. (When our volunteers first saw him,) his face was all distorted and his right eye protruded because of a tumor on his face. It was truly heartrending to see. He was not able to receive medical care when he was young. It wasn’t until he was fourteen that we discovered him during one of the free clinics Tzu Chi held. On April 26, 2004, Tzu Chi volunteers in Indonesia accompanied him to Taiwan. During his treatment, he was at death’s door many times. However, this child truly has the capacity to withstand hardship. Coming to Taiwan to receive treatment, he was truly able to endure a lot of pain and was very considerate of his father. Every time he regained consciousness after surgery he would comfort his father, and whenever he saw our hospital volunteers or medical team, he was always full of gratitude. Very rarely would you hear him cry or complain. That was four years ago. Such self-discipline and resilience, and the way he accepts his lot in life truly makes our hearts go out to him.

He stayed in Taiwan for more than six months. When he returned home, Tzu Chi volunteers in Indonesia helped move him and his family to Tzu Chi’s Great Love Estate, and he has now graduated from the secondary school in our Great Love Estate. Last year, when he graduated, the tumor on his face, which had been continuing to grow all this time, was starting to impact his vision again. Back when he had had his first surgery, the doctor had already said that (as he was still growing,) the tumor would also continue to grow. So, Sofyan himself knew that it’d be hard to save what was left of his vision. Because of this, he asked to learn Braille, so that if he did lose his vision and became blind, he would still have the skills and means to support his parents. He truly has a great sense of responsibility. He is grateful to his parents for raising him, so he faces his illness with courage and is determined to learn a skill to support them. The first time he came for surgery in Hualien, he said he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. This time when he came for surgery, it wasn’t his father who came with him because his father passed away last year from liver cancer. Before he died, he had said to his wife: He siad, “If you need to go with Sofyan to Taiwan for surgery one day, don’t be afraid. The Tzu Chi volunteers there are like family.” So, this time, his mother, together with our volunteers and Tzu Chings from Indonesia accompanied him here for the surgery. The surgery this time lasted thirteen hours before our medical staff were finally able to remove his tumor. It was a collaboration of doctors from six departments. This medical team was formed specifically for Sofyan. He is poor, so it was Tzu Chi that paid for all his medical and travel expenses, yet he was still given the same high-quality care. Yesterday, he was discharged from the hospital. Before that, he came to see me to say thank you. He also wanted to sing a song for me. I asked him, “Which song are you going to sing?” He replied, “We are Family.” The I said, “You can sing onstage and share it with all Tzu Chi volunteers.” He was very accommodating and said, “Okay” and he went onstage.

“I need your support to help me realize my dream. Your love has given me much courage...” (Sofyan sang)

Supt. Shi, Dr. Qiu, his mother, and our Tzu Ching accompanied him onstage. He truly sang the song very well. Yesterday, he came to see me again at the Abode, just before he was to leave for Indonesia. I asked him, “What are you going to do now that you can’t be a doctor because of your eyesight?” He said that he wants to be a psychologist. I am sure he can do it, because yesterday, (while at the Abode,) he already helped give “therapy” to a Taiwanese teenager. I’ve now recovered. Thank you, Master. I must also thank the doctors and nurses and thank you, Mom. Before, my wish was to become a doctor. But seeing as I can’t completely recover my eyesight, I’ve changed my mind. Now, I want to be a psychologist as then I will still be able to help others even without being able to see and can relieve people’s psychological suffering. Children in Taiwan truly live very blessed and fortunate lives and often do not know to count their blessings.

Yesterday was April 22, Earth Day. Supt. Lin of our hospital in Dalin led all the hospital staff in sweeping the streets and spreading the word about environmental protection. Not only yesterday, but in his daily life, Supt. Lin is a great advocator of vegetarianism. Nowadays, vegetarianism is the global trend. That’s right. In fact, this should have happened long ago since it can purify both our bodies and this Earth as there’d be less carbon emissions which would help to protect our planet. If we were to become vegetarian, it would be good for our health. It helps nurture moral character too. What people most neglect nowadays are proper care of their health and the nurturing of virtues. So, we should know that to lead a self-disciplined, simple, and frugal life, we should become vegetarian. We should refrain from eating meat just for the sake of a moment’s pleasure. We need to rise above this desire. Also, you mustn’t think: “What’s the use of just one person becoming vegetarian?” It truly does make a big difference. Yesterday (in view of Earth Day,) government bodies asked their employees to switch off their lights during lunchtime. By doing that for just one hour during lunchtime yesterday, all across Taiwan, 28,800 watts of electricity were saved. See, if every family could take measures (to save on electricity,) such as not keeping the electric water boiler plugged in all the time, or switching off the computer when you’re not using it, or not buying more food than you need and ending up having it all pile up in the fridge... Just buy however much you need. We must also discipline ourselves, and learn to not turn on the air-conditioner as soon as it gets a little warm. Don’t do that. I believe that if everyone could do their bit to save on electricity, that would help to reduce carbon emissions.

080422 - Earth Day---Reminding us to Protect the Earth Every Day

Date: April 22, 2008 (Tuesday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

"Shut the faucets tightly after use and turn off the TV when we are not watching it. Turn off the light when we leave the room.” “Drive less”. “Take a bus”. “Ride a bike as much as we can”.

Today is April 22, Earth Day. We live in Taiwan but we also live on this Earth. Indeed, at this time, it is morning in Taiwan while in other parts of the world, people are getting ready to retire for the evening. In countries worldwide, Tzu Chi volunteers are spreading the word on environmental protection. We see that for several weeks, our volunteers in several states across the U.S. have been going into the streets and storefronts to spread the word about environmental protection. Be they in the streets and alleyways, at the beach, or near mountainsides, etc. Tzu Chi volunteers throughout the world can be seen taking action for the sake of protecting the Earth. Every time I think of how Tzu Chi volunteers throughout the world are also doing the same work that we do in Taiwan, it makes me think of how Tzu Chi is a global entity. This is why I often say that the world of Tzu Chi is a world where the sun never sets.

Here in Taiwan, we see that on the night of April 20, 500 shops in Taipei’s eastern downtown area turned off the lights of their sign boards for 10 minutes as a show of support to reduce carbon emissions. This is possible because of Tzu Chi volunteers’ sincere attitude. With a sincere and righteous heart everyone dedicates himself to protecting the environment by spreading the word on reducing carbon emissions. Yesterday at noon, I saw the news on the CTS channel and it was also reporting on Tzu Chi volunteers’ persistent efforts in promoting the importance of environmental protection by visiting and inviting stores in downtown Taipei to take part in the activity of turning lights off. So, CTS interviewed passers-by and shopkeepers. Owners of the shops and the general public all said “We do it for the greater good of humanity as well as what’s good for the environment because the Earth’s wellbeing should be everyone’s responsibility”. That’s what we heard people say sincerely from the bottom of their hearts as they voiced their support to help protect the Earth. So, in hearing and seeing people’s response, it makes me feel that if what you do is right, you will never be alone. It truly makes me very happy to see people waking up to this crisis.

Some reporters also asked shopkeepers, whether these 10 minutes with the lights of their sign boards turned off would affect their business. They replied “How it affects me is not important but what affects everyone in society and humanity is much more important”. It was truly heartwarming to hear this. What affects us as an individual is not important. Indeed, don’t I often say we mustn’t pass up a good deed because it seems tiny?. And, don’t commit a wrong because it seems small. Indeed, for a good deed no matter how insignificant it may seem. Please do not underestimate it and think “This is only a small and insignificant deed” “If I am to do something good, it has to be big”. Actually, every little act of goodness when pooled together, can make a big difference.

I spoke of the Philippines yesterday. See how impoverished the people of Dreamland, Rosario Cavite in the Philippines are. Tzu Chi volunteers not only provide them with material supplies and medical care, but they also encourage the local people to further reach out and help others. A few days ago, they brought back the coin banks we gave them and pooled the coins together. Do you know that the coins were able to fill up two whole pots? The head of the Tzu Chi chapter in the Philippines said to me when he came back: “Master, did you know that seeing all those quarters tumble out and overflow into the pots, I got goose bumps all over.” That’s how moved he was. He said he was very impressed. Yes, even people that poor--- When their tiny contributions are pooled together, they too are able to help others. See how happy they were when they watched the pots being filled up with the coins. See the joy one can get from helping others. See, this is teaching the poor that they too have the ability to help others. In a place as impoverished as this, we teach them that even small acts of kindness, when pooled together, can do a lot to help those in need. People in a rich country like the U.S. are also doing the same. Our volunteers give out coin banks to people there. They too cherish the opportunity to help others.

“You have lots of good concepts, reducing, reusing, and recycling is good. All of which help to support sustaining the Mother Earth. If she is not doing well, we are not doing well.”

So don’t pass up a good deed because it seems tiny. This is what we’re encouraging people to do. Tzu Chi volunteers teach through example. We see that in Keelung, even children took part in spreading the word about reducing carbon emissions. At first, they visited many storefronts to spread the word and then they passed a police station.

“Say hi to the police” “May your business prosper and grow.” “No, no. You can’t say that to a police station.”

See how adorable children are. Of course when you go to a storefront, you should wish them a prosperous business. But if business at a police station is prosperous, that would mean our society is in trouble. They truly are very adorable. See how people of any age can care for the Earth. That is why we should educate the old and the young alike. Lately, many schools across Taiwan, be they universities, secondary schools, or primary schools, have all been inviting Tzu Chi volunteers to share their experience in environmental protection work. The knowledge that our volunteers have gained comes from years of experience. That’s why our volunteers can share with others their experience of reducing garbage. For that, I am truly grateful.

From watching the news report earlier, I also saw that petroleum prices are continuing to rise which will also lead to the rise in cost of all other goods. With that, the poor will become even poorer. There is also the crisis of food shortage. I truly can’t imagine the consequences. Seeing the rise in food prices, many rice-producing countries have implemented a ban on rice exports. This truly worries me greatly because, with the relief work that we do, if the price of goods keep rising and the supply of grains is cut off, I really don’t know how we can carry out relief work. It is truly very worrying. So, the first thing we must do is to cherish the land so that our land won’t be damaged any further. Indeed, we suffer the consequences because we do not know to cherish the Earth and are too wasteful with the resources we have. All in all, we really ought to cherish the Earth every day but not just on Earth Day when people are bringing attention to the environmental crises our world is facing. Every day, at every moment, our hearts should always be full of gratitude for having favorable weather and for peace and safety on Earth. This is what we should all know to cherish. In a word, we truly have to be on the alert at all times.

080421 Caring for the Myanmar Refugees in Malaysia

Date: April 21, 2008 (Monday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

There is such inequality in the world. We see that there are some people who are classified as refugees. Why have this group of people been displaced from their homeland, so that they are now in Malaysia? It is all due to manmade disasters. They could not continue on in Myanmar and were compelled to flee their homeland and come to Malaysia. Living in Malaysia, they are not recognized as citizens by the Malaysian government. So, they are still refugees who are temporarily under the protection of the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR). But, how do they survive? They still need to earn their own living. See how poor these people are. Those children are truly innocent victims of it all. Despite being homeless and destitute, the women keep bearing more children. So, as soon as the children are able to walk or crawl, they learn to earn money by sifting through garbage. Look at these small children. They have no nationality and have to survive in such unfavorable conditions. Look back at our children in Taiwan. From a very young age, they have a nanny, and there are also nurseries, so children are given a lot of care and protection. What good living conditions they have. But see what different conditions the refugee children live under. They have a very sad lot.

But, since 2004, Tzu Chi volunteers in Malaysia have been working closely with the UNHCR to care for refugees. The UNHCR provides living supplies while Tzu Chi volunteers provide love and care for the children, and think of ways to nurture and educate them. In addition to a lack of material goods, food, and education, the refugee camps also lack medical care. With not even being able to have three meals a day, how could they afford medical care when they got ill? Seeing that, Tzu Chi volunteers began to hold free medical clinics for these refugee camps. Our volunteers organized set times each month when they would go to each refugee camp to hold free medical clinics. Our Tzu Chings also help out a lot. For example, they often visit an Islamic school for refugee children from Myanmar and help the children out with their homework. These have been our efforts since 2004 to help refugees from Myanmar. To date, Tzu Chi has worked with UNHCR to set up five education centers. The education centers are open from Monday to Friday each week and provide the same kind of education for children as a normal school does. Not only are they taught to read and write, but they’re also educated about moral principles, ethics, proprieties, etc. In the future, when the children get a chance to go to a regular school, they’ll already have a firm foundation of knowledge regarding proprieties and moral ethics as we’ve offered such an education to them.

How many refugees are there exactly in Malaysia? Over 46,000 of these 46,000, around 6,000 are children of schooling age but not able to go to school. These children are really innocent victims. What did they do to deserve this? Why do human beings create such calamities which displace people from their homes and affect their later generations as well. To escape the dangers in their country, they are compelled to leave their homeland and try to survive in a new country. But they also continue to have more children. In one particular family, the mother gave birth to nine children. It was already hard to get by, but she still had nine children. The father had passed away some years before and the mother isn’t in good health. One of the elder daughters got seperated from them as they were fleeing their home. Two other daughters had been married off at an early age because it was hard for them to get by. So, that leaves seven in the family. The responsibility to support the family falls on the shoulders of the twins in the family. But, they are very interested in their studies, and so attend classes at the education center. But, they are very dutiful and will go to work as soon as classes finish. What is their work? It is to scavenge through garbage. Each day, despite working very hard, they’ll only earn the equivalent of US$3 which is ten ringgits (Malaysian currency). Sometimes, they won’t make even that. They have to support a family of seven. We can see how difficult conditions must be for this family. The children, therefore, suffer a great deal. No matter whether it is sunny or raining, they have to toil away by scavenging while also having to work hard at their studies. One of the twins has a dream which is to become an engineer when he grows up. He hopes to be able to go to college. See how full of aspirations he is. How can we not provide an education for a child like him? This is one of many families living under very difficult conditions. Children in poor families truly know to work hard. Living under such difficult conditions, can he really achieve his dream of going to university and becoming an engineer? Though we want more than anything to help him, can he really grow up safe and sound? It’s hard to say with life being so impermanent. It is truly hard to predict what changes might take place in a family like his. So, there are truly many people that need our help. This is especially true as the world is facing a food crisis at present. It truly makes one’s heart very heavy. In Kuala Lumpur, there are many rich people who lead a life of luxury, and many who spend a lot and are very wasteful. With so many people being wasteful, there is a lot of unfinished food thrown away. So, a lot of refugee children will look for food in garbage dumps. I wonder how many people there are who search for food in garbage dumps and make a living through scavenging. We truly cannot imagine it.

All we can do is extend our help to those that we can see and reach. As for the rest, we are really helpless. Just now, we saw that the children who were guided by our Tzu Chings at the religious school also received graduation certificates. They were very happy to receive a graduation certificate. How they cherished it. When we gave them a school bag, it was as though they’d received a gift from Heaven. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, people insist on name brands. Why are there such different lives?

080420 Taking Care of Our Earth

Date: April 20, 2008 (Sunday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

As human beings living on this planet we should know what is needed to sustain our living. What do we need to survive? How much natural resources are left? These are things we should all know. This morning, I saw the Da Ai TV program: “Rhythms. TV”. I saw how the staff climbed high up the mountains 2,800 meter above sea level. It’s truly hard work. They went there to do a story on the Jhuoshue River, to find its source. They risked their safety scaling the mountain in order to find it. One of the staff was panting and said: “For the sake of humankind, for Da Ai TV, I’m willing to do this.” “For the sake of humankind, I’m willing to do this.” When I heard him say this, he was very short of breath. He was panting when he said these words. It made my heart ache to see him like this. However, they have returned safely. They’ve gathered and brought back a lot of information. If you would like to know about this story, please read our Rhythms Magazine and also watch our Da Ai TV.

Also this morning, I saw a news report on our Da Ai TV. I was very touched by the story. There is a Tzu Chi volunteer living in Kaohsiung. He sells automobile parts. When he goes to Taitung on business, which is a round-trip of around 300 km, he does not drive. He rides his bicycle. It takes around 8 hours to ride from Kaohsiung to Taitung. He said the trip is not too bad. He would leave before dawn, get to Taitung, do business, and be able to make it back the same day. There are 24 hours in a day and the round-trip only takes 16 hours. Whether it’s cycling or doing other things, people say practice makes perfect. As long as you constantly think about one particular thing and treat it as a job, I think it’s like the saying your thinking becomes a reality. If we have the will, it can become a reality. He has been doing this for a long time riding back and forth between places. So, when one has such willpower and determination, there’s nothing one can’t achieve. He is also not selfish. People tend to be selfish and think: “If I promote bike riding, then less people will buy auto parts from me.” But he is not like that. He actively promotes bike riding and also participates in Tzu Chi activities.

Yesterday, Tzu Chi volunteers around Taiwan were very busy. Because Tzu Chi’s 42nd anniversary is coming up so they were all holding activities. This year, they’re working very hard to promote environmental protection and reduce carbon emissions. So, volunteers all around Taiwan are taking to the streets to spread the message either on foot or bicycle. They went door-to-door to stores, etc to promote environmental protection. People of all ages participated. Seeing them do this, I feel very grateful to them. In fact, Tzu Chi members in many countries have been promoting environmental protection. Recently in the United States, Tzu Chi has been invited by various groups to give presentations on how Tzu Chi carries out recycling work to protect the environment. Tzu Chi was invited because we have actual experience of doing recycling work. I have said that Tzu Chi originated in Taiwan. Actually, our movement to get all citizens involved in recycling work began in Taiwan and it’s also the most widespread here. See, people are actually getting involved in it in additional to Tzu Chi volunteers. Doctors in our hospitals are also doing it. The superintendent and asst. superintendent led the doctors and nurses to do clean up work and recycling work in the community. Tzu Chi volunteers and those working for Tzu Chi’s four missions all participate in this effort. All our staff, be it those working for Da Ai TV, Rhythms Magazine, or Tzu Chi Monthly Magazine, all work very hard, even risking their lives to explore and do research Taiwan’s habitats, to learn more about its forests, geology, and water sources in order to provide the public this knowledge so that we can cherish our environment. Not only should we cherish Taiwan, we should also cherish this Earth.

So, Tzu Chi does charity work around the world. Our Medical Mission also helps patients from other countries. There are patients who are very poor who could not afford medical care. We help them come to our hospital in Taiwan for treatment. So, our work is to save people’s lives. It’s not for profit. It’s all about saving lives. Our Education Mission aims to not only impart knowledge and skills but also to waken students’ wisdom so they can make use of their abilities for the good of others. So, our education can nurture young people’s wisdom-life. As for our Da Ai TV, it enables us to study and reflect on the ways of humanity and the planet, and reports on ways of helping people and saving the Earth. We all should feel a sense of mission toward this. Everyone has the ability to help the environment, especially entrepreneurs like you in the audience. If entrepreneurs join in this effort, they will be able to do a great deal of good. They have factories and business. If they can lead their staff to be environmental, the staff can influence their family. In this way, we can get everyone involved in the environmental protection effort. Even eating a vegetarian diet is part of making an environmental protection effort. Nowadays this isn’t only being promoted by Tzu Chi but also by scholars around the world. We should all try to eat a vegetarian diet. Eating a vegetarian diet gets at one of the roots of the problem. Because eating meat requires raising livestock, which has many negative ecological impacts and also pollutes the air. Only when we live frugally can we mitigate the effect of global warming.

Everyone, we all have the ability to do this. It is also our responsibility. If we can all live frugally, curb our desires, be more diligent and willing to endure hardship, only then can the spirit of humanity really be revived, only then can kindness, justice, propriety, wisdom, and trust be revived. When people have moral values and ethics, then they will not do improper things. Then, the Earth’s natural order can be restored. If humans lack moral values and ethics, they will do things to harm and damage the Earth. All in all, I hope everyone takes up this mission to care for all humanity and our planet.

080419 The Healing Effects of Wholesome Media

Date: April 19, 2008 (Saturday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Environment Protector Volunteer said: “I saw Da Ai TV’s report. From it, I learned that it can reduce pollution of our land. I started last year, but I’m very diligent. I come here both in the morning and afternoon.”

Selling vegetarian food’s boss said: “Da Ai TV programs made me more kind. My daughter told me that many of her classmates cannot afford school lunch so we donated the milk jellos that we sell in our store to these students.”

Mr. Liang of Volunteer in Vietnam said: I’m very touched by Da Ai TV’s programs. Gradually, it made me feel that I need to cherish and create blessings. So, I keep encouraging my friends and relatives to watch Da Ai TV.

I’m very grateful to the staff at our culture center and our documentation volunteers for working together to create a positive and good influence on our society. For a long time, I have felt that our society has become more and more unwholesome. This is truly worrisome. So in Tzu Chi, humanistic values are integral to our Four Missions. Our society needs to be purified.

Look at our current school education. In today’s society, people’s values are changing. Education that teaches moral values seems to be considered an anomaly. It is quite lamentable. The mission of education is to teach and guide students in the right direction so that they learn both knowledge and also propriety and principles. We need to let students know principles and how to properly interact with people. This is the mission of educators. People should behave like human beings. In life, we need to teach them self-respect so that they can take good care of themselves both in body and mind. To take care good care of the body, we should eat a healthy diet. To take good care of our mind, we need to have correct views. To care for people, we need to choose a job that benefits people. To help guide people become more healthy, we need to be polite in our speech. These are the ways of our life. So the principle of proper human conduct is to first have self-respect and take care of oneself. This is what education is about.

Education is to bring out people’s innate good nature. Everyone has an innate good, kind nature. Everyone’s nature is similar to one another’s because this nature is the Buddha-nature, a nature that is completely pure. Our original nature is very clean, untainted, and very pure. This is why when people are born, they all have a similar nature of goodness. But as people gradually go through life and learn different things, they develop various habits or tendencies that go against correct principles. What can be done about this? People need to be educated. What they need to be educated on are eternally true principles--- the principles of goodness. Hence, we need to teach students to always hold on to their original good nature. So, in the school, we should teach students not only about knowledge but also correct principles and moral values. However, nowadays, students not only learn at school, but also learn from the media. So, it has become difficult for people to retain their good nature. There are some things in this world that are not suitable for us. But people often try very hard to copy these things that in fact aren’t suitable for them. The hippie culture (from the U.S.) is one example. During the sixties, the media reported and introduced this culture which originated in the U.S. but as soon as young people here saw this culture in the media and latched onto parts that struck their fancy, it was hard to make them see things differently. We also saw news reports of a boy who likes to play with fire. He has played with fire many times. As a result, a fire broke out in his house. His teacher also said that he plays with fire in the class as well. When asked why he plays with fire, he said that he saw a lot of kids do it on TV. See, how dangerous this is. This is the result of media reporting unwholesome examples. Hence, the media plays a very important role. When the media reports unwholesome examples, people learn from them and will try to imitate them. That is why there are so many unwholesome influences in our world today. So, it has become a real challenge for Da Ai TV to survive while providing wholesome programming.

However, Da Ai TV’s efforts have finally paid off. It has received acclaim. I’m very grateful. The Yahoo! news website in Taiwan has conducted a survey on the most ideal media. Our Da Ai TV placed first 7 out of the 13 categories, more than half of the categories. The credit all goes to our Da Ai TV staff who share the same mission to produce wholesome programming that can purify people’s minds. Just like our hospitals can treat people’s physical illness, our Da Ai TV is a good media that can keep people’s minds healthy. It serves just like a hospital. It can heal people spiritually, and what it reports are all accurate and truthful accounts. It also guides people toward the right direction. I hope this wholesome influence can quickly transform people and return people to their good nature, so that the unwholesome influences in our society will become less potent. This is what we hope to achieve. So in media reporting, we should report what is true and good and guide people toward goodness and correct principles in life. If the media can report more wholesome news, I believe it will have a healing effect. There is the story of a mother with two sons who are mentally challenged. One of her sons watches Da Ai TV with her. He used to be hyperactive and couldn’t sit still. After he began watching Da Ai TV, he became more and more calm and was able to focus in school. So, he was able to get admitted into the Nei-Hu Vocational High School. You see, this is a real case of the “healing” effect of wholesome programming. There’s another case of a vocational high school in Yongjing. Because of Da Ai TV’s reports on environmental protection practices, the school started to do recycling & implement environmental practices. As a result, the school is now being evaluated highly as a good schol. So we should report more good news and events. We also hope that schools can all have the same mission and give students the correct guidance so that for students who go on to higher education they will conduct themselves with good character, be upstanding people with a clean-cut appearance. We need to teach children this from a young age and continue this education into college. So, we truly hope that everyone will share this mission.

080418 Making the Pure Stream of the Dharma Circle around the World

Date: April 18, 2008 (Friday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

We see that the performance of the Musical Theater Adaptation of the Sutra of innumerable Meanings were given in different countries, nourishing and cleansing people’s minds like a stream of purity. People of different religions, races, and nationalities joined together to perform onstage. No matter where this stream of purity originates, when these streams of purity converge together, they become one--- It doesn’t matter that they are in South Africa, or in the Philippines, or here in Taiwan. The nature of this stream of purity, which is the pure, true nature in each and every one of us, is the same. That is why the Buddha says that the essence of the Buddha, the mind, and living beings are one and the same. From the footage of their performance, we can see that pure, clean, true nature in everyone. Indeed, it is truly very touching to see.

We see how our volunteers in South Africa made do with what they had and were still able to give the performance beautifully. See how endearing they are. Our Zulu bodhisattvas are more stout in stature, but see how they performed the part about the ship captain carrying living beings across to the shore of Nirvana. Though they’ve adapted a simplified version from the original performance, no matter how simplified their version is, it still displays such truth, goodness, and beauty. Every time I see them, I see that every action they take and every word they say is about spreading the Great Love of Tzu Chi so it may circulate throughout the world. See, they can even perform the adaptation of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings. Though they had to borrow a primary school hall for the venue and did not have any special backdrop or lighting, it still exuded truth, goodness, and beauty--- an indigenous kind of beauty. Seeing what they have done brings me much joy.

We also see the three performances given by our volunteers in the Philippines which were held at the Jing Si Hall in the Philippines. We see that the Jing Si Hall they have built there is also very beautiful. The land that the Jing Si Hall now occupies was donated by our volunteer, Mr. Walter Huang, around seven or eight years ago. At the time, he was doing business there and he felt he must give back to the local community. Seeing how the volunteers of the Tzu Chi medical assn. there and local Tzu Chi volunteers gave of themselves with selfless Great Love, he remembered what I had said to him: “As there are more Tzu Chi volunteers carrying out more work in the Philippines, it’s time to find a piece of land and build a home for Tzu Chi volunteers. To build a home, you must first have land. So, when he came across this piece of land where our Jing Si Hall is today, he decided to buy it and then he told me, “Master, I have already bought a piece of land under Tzu Chi’s name. Please use this land to build a home for Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines. So, construction to build a Jing Si Hall on this piece of land began in 2002. see what a dignified hall it is. On March 29, 2008, when the performance for the musical adaptation of the Sutra was given, it was also the grand opening for the Jing Si Hall.

See how many local doctors and nurses of our medical association took part in performing the musical adaptation of the Sutra. In preparing for the performance, they were truly very mindful. After the performance was given in Taiwan, they’d brought back the tape of the performance to watch and memorize the lyrics. In fact, among the 30 or so doctors performing onstage, one-third of them couldn’t read, speak or understand Mandarin at all. But they were truly very mindful and used romanization to spell out every single word as they all had to learn to sing the lyrics because only by singing the lyrics out loud would everyone’s movements be in unison. They also wrote notes in English to help themselves understand the meaning of the lyrics. That’s how hard they worked until our volunteer from Taiwan, Ci Yue, arrived in the Philippines to help them rehearse three days before the performance. The day before yesterday, when the head of the Tzu Chi chapter in the Philippines, Mr. Li came back to Hualien, he said to me: “I must commend Sister Ci Yue. Her training was like being at boot camp. Then, when Mr. Chua came back yesterday, I said, “You’re a corporate leader but I heard that Ci Yue was very strict on all of you.” He said, “Not at all. I’m very grateful to her. If it weren’t for her strict discipline, we wouldn’t have achieved what we had.” So, he accepted her guidance willingly. He said if she hadn’t been so strict on them, the performance wouldn’t have been possible. All in all, they practiced very diligently.

Furthermore, what moved me very much was that right before the performance, the father of one of the doctors in the play had passed away. But he still persisted (in going to rehearsals).

He shared: “I guess if I do it, I’m going to (do it) for my father. I know I was grieving inside, but something nice really happened. What I meant was the level of commitment, it was beyond fantastic.”

There was also another Tzu Chi volunteer. Just as the performance was approaching, her father passed away on March 27. She didn’t want to alarm the other Tzu Chi volunteers, so she attended rehearsals as usual, and no one knew of the grief she was feeling. It wasn’t until the performance was over that she told other Tzu Chi volunteers: “My father has just passed away. Would it be possible for you to come chant at his funeral?” See how mindful and considerate she was, and how willing she was to give of herself. And, on the stage, there were people of five different religions. (We also saw) a Buddhist dharma master, a Muslim imam, a Catholic nun and priest all sharing the stage together. So, different religions came together as one.

The Muslim imam (Hafid) also shared: “I was able to sleep at the time, but I woke up at 3 a.m., and then I the last song of this performance, the final song for Master Master Zheng-Yan. Even I do not know the exact meaning in Taiwanese language, but I felt that’s really similar with our religious music.”

The Catholic Priest also said: “it’s made me pleasant and enjoy. When I sleep, the song is always in my ear.”

We also heard our Buddhist dharma master say: “If there is no one promoting the sutra, it will be a sutra kept on the shelf, not a sutra that is practiced.”

All in all, people of all religions, ethnicities, and culture came together as one. They all had the same ideal which was to spread the pure, selfless Great Love through their performance of the Sutra. Seeing everyone perform onstage, one could truly feel a pure stream of the Dharma circling around the Earth. It was truly very moving.

080417 - Protecting the Earth in Our Daily Lives

Date: April 17, 2008 (Thursday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Currently throughout the world, in addition to the effects of global warming and erratic climate conditions, the other thing that concerns everyone is the crisis of food shortage facing many countries. This is an issue of global concern as it not only affects a certain country or a certain region. It’s something we should all be concerned about. We shouldn’t only care for our country or society, but we should extend our efforts farther and wider to care for the entire world. As long as we live on this Earth, we should all care for this planet. Why is the Earth continually being harmed and damaged? Recently, I often speak of how we all start polluting the Earth as soon as we are born. As soon as we are born, we urinate and defecate as well as breathe. When we breathe out, the air we exhale pollutes the environment. On top of that, there is also our way of living--- Our greed and pursuit of a comfortable life, all contribute to polluting the environment. Because of all the pollution that we create, the natural environment of this planet as a whole has also been affected. Since this is the case, every one of us is responsible. So, we must lead a very simple life and persist in doing so. Only then can we help protect the Earth.

Look at how we are encouraging everyone to protect the environment by doing recycling. The footage we see is of our Tzu Chings at Universiti Utara Malaysia in Kedah, Malaysia. In conjunction with their school’s graduation ceremonies in March this year, our Tzu Chings thought of holding a series of activities to promote environmental awareness on campus. They expresses their ideals to their professor, explaining what they wished to achieve as well as their plans. As their professor supported them very much, they quickly wrote up a proposal letter to apply to the school for permission. Once they received permission, they immediately began planning and promoting their upcoming activities. They even personally visited every part of the school, including every department and dormitory not wanting to leave out any. They diligently and sincerely invited everyone and told them about the series of activities that were to be held for 7 days. Indeed, with the will, they touched the entire school with their diligence and sincerity. All students, teachers, parents, and those who went and saw their exhibits were full of praise. Moreover, many people also responded to their call of protecting the environment during these seven days. They even set an example by collecting recyclables and picking up garbage and then sorting the recyclables into different bags,. Worrying that people may not like having them sort out the garbage nearby, they even carried the garbage farther away to a collection point to sort them there. They would dig into the bags of garbage to pick out each item, sorting them into recyclables and non-recyclables. Even if people looked at them strangely, they did not care. For youths of today to be able to do this is truly not easy. Having the heart to care for the Earth, they willingly gave of themselves with such great mindfulness. One could see their sincere care for the Earth. So, in seeing these Tzu Ching youths, it truly makes me feel that there’s a lot of hope for the furture.

What about in Taiwan? Of course, Taiwan is where our recycling efforts began. Our efforts to get all citizens involved began in Taiwan. Taiwan is not only the birthplace of Tzu Chi, but it is also the first place where we started trying to get all citizens involved in recycling. Be they elderly, middle-aged, or young, people of all ages join in to do recycling. In fact, even shops are responding to our call of protecting the Earth. At our recycling station in Sanchong, Taipei, we see how dozens of shopkeepers from the chains of a convenience store went to learn more about how to recycle. At the same time, they also did recycling while they were there. They now know they should protect the Earth. So, they will put into practice at each of their convenience stores what they learned about recycling. Not only will they start doing recycling more thoroughly at their convenience stores, they will also encourage and teach their customers to sort and recycle their garbage. What they are doing truly makes me feel very excited and happy.

We also see this teacher, Mr. Huang, who has been dedicating himself to Tzu Chi for more than ten years now. See how he serves to guide Tzu Chings and also does recycling himself. He expects highly of his students and he works hard to set an example for his students to follow. He often brings his students to our recycling stations to see how recycling is supposed to be done. When the students saw how many bottles and cans are collected at the recycling stations, they realized that all the things that they use in daily life end up creating so much garbage. So, be it professors or teachers at universities, high schools, or elementary schools, see what great influence they can have on their students. At all of our recycling stations, we often have professors bringing their college students or teachers bringing high school, elementary, or even kindergarten students to visit our recycling stations. This way, they can better understand recycling and know to value the importance of practicing recycling in their daily lives. All this is possible because the example that Tzu Chi volunteers have set for nearly 20 years has made recycling a widespread practice. For this, I must thank all Tzu Chi volunteers.

There is also a Mr. Yang. Although he owns an eatery, he does not supply disposable chopsticks to his customers. He has even placed notices on the tables to tell his customers that he does not supply disposable chopsticks because of the bleach used in them, etc. This way, his customers will know that disposable chopsticks are not good for them. All the chopsticks and utensils he uses in the eatery have all been disinfected with great care. He also lets all his customers know how it is done so they don’t have to worry about sanitary issues when using these reusable utensils. In fact, being more environmentally friendly not only protects the Earth but also good for our body and mind and can even help change our bad temper. Such is “spiritual recycling”. To practice spiritual recycling, we can choose to become vegetarian. All these things are actually very easy to do, including leading a simpler life. All it takes is our persistence and perseverance. If we can persist in living a simpler life and continue doing so for the long term, there really will be hope for the Earth.

As we all live on this Earth, loving and caring for the Earth is everyone’s responsibility. So, in our interactions with people, we must also treat oue another harmoniously as we work together to strive for our common ideal of caring for ourselves and the Earth. So, it is my hope that youths around the world will know to respect themselves and the Earth. May all of us be able to be persistent in our practices of leading a simpler life and uphold our duties as human beings living on this Earth.

080416 Persisting in Leading a Simpler Life to Ease the Crisis Facing the World

Date: April 16, 2008 (Wednesday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

We cannot bear to see living beings suffer and we cannot bear to see the Earth being harmed. Isn’t that what we sing & pray for every morning? However, living beings share collective karma. We see that the world is facing the crisis of food shortage. How did the shortage of grains come about? Was it due to natural disasters or manmade disasters? This is what we should contemplate carefully. We should know that everyone is responsible. Even the natural disasters that occur are a result of human actions. Needless to say, manmade disasters and war are also a result of human actions. In fact, if everyone could abide by their duties, all problems could be solved. All it takes is for everyone to lead a simple lifestyle and persist in doing so.

For example, let me tell you a story about the Greek philosopher, Socrates. On the first day of class, he said to his students: “This first lesson is very easy. Everyone, raise your arms and swing them back and forth. Do this 300 times a day. Can you do it?” All his students laughed. They thought, “It is so easy. Who wouldn’t be able to do this?” That was all he taught during that class. One month later, Socrates asked his students: “Have all of you been persevering with swinging your arms 300 times every day? How many have persisted in doing this?” Around ninety percent of his students raised their hands to show that they had done it. Two months later, Socrates asked his class again. Only 80 percent had continued. Then, after one year had passed, he asked again: “How many of you still swing your arms 300 times a day?” There was only one person left. This person later became known as the famous Greek philosopher Plato. See how persistence lies in one’s own willpower.

Presently, countries around the world and the UN are all very concerned about the imbalance in climate conditions worldwide. This imbalance has led to global warming as well as famine. A total of 36 countries are already facing a food crisis. Among these countries, 21 are in Africa. See how because of the hike in food prices, the poor have become even poorer while the situation for those who have nothing to eat has become even worse. For those who have money and want to buy food, there has been a huge hike in prices of several times their normal price. Conditions are truly very, very difficult. So, food riots have been sparked in many countries.

Over 30 years ago, I had already mentioned that the Three Minor Calamities and the Major Calamities predicted by the Buddha would gradually come to pass and that we might not escape it in our lifetime. Just as expected, in the last 30 to 40 years, we’ve come to see signs of it. So, we should take the Buddha’s words seriously and practice as he had taught. If in the last 40 or so years, people had heeded warning and begun taking measures to lead a simpler life early on, then the Earth wouldn’t be in the state it is in today.

I’ve been continually urging everyone since many years ago not to drive unless absolutely necessary. Who’d have expected that UN experts on the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) would now also encourage people to drive less, or, even better, to ride a bike or travel on foot. Going on foot is the best and least polluting form of transport and also the healthiest. Isn’t this what Tzu Chi volunteers have been continuously promoting every day for the last ten or twenty or so years? We have also been continuously calling on everyone to become vegetarian. In breeding livestock for food, a lot of carbon emissions are created. Is it really so difficult for people to become vegetarian? Actually, it’s not difficult but just requires perseverance. If everyone can persist in leading a simple life, spending less, and driving less--- Aren’t those the easiest things that can be achieved by all of us?

Look at the great philosopher, Socrates. What he asked his students to do was very simple. But, despite it being so simple, the key lies in persisting in doing so every day. Only then can one succeed. See, this is such a simple practice that everyone is able to complete. But oftentimes, in seeking for material comforts or because we lack patience, or do not have enough resolve, no matter how simple a practice is, we still wouldn’t be able to carry it out. So, now, the Earth is facing a crisis. It is being destroyed and more and more people are facing famine. As the world population keeps increasing, the amount of grains needed for consumption also keeps rising every year. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank have warned that world grain stocks have fallen to less than 60 days of world consumption. Everyone, 60 days is only two months. Because of grain shortage, many rice-growing countries in Asia have cut down on rice exports. This is a worldwide crisis we are facing, so everyone in the world has a responsibility to help alleviate this crisis. If every one of us can persist in leading a simpler life, and start with ourselves, I’m sure that the crisis we are facing can be alleviated. It’s not that we can’t do it, just that we lack the willpower to persist in it. That’s how man’s greed, pursuit of a comfortable life, and vanity have led to so many disasters in the world. Everyone, as Tzu Chi volunteers, I hope that every one of us can uphold this sense of mission. We ourselves must be persistent in doing what we should do. Otherwise, reducing carbon emissions and solving the problem of food shortages will be very difficult. Moreover, with the world now running out of petroleum, people have begun to use plants to produce biofuel. There is already not enough to feed humans, yet they are now using plants to produce fuel for cars and machines. Even machines are consuming crops for humans. This is truly very unwise. Indeed, our ignorance and illusions cause us to do wrong things. So, we must work harder to spread the word about living a simpler life.

080415 The path from Gambler to Volunteer

Date: April 15, 2008 (Tuesday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Mr. Du’s daughter said: “Every morning when I woke up, I’d see Daddy playing mahjong opposite our house. Then when he was hungry, he’d come home to eat. After eating, he’d go play again. Mommy would scold him and ask why he couldn’t stop. She’d cry every night and blame herself for being a bad mommy. We three would be scolded too, and we’d be smacked every day.”

We see Mr. Du, who lives in the town of Muar, Malaysia. Ever since he was very young, he had already become addicted to gambling. When his wife was first introduced to him, she did not know that he gambled. He himself said that he also used to have “four missions” in life: parimutuel betting, sports betting, card games, and mahjong. These were his version of “four missions” in life. But, habits die hard. His wife had always wanted him to quit, but from talking to him nicely to arguing with him and from being newlyweds to having three children, the more she wanted him to change, the further he’d immerse himself into gambling. Fortunately, there are Tzu Chi volunteers in Malaysia. As his wife’s younger sister was training to become a commissioner, she had also hoped to help change the ways of her brother-in-law. So, his sister-in-law kept thinking of ways to help bring him into Tzu Chi. But, bad habits are hard to change. Then, around four or five years ago, his sister-in-law told his wife about Da Ai TV, so his wife installed a dish so that they could watch Da Ai TV at home. He’d also watch it every so often and that’s how he gradually came to know more about Tzu Chi. But, did he change after that? To begin with, he still continued to gamble. He was aware of the suffering in this world, and an organization called Tzu Chi in Taiwan.

It wasn’t until 2006 when he joined the local entrepreneurs to visit Tzu Chi’s Four Missions in Taiwan that he met me in person and saw how Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan dedicate themselves, be they recycling volunteers or other Tzu Chi volunteers such as Tzu Cheng members or commissioners. He heard many stories and came to understand that every volunteer is dedicating his life to doing Tzu Chi’s work and giving of himself selflessly with Great Love. Seeing that, he was truly moved. So, when he returned to Malaysia, he began watching Da Ai TV attentively and also dedicated himself to doing recycling. He knew that the money used to help the poor does not come easily. Gradually, he started going with Tzu Chi volunteers to make home visits. In seeing the poor, he knew to count his blessings. So, that was how he began to get involved in Tzu Chi’s work and made vows to do good. The whole family got involved in Tzu Chi’s work.

As well as installing a dish to watch Da Ai TV, his wife also sent their children to the classes Tzu Chi holds for children regularly. Mr. Du also began to dedicate himself to recycling as well as making home visits. So, he changed everything about himself.
Mr. Du said: “I don’t take up my missions of before. Now, I’ll help out in Tzu Chi’s Four Mission wherever I can. Sometimes, when I see my friends, I’ll invite them to do recycling with me. In the past, on weekends, I’d just play mahjong from morning till evening.” Mr. Du’s daughter said: “Now, I’ll do household chores. We don’t have a maid anymore. On weekends, we’ll all do the household chores together or go swimming in Malacca. Then Daddy will take us out the whole day and he won’t go playing mahjong.” See how their lives have been transformed. Just looking around their home you can tell how luxurious a lifestyle they used to lead, but now, they truly know to count their blessings as well as sow more blessings. Now both husband and wife are undergoing training to become a certified volunteer, and should be able to be certified this year. See, how happy their family has become. Their children are all very grateful. Mr. Du’s daughter said: “I want to thank all Tzu Chi volunteers as well as Grand-master for giving me a very happy home. Daddy is working very hard and Mommy is too. They are having a competition to see who can become a certified volunteer first.” Mr. Du said: “The path I walked was a dead-end. The path of Tzu Chi is the best one. I can now give up the habit of gambling.” Now, he has quit gambling completely--- He has quit the four kinds of gambling that he used to practice and has instead taken up Tzu Chi’s four missions. He does not miss out on any chance to participate in Tzu Chi’s activities. He’ll go onstage to share his experiences with others, take part in sign language performances, go to schools to guide and interact with children, and so on and so forth. Now the dirt and impurities in the field of his mind have been well and truly cleared away. In fact the addiction to gambling is psychological in nature. So, Da Ai TV can guide us onto the correct path as it serves to provide programs that are wholesome and educational, and can purify people’s hearts and minds. Indeed, it has saved the body, mind and spirit of many, and helped guide people back onto the right path, thus bringing happiness and harmony to families. See how many suffering people have been saved and with every person we influence the world will have one more person working to relieve the surffering of others. All in all, Da Ai TV is truly a channel worth being promoted throughout the world. If life, we can’t just talk about our ideals. We must put them into practice. With only talk what effect would it have? So, it is our hope that everyone in the world can take action to carry out the work, so that everyone’s heart and mind can be purified. I am truly very grateful to our recycling volunteers in Taiwan as we can now further appreciate the value of their efforts. They truly are the treasurers of Taiwan as the money they earn from recycling is used to found Da Ai TV in producing wholesome programs which are broadcast worldwide to purify the hearts and minds of many people. I truly am grateful to them.

Today, we’re also celebrating the 2,000th episode of Asst. Supt. Jian’s program. All about Health. It truly isn’t an easy feat as it requires great patience and willpower. Indeed, Asst. Supt, Jian is not only a doctor, but he also has an abundance of knowledge on a wide range of topics. He truly is very diligent and also very talented. He is a plastic surgeon whose hands are very skillful and can do wonders. Through his wondrous medical skills, patients who have been treated by him can all recover well. Moreover, his words, the examples and stories he shares are all very interesting. He uses a variety of ways to explain profound medical knowledge by sharing amy interesting stories and examples. No matter which branch of science it is, he studies it and has some knowledge of it. He even uses world-renowned paintings. To explain different illnesses. Today will be his 2,000th episode and I am already looking forward to when he reaches 3,000 episodes. With his effort, every day we can watch a new episode where he explains a different illness through those interesting examples he gives as well as world-renowned painting he shows us. So, please continued to tune in

080414 The True Way of Showing Pious Sincerity and Respect

Date: April 14, 2008 (Monday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

The world can truly be inconceivable sometimes. Having religious faith is indeed important, but our faith should be sincerely based on correct views. People are always seeking peace and blessings, so, they’ll pray to any deities they come across. Of course, we should have proper respect. Of course, we should have proper respect toward various deities, but in praying for our protection, we must first reflect on whether we have done as the sages, saints, or bodhisattvas teach such as how we can work together with others to make a contribution to the world the planet. This is what we all should first reflect upon it is said that the family that does good enjoys many blessings. When people abide by their duties and do everything they are supposed to do, they are respecting and following natures laws. Those who respect natures laws will be blessed. But if you go against the laws of nature, it’d be very difficult to remain safe and sound. It is just like how if we keep to traffic regulations, then conditions on that road will be very smooth and everyone will be safe. But if we go against traffic regulations such as go over the speed limit then it would be difficult to remain safe.

I remember about twenty or so years ago, a commissioner brought a donating member to see me. She was in tears. She kept saying over and over. “I asked Mazu”. I asked her: “Please try to clam down a little”. “Tell me what it was that you asked Mazu”. She said, “My son kept asking me to buy him a motorcycle. But I was very afraid that he would have a motorcycle accident”. “So, I kept refusing to buy one for him. But he kept begging me”. “So, I went and asked Mazu by throwing the divination blocks three times and every time I got the sign of consent. So, that’s why I bought it for him. But before two days had passed, he was killed in an accident.” I asked her: “How did the accident occur?” She said, “He was riding too fast. He was riding over the speed limit.” I said, “Though Mazu gave you her consent and said that your son would be safe, that was because the speed limit Mazu had set was 60km per hour, but he was riding at over 80km per hour. So, he was riding over the speed limit and that’s why he had the accident.” She asked, “Is that really so?” I then said to her: “How long your son is with you is based on your karmic affinities with him. Since your son had begged you so hard, your heart was already swayed, and were inclined to buy it for him. The divination blocks are connected to the mind. It manifested what was in your mind. So, seeing the divination blocks you said Mazu had given her consent. But in actual fact, people need to follow rules. Because your child didn’t follow traffic regulations, he had an accident. Since it has already happened, don’t give yourself such a hard time over it anymore.” I spent a lot of time talking with her. All in all, in seeking peace and safety, we must first see if we have followed correct principles and nature’s laws.

In the footage, we see the annual parade of Mazu which began April 5. The tour began in Dajia (in central Taiwan) and passed through many places, including Taichung, Zhanghua, Yongjing, Yunlin, Chiayi, and all the way to Xingang before making its way back to Dajia again. Instead of joining in the parade, Tzu Chi volunteers set up many recycling stops along the route, taking turns tirelessly one after the other to spread the word about recycling. They care about the environment, and so they promoted this concept by working to keep the environment clean. Since the procession passed through Yunlin, Chiayi, and Xingang, which are all in the vicinity of our hospital in Dalin, Asst. Superintendent Jian and our hospital staff as well as Tzu Chings, who, despite having to prepare for midterms, helped to sweep the streets and pick up garbage. Their way of cherishing the Earth and their heart of sincerity is the most sincere form of piety. Protecting the Earth and helping to keep the air clean is the most sincere way of showing respect for nature. See, how adorable they are and how moving their efforts are.

Similar to the tour of Mazu in Taiwan, each year in Malaysia, there is a Wesak Day to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. On that day, there is a procession with floats and a parade through the streets. Like our volunteers in Taiwan, our volunteers in Malaysia set up recycling stops along the route and also follow at the back of the parade to pick up garbage and sweep the streets. They say that each time they bend down, they recite Buddha’s name once. They said, “We’re also making a bowing pilgrimage. By bending down to pick up garbage, we’re also paying our most sincere homage. That’s right. This is the way to show our most pious and sincere respect. See, besides trailing behind the procession, they also set up recycling stops and continually spread the word (about environmental protection). Be it our volunteers in Taiwan, or our volunteers in Malaysia--- see how adorable they are. These are all ways to express our sincere piety to the deities.

Then in Kenting, a three-day music spring festival was held earlier this month. Do you know how much garbage was created in those three days? Our volunteers from Hengchun of Pingdong County went to spread the word about not littering for two days. Though they called on everyone not to litter, however, it still took four 3.5-ton trucks to carry away all the garbage that had been created. Think about the amount of garbage that was created. How frightening it is. If there had been no one to clear away the garbage or no one had spread the word about not littering, what would the state of Kenting have been like after the festival? So, wherever there are people, there’ll be pollution, and garbage will be created. Why are people so deluded? They lose themselves in seeking pleasure and seeking peace and blessings. Why don’t people do as they should, and truly show sincere piety at every moment of everyday, at every place, toward every person, and with this pious sincerity and self-discipline, also work with others to give back to the land? So, we really should reflect on ourselves. I hope that these situations (these processions) will improve with each year. This is our hope. While it is best if we have a religious faith, it should be based on right thinking, right faith, right conduct. This would be the true and correct way of protecting our family and society as well as ensuring peace upon Earth.