20141211一生無量‧泰北榮景Having Correct Beliefs and Seizing the Opportunity to Give
Every year, when I certify our Tzu Chi volunteers, I’m very happy. Living bodhisattvas can bring boundless blessings to our world and inspire more people to become living bodhisattvas. In the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, it says “One seed can give rise to innumerable seeds, and innumerable seeds come from one seed.” Only when there are bodhisattvas in this world can more people be helped.
We see our volunteer, Mr. Wu. Having come in contact with Tzu Chi, he was inspired and began to volunteer with Tzu Chi. But there are only 24 hours a day. As he spent more and more time volunteering, he had less time helping his wife with her hair salon. That was inevitable. Because of that he and his wife quarreled all the time.
I did volunteer work happily, but I didn’t help her much with the hair salon. She was very busy. So, we quarreled all the time, which had affected my daughter. My daughter would hear voices and laugh to herself. We thought she was haunted by demons, so we turned to folk deities for help. At, first, I did what others told me to do. Later, I became very good at it and turned to more deities for help.
In fact no matter what happens, we should remain calm and not get afflicted or be affected by others. What their daughter needed was emotional support. With the support of her family and society, she’d be able to recover eventually. So, it’s wrong to be superstitious, which may lead to irremediable consequences.
Fortunately, the couple listened to my teachings and were inspired. So, they changed their mindsets completely. Later, they started going to the local recycling station to listen to my live Dharma talk and gained a better understanding of life’s principles.
They’re really diligent. Rain or shine, before dawn, they go to the recycling station to open the door and set up videoconferencing with the Abode for everyone to listen to my Dharma talk online. As they now walk on the correct path and head in the same direction, the atmosphere of their family has also become more harmonious.
My daughter is now working. She also helps at our salon. For all this, I am very grateful of Master. Master, you share the Dharma with us every day so we can understand life’s truths and walk on the Bodhisattva Path. Here, I’d like to encourage everyone to inspire your better half to join our Tzu Chi family. This way, we can do volunteer work and also have a happy family.
Today, I’d also like to take this opportunity to apologize to my parents--- Because of my bad temper, I quarreled with my wife all the time, affecting my daughter’s mental health. It was all my fault. I’ve worried you.
Indeed, harmony brings prosperity to a family. See how their parents are happier and need not worry now. The couple are not only doing good, but have also put their parents’ minds at ease. I’m really happy for this family and I give them my best wishes.
So, in learning the Buddha’s way, what’s most important is to take in the Dharma and live it out so we won’t deviate from the correct path. As long as our minds are upright and free of evil thoughts, we’ll be able to give of ourselves for people around the world.
Take Northern Thailand for example. It’s been almost 20 years since we first brought and to the Chinese veterans stranded there. Before 1998, it was the government of Taiwan that was providing aid to them. When the government aid was about to cease, Mr. Chiang, the chairman of Taiwan’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission came to see me. He spoke of the plight of the Chinese veterans in Northern Thailand and hoped that Tzu Chi could help.
So, in 1995, we began to carry out a three-year aid program to help them. In two years’ time, we also built four Tzu Chi Villages for them. To care for the veterans there, I also asked our volunteers in Thailand to visit them every month. I’m very grateful to our volunteers in Thailand.
Every time they went, they had to travel by train for 15 hours from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Then they had to travel a few more hours to reach the veterans in the mountains. Undaunted by the arduous trips, Tzu Chi volunteers visited them regularly to bring them love and care. Besides building for Tzu Chi Villages for them, we also took on a local farm and taught them how to grow tea and fruit with ways that are friendly to the environment. With a skill, they could support themselves.
Later, we also built a school there so the veterans’ children could receive an education. We did our best to help them obtain legal identity in Thailand from the Thai government so they wouldn’t be just “refugees” in Thailand anymore.
Seeing how the children grew up in the Tzu Chi Villages and studied at the school we built, my heart is warmed. All this is made possible bit by bit by everyone’s love and hard work.
Nearly 20 years ago, we seized the opportunity to help them; today, we’ve seen the fruit of our effort. I hope those who are certified today can truly emulate the Buddha’s heart and carry out my missions. Now that you have made the commitment, you should firmly hold on to your conviction and do not waver. You are walking on the Bodhisattva Path, which will lead you closer and closer to Buddhahood. So, please be very mindful every step of the way.
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