人間菩提 20150418 自我肯定戒慢心 Self-Affirmation with Discipline
“Isn’t this clean and neat? Yes, but so many of you have to come and help. As long as you’re happy living here, it is worth it. “This help is a big deal to us because for 14 years here, I look after her.
We don’t get this help. I love you. Tzu Chi does not only help my mother. They also help me and motivate me. They never give up with me.
Tzu Chi, thank you very much. You gave us financial help first and then built a home for my mother. Now, you give my daughter a scholarship.
Even if, one day, when I leave this world, I will never forget about it. I really appreciate you giving my grandmother a home and supporting me to finish my degree.
I could not attend college after high school because my family has no money. If you did not show up, I could not attend college.
Fortunately there are living bodhisattvas in this world who caring and warm to help these people in need.
We see such living bodhisattvas displaying great loving kindness and great compassion for all in this world. They apply the Dharma to help this world and it their life.
Living bodhisattvas apply the Dharma in their daily life. When they see people in suffering, they still want to help even if these people are strangers to them, who are not their friends, family, or have any kind of relationship with them.
With Dharma deeply rooted in their hearts, however, they are always compassionate to all the people in this world and hope everyone in this world can live a peaceful, safe and happy life.
Such spirit is called great loving kindness to all. Though these people are not related to us, all that we wish for everyone in this world is for them to live a peaceful and happy life.
This is the spirit of great loving kindness for all. There is also the spirit of great compassion, which is to live harmony with everyone and everything in this world.
The phrases, “feeling the pain and suffering of others as our own and helping the people in suffering to fulfill our bodhisattva vows, are not merely words from the sutra.”
They describe be our true experiences from helping the people in need. When we see people in hardship and suffering, we feel for them and cannot bear to see them suffer.
To have this spirit of great compassion, it does not come from just listening to talks about it, but from our personal experiences of helping people.
For the oversea volunteers who are here in Taiwan to report on the Tzu Chi work they’ve done in their countries, when putting all their individual Tzu Chi work together, collectively they show this greater spirit of loving kindness and compassion for all and also treating everyone equally.
This displaying of love, of caring for everyone equally, is truly touching. Therefore, I hope everyone in this world can contribute themselves and give of their love.
This will make our world a more peaceful place because with the climate change now, our environment is charging.
We also see damages done to the environment made by humans. For example, in Mexico, an oil spill has contaminated rivers, which has impacted water supplies that people rely on for drinking water.
More than 100,000 people are left without fresh water as a result of human activities. However, we also see heartwarming news.
On the 26th anniversary celebration of the sister state agreement between Taiwan and New Jersey, New Jersey government issued a certification of appreciation to Tzu Chi for thanking Tzu Chi volunteers’ timely help in disaster recovery after Hurricane Sandy.
A lot of survivors were helped by Tzu Chi where we provided material aid and emotional support.
Therefore, they were very grateful. The Great Love of Tzu Chi is valued and recognized by the world.
It is also an important help to the Taiwanese government in building diplomatic relationships. I also want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Tzu Chi.
Such recognition and support truly feels very good to have. However, we must receive this with humbleness. When we know that it is the right thing to do, just do it.
We must appreciate our values, but without being arrogant. There are a lot more we need to do, so we must form good affinities with others to have the leverage to help with world affairs.
Yesterday, Tzu Chi volunteers from various countries have gathered together for an annual meeting. It is not easy to have them together.
The attendees are local volunteer leaders or heads of various functions. Their international activity report commenced yesterday starting with reports from volunteers from the Philippines, Hong Kong as well as Singapore.
What they shared with us was indeed truly touching. While Hong Kong appears very prosperous, yet, many people there suffer spiritually. It is the same in Singapore.
There is a case of an inmate who, with Tzu Chi’s help, is able to see bright hope. Although he used to have substance abuse problem and ended up in prison several times, Tzu Chi volunteers never stopped giving them love and care.
We keep helping him to build up his confidence. He even encourages me. Master, we love you. Keep up your good work.
“Our heart and mind must remain very calm and not be distressed by what others do” These are words that I often say to Tzu Chi volunteers.
Recently, it has been the other way around. Many people came to see me and told me of this. It is really good of them.
This shows that everyone has taken the Dharma to heart and is reaching out with the Dharma to encourage one another. This is truly wonderful.
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