20150722少欲惜物長慧命 Cherishing Our Resources and Living Out the Buddha`s Teachings
It’s time for us to awaken from our way of living. Due to the imbalance of Nature’s elements, some places have been affected by drought, leading to crop failure. In other places, there’s too much rain which has caused widespread flooding, destroying crops that are about to be harvested. And there are also countries being affected by avian flu.
In West Africa, several countries have been hit by and outbreak of avian flu strain H5N1, So, in our everyday life, we should cherish what have and do not waste any resources. For example, when we eat, we should take only what we can finish so there won’t be any leftovers to be thrown away. If we can cherish our food, then farmers don’t need to grow a large amount of crops and use a lot of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, etc.
Without using these things, the environment will not be damaged and the air will be cleaner. This is a virtuous cycle. So, if we could lessen our desires, it’d be better for our environment and the air. How wonderful this would be! This is the natural lifestyle we should live.
We also see Nepal. A nunnery located in a 5,000-meter-high mountain was destroyed when the major quake hit back in April this year. All the Buddhist nuns had been brought down from the mountain by helicopter in 18 trips. But where were they to stay? Over a month ago, we started thinking about how we could help these nuns so they could have a place to live for the time being. Fortunately, a gentleman kindly provided a piece of land for them to use for six months.
But tents or temporary shelters will not last for that long. So, we decided to build seven temporary houses for them to tide them over this period of time. A few days ago, they said that they also needed a Buddha Hall. So, Mr. KoayChiewPoh, the CEO of Tzu Chi Malaysia, immediately promised to set up one for them. After the Buddha Hall was set up, a move-in ceremony was held on July 20.
Coincidently, July 20 was the fourth day of the sixth month on the Tibetan calendar,the day the Buddha gave his first teaching after attaining enlightenment. It was the day the Buddha gave his first teaching and also the day the move-in ceremony was held. What a coincidence! They said it was a double blessing. So, on July 20, the move-in ceremony was held. How dignified the ceremony was! A group of our young local volunteers also helped to make arrangements for the move-in ceremony.
Our Tzu chi members also took part in the ceremony. It truly felt like a Tzu Chi event. Although these temporary houses are only for them to stay for a few months or a year or two, they now have a place to settle down into without having to worry about storms or earthquake anymore. Seeing how they have a safe place to stay now, my mind is set at ease. I also hope that they can move down from the mountain and cultivate in the lowlands where they can interact with more people and serve more people.
Having learned the Buddha’s teaching, we must use them to benefit others. See how Tzu chi members not only brought the Buddha’s teachings back to Nepal to another the locals’ minds after quake but also built temporary houses for the nunnery. It was very meaningful that the move-in ceremony coincided with the date that the Buddha gave his first teaching. The Buddha’s teachings can nurture our wisdom.
And just like how we need a place for our physical body to settle down into, we also need the Buddha’s teachings to anchor our mind and nurture our wisdom. We also see a Mr. Chen in Kaohsing, Taiwan. In the past, he thought that spiritual cultivation was about practicing sitting meditation, studying and chanting Buddhist sutras, etc. After the 921 Earthquake in Taiwan, he witnessed living bodhisattvas with his own eyes. Inspired by Tzu chi volunteers’ selfless giving, he became our volunteer.
He is very dedicated, and now he’s realized that the Buddha’s teachings are to be practiced to benefit others. I’m really happy to see how Tzu chi volunteers serve as living bodhisattvas to not only serve humanity, but also protect the environment while also cultivating themselves diligently. Look at our recycling volunteers in Jiayi. They’re truly very diligent. One of them used to be in poor health, but after doing recycling, she gradually recovered.
For five years, she’d been seeing a neurologist and taking medicine as she often heard noises in her ears. But after she started doing recycling and listening to my Dharma talk, her illness was gone and she no longer needed to take medicine. See how she just takes the Dharma to heart and puts it into practice. Another volunteer is illiterate, but she also listens to my Dharma talk. In fact, it’s okay that she can’t read because she’s understood life’s truths. Seeing them, I’m truly very happy.
首頁 