20180725儲存壽量再精進Making the Best of Life by Seizing Time to Give
With good karmic affinities, Tzu Chi’s senior volunteers have been serving for decades and it’s been over half a century since Tzu Chi was founded. As I’m less and less capable of making tours, I have less and less chances to meet our senior volunteers. Given the limited time, how can I not seize our good karmic affinities?
I cannot let go of my responsibilities. So, although it’s hard for me to walk, I’ve made a tour around Taiwan as scheduled. This time, I traveled west from eastern Taiwan, headed southwards to central Taiwan, and then went all the way south to Kaohsiung and Pingdong. After stopping in different places, I took a northbound train to Taipei and transferred to an eastbound train to come back to Hualien, feeling ease and contentment in my heart.
During the tour, I met many of our senior volunteers. As my disciples, they all seize our good karmic affinities and tried their best to come and see me. And as their Master, I also tried my best to meet with them and listen to their stories. Seeing them, I gave rise to both gratitude and lament, feeling a combination of both joy and sadness.
To my joy, I still got to see many senior volunteers who have been giving me full support for decades. When they joined Tzu Chi, they were middle-aged and they’ve been dedicated to our work all along. So, seeing that they could still come to see me, I was filled with joy. Yet, to my sadness, they’re all advanced in age.
They were just like mirrors to me, which reminded me that I’m advanced in age, too. Also, many of them have experienced a decline in physical fitness. This is indeed very saddening to see. Fortunately, we have an “age bank”, which I set up last year.
During my tour this time, I saw how our senior volunteers have continued to serve after depositing 50 years of their lives. Having boosted their energy, they’ve continued to dedicate themselves and seized time to do Tzu Chi’s work. So, seeing them truly filled me with joy although it’s lamentable that they’re already advanced in age.
No matter our senior volunteers are in Taipei, in central Taiwan, or in as far south as Pingdong, they’re equally dedicated. In Pindong, I saw our senior volunteers who joined Tzu Chi in their middle age and have since been dedicated to our recycling work. They’re as nimble as before and they can still share their stories very clearly and concisely.
Also, when one of our volunteers there was asked why Tzu Chi had helped people abroad more often, she stood up for Tzu Chi and clearly expressed the idea that it’s a blessing if we’re able to help others.
Someone asked me: “Why do you work so hard for Tzu Chi?” “Tzu Chi has many donations, but they mostly go to those in foreign countries.” Then, I replied, “How can you say so?” “If Tzu Chi doesn’t help people here in Taiwan, it means we’re all well and safe.” “No one wants to be in need of help.” “Master uses all the donations to help the needy.”
These elderly volunteers of ours are truly very admirable. Though I only stayed in Pingdong for a few hours, I was very impressed.
Take Jing Zhi for example. She’s diligent in learning the Dharma. Although she’s over 90 years old, she still gives of herself to serve. She’s one of our first volunteers in Pingdong. This time, she told me she’s been listening to my Dharma talks on the Lotus Sutra. When she first came to Buddhism she read the Threefold Lotus Sutra. She also showed me the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, which is the opening sutra of the Threefold Lotus Sutra.
It’s an edition that I’d never seen. So, she showed it to me this time. Seeing such a different edition, I was indeed very happy. The texts, which are in clear and large print, are very reader friendly. In all, when I stayed in Pingdong, I saw that many volunteers who’ve been dedicated to our work for nearly half a century are still nimble and have a sound mind. This truly brought ease and peace to my heart.
Yet, as they’re advanced in age, their appearance has changed. Although they remain very dedicated, their appearance has become different which is truly saddening to me. Nevertheless, their dedication has boosted my energy and reminded me to seize my life to give. I’d also like to call on everyone to seize their lives because time is passing by quickly, and before we know it, we’ll become advanced in age and no longer be as physically fit as when we were young. So, we must seize time to give.
Thankfully, our elderly volunteers have all taken action to give of themselves, left indelible footprints on our Tzu Chi Path and can still share their stories very clearly. They’ve truly lived out their value in life as their stories are part of Tzu Chi’s history and they can still remember very well the path that they’ve taken to benefit others. So, seeing them, I was truly filled with joy.
Also, they’ve all deposited fifty years of their lives in the “age bank.” Those who are in their 90s would tell me: “Master, I’m only in my early 40s, I’m only 46, I’m only 48,” and so on. So, they are filled with energy and are always ready to serve. I’m very grateful to them.
They seize their lives to nurture their wisdom-life continuously, which truly brought me the greatest joy. Also, they are all very close to me in heart and have energized me greatly. I’m very grateful to them.
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