20181025輕安自在佛心來Finding Joy and Ease in Giving
"My eldest son likes to go his own way. We don't know what to do with him. In his school years, he'd climb the wall and skip class. We could do nothing but find him back and take him back to school. We could just scold him, telling him not to do it again. He went out with his friends or classmates whenever they asked him to go so. We just couldn't change his mind."
"I've heard that he once got into a fight with his father."
"I told him that he cannot treat his father like this."
"You hope your eldest son can join Tzu Chi?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever talked with him about this?"
"Yes. I told him to help pile up plastic bags every Thursday."
"He helps you with the recycling work?"
"He helps me pile up plastic bags."
"When you see him come to help, how do you feel?"
"I feel very happy."
In life, we often hear that people are very happy to have a child or a grandchild. Yet, while seeing their children growing up, they will indeed give rise to many worries and they spend a lot of time looking after them. So, when people have a child, they'll be concerned about whether the child can grow up healthy and safe, and whether the child can be obedient or not. Such is life. Parents always have some worries.
And soon, the child will enter adulthood and then middle age as time always passes by very quickly. When one is at middle age, this period of time is like a full moon in autumn, like the bright round moon up in the sky on the Moon Festival. (Then, the full moon will begin to wane,) just like how people achieve much success at middle age and soon they'll enter old age.
When people are advanced in age, the decline in their physical fitness and the way they feel are not understandable to young people.
"After her husband passed away, she always looked like this every time I saw her. She was always crying while talking to me."
"Since you'd forget to turn off the gas or forget some other things, why don't you just try to forget the unhappy moments in the past?"
"This is something you cannot understand. You'll understand it when you are my age.
A fellow Tzu Chi volunteer lived across from my place, on the fifth floor. After my husband passed away, she invited me to do Tzu Chi's recycling work so I wouldn't be alone at home, mired in mourning. I went with her so I wouldn't easily get bored at home."
In today's society, long-term care for the elderly has become an issue. When in youth, they gave of themselves for their family, and when at middle age, they did whatever it took to develop their career. And when they 're advanced in age, it is a good thing that they have children or grandchildren at home so they can enjoy the rest of their lives at ease and in harmony.
Yet, nowadays, even to enjoy the rest of their lives with their children or grandchildren around them is very difficult. In Buddhism, this is the suffering of not getting what one hopes for. When people are advanced in age, it is difficult for them to be in good health or enjoy their family's company. It's also not easy for them to get along with their children. Isn't this suffering? As the Buddha taught us, this is the suffering of not getting what one hopes for.
Also, elders commonly suffer illness. There are many elders who live alone or can only rely on their spouse. As far as we can see, most elders either only have their spouse to rely on or live alone with no one caring for them. See how life is indeed filled with suffering. The elders can be filled with joy when they take part in activities.
Yet, after that, they can only live their lives the same way. So, we must seize time and willingly give of ourselves to serve. By doing so, one day we'll remember how we've benefited others through giving and serving. Instead we should have done, we'll feel peaceful and at ease.
"Life is short and not much time is left for me to serve. If I do not give of myself, soon I'll regret. Recycling can help us cultivate ourselves. We will not reap without sowing. We gain through giving. It's a truth of life. Sometimes what we gain is intangible. If we do not seize time to give, soon we'll regret and have no chance to give."
We see Mr. Chen Guo-xiong, who is one of our recycling volunteers in Taichung. He has been serving in Tzu Chi for more than 20 years. He joined Tzu Chi as a recycling volunteer and has been since giving of himself unceasingly. Although he's nearly 80 years old, he's never missed recycling work for a single day. He said that he does the work with joy as he has learned the Dharma. As he emulates the Buddha's heart, he feels happy, peaceful, and at ease.
"I've made it a habit and I cannot give up on it. My wife often scolds me, saying: 'How foolish you are. People of our age are all enjoying their lives.And you're still working.' I replied, 'I don't care about it. Master says that when something is right, we should just do it.' When we're doing something right, can we just give up halfway? We should carry on even if it's hard work."
He truly has great wisdom and he always reminds himself to do what is right. No matter what others tell him, he holds on to this principle. He upholds my teachings and he is not easily influenced by others. He has remained dedicated for more than 20 years, never wavering in walking the right path in life. He walks the path through recycling.
"Doing recycling is a kind of spiritual cultivation. We can learn to quiet our minds. When people discard something that cannot be recycled, we shouldn't get angry. When doing something right, we shouldn't complain or blame others. This is not right. Just like looking at ourselves in the mirror, scolding others is scolding ourselves. So, through recycling, we can cultivate ourselves."
When he does recycling work with joy and thereby stays healthy, he's truly emulating the Buddha's heart. I often remind our Tzu Chi volunteers that we should emulate the Buddha's heart and take it as our shared responsibility to protect the Earth. See how wise he is. Through the recycling work, he stays healthy physically and mentally. And he unwaveringly helps me do what is right.
So, we must seize our lives to give and serve. We reap what we sow and those who the seeds of blessings shall harvest plentiful blessings. May we all bear in mind that life is indeed filled with suffering. Life is impermanent and disasters may strike at any time and bring suffering to people, which is truly very saddening. So, we must seize time to give.
Time always passes by very quickly and our life diminishes day by day. This is what I often mention to remind all of us to seize time to give. It is truly a reality that with each passing day, we have one day less left in life. Just like fish in a shrinking pond where water is diminishing bit by bit, our life is also diminishing day by day and we're less and less capable of going to a faraway place. We must keep this in mind and work hard at all times.
I'm grateful to all Tzu Chi members for giving with love and care at all times. They've been all walking the Bodhisattva Path steadfastly and dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to inspiring and guiding others to walk onto the broad and straight Bodhisattva Path. Yet, what we need to do is unceasingly pave the path for ages to come. Thank you all for giving with love and care to pave the path.
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