20100829-- Purifying Our Actions, Words, and Thoughts (三業清淨利群生)

Date: August 29th,2010 (Sunday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Purifying Our Actions, Words, and Thoughts 三業清淨利群生

I’m very grateful and very touched by our Tzu Chi volunteers in the GreaterTaichung area this year.
Form the start of the 7^th month of the Chinese calendar “Ghost Month” everyday our volunteers in Taiwan have been holding prayer activities all across Taiwan.

Yesterday, our volunteers in Taichung held a large scale prayer activity.
They have been working at the site for days making preparations.
They don’t want the attendees to just come and be entertained for a few hours. They want this activity to be meaningful.
They worked very hard on the program to try to dispel, people’s superstitions about the “Ghost Month”.
They also thought about how to promote filial piety andinspire people to do good. They have been rehearsing for this activity.
In recent days, the weather has been very hot with temperatures reaching about 30 degrees Celsius during the daytime.
But our volunteers are not afraid of the hard work.
They rehearsed under the sun and were very mindful in preparing for this.

Yet, yesterday, close to the evening, it started to rain.
When our volunteers saw this, the first thing they did was to devise a contingency plan.
The second thing they did was to get everyone together and kneel down to pray sincerely for the rain to stop.
But the rain continued while they were praying.
However,they continued to pray with earnest sincerely.
Then, remarkably, when the prayer activity was about start, the rain stopped.

The prayer activity they held was truly an inspiring event with its order liness and atmosphere of piety.
There were many Buddha statues so attendees could pay respects.
Though there were many volunteers, their chanting and walking was all in great order and synchrony.
Ten thousand attendees joined together in one heart and prayer.
Their prayer has truly reached the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas above.

I was very moved seeing this and was very grateful.
We’re urging people to do good byspreading messages of goodness.
Not only do we urge people to do good and have love in their hearts, the most important thing is to observe a vegetarian fast by eating vegetarian and following precepts.
It’s very important to have self-disciplineand follow precepts.
The vegetarianfast includes following proper conduct.
Those who observe the vegetarian fast also have to uphold precepts.
This is what a vegetarian fast is about.
Not only do we have to conduct ourselves properly, we also have to eat “clean food” (no meat).
This is how we create pure karma of body, speech and mind (淨身﹑口﹑意業).
This is observing the vegetarian fast.
Up holding precepts is not enough; we also need to eat vegetarian to truly purity ourselves.
We need to purity our actions, words, and thoughts.
Only by doing this can our prayers have the effect of eliminating disasters.

Seeing how our volunteers are promoting the vegetarian fast during the “Ghost Month” to bring about auspiciousness.
I’m very grateful. By promoting filial piety and the doing of good deeds, dispelling superstition, and guiding people to correct beliefs, they are creating boundless merits.

Of course, protecting our environment is also very important. We often hear stories of recycling volunteers who have changed their unwholesome ways, and how they’ve quitted their bad habits of drinking, smoking, chewing betel nuts, gambling, etc.
They have turned vegetarian and follow precepts.
By observing the vegetarian fast, they’ve become a true living bodhisattva, are cycling bodhisattva who protects the Earth & purifies people’s hearts.

In Tainan, there is a Mr. Li who is inthe fishing business. He makes fishing nets.
People say that his fishing nets are very good and can catch a lot of fish.
But, over a decade ago, he chanced to hear teachings on the Ksitigarbha-pranidhana-sutra.(地藏經) and that day, he decided to change professions.
After encountering Tzu Chi, he was able to courageously change professions.
Eventhough he could earn a lot of money from it, he was able to give it all up and use the tools for making fishing nets to do recycling.

Mrs. Li CingEr said: “This was a tool my mother used to use to open oysters. So, Ithought that I can use the tool to pry open things.”

Now,their whole family does recycling. Theyare selflessly committed and are very dedicated to the work.
Their house is full of recyclables in Wandan, PingtungCounty(屏東萬丹) once a week, everyone in the community will gather together and sort recyclables.

A Chi Tzu volunteer Chen MeiHua said: “This started afterTyphoon Morakot.
The week after we held a community gathering, we started promoting recycling and people were very receptive. The elderly ladies didn’t use to do this.”

Mrs. Liou MinJhu said: “But this time, I see that a lot of the elderly ladies have come to help”

Mrs. Li SuFong said: “With unity, a lot can be accomplished.”

They do this work steadily and very mindfully.
There are many people engaged in this work, taking action to do good.
Look at how they spread environmental awareness.
These recycling bodhisattvas contribute to the environmental cause with actual action.
They don’t’ only speak of environmental protection.
Indeed, we really need to take action.
True environmental protection protects life.

A Chi Tzu volunteers, Wang JieWun said: “I used to sell fish. I did for over 20years. Once time, I was cutting up a fish and blood flowed out. The fish’s tail was still moving. When my wife saw this, her eyes filled with tears. That woke me up and right then, I decided to change my livelihood and not eat fish anymore.”

See,he now protects life and also protects the environment and works to purify hearts and minds.
The goal is for everyone to participate and moreover, cultivate purity of actions, words, and thoughts.
Then, one can spread the Dharma and truly benefit humanity at large.

So, the impact of recycling isn’t only what you see at the recycling station, when recycling volunteers sort our recyclables.
The environment at large becomes cleaner also.
Most importantly, people’s hearts become cleaner. So, I am truly grateful for everyone’s efforts.
I could never truly thank you enough. In a word, do not underestimate what you can do.
Don’t think that your efforts don’t matter much. They make a big difference.
To me, every one of you is essential.
Every person’s two hands and two feet are precious and dear.
What is most precious to me is your pure, altruistic heart.
With your actions, words, and thoughts, you are helping to save this world.
Don’t think, “I’m so insignificant”. “How could I possibly save the world?”
The world can saved when people’s hearts aretransformed. So, we must look after our heart and mind.

(Source:Da Ai TV 人間菩提)