20191011法水潤心恆精進 Diligence is the Way to Cultivate Our Inner Fields 中英
To live every second to the fullest is what it means to be diligent. Apart from taking the Dharma to heart, we also have to put it into practice. That is right, we have to take the Dharma to heart and put it into practice. To do this, volunteers must emulate the Buddha’s heart and take on my mission as their own. When I see volunteers diligently engaging themselves in cultivation like this, I am truly happy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you being diligent.
Why do I work so hard in life? I often ask myself, “What is the purpose of doing this?” Every day, I wake up naturally after 3 AM. I should feel content and grateful. I am blessed for being able to wake up naturally. At this time, some people may still stay out late, have fun, and enjoy themselves.
Oftentimes, I heard volunteers sharing that they had lived like this before they became Tzu Chengs. Now, they have quit this kind of lifestyle and are able to transform their lives; they are a member of Tzu Chengs now. I am most happy when I hear people who used to lead a wayward life have now become awakened, stopped gambling, and returned to their true innate nature; this is what makes me happy the most.
For many volunteers, since they were young, they have been responsible at work, and take good care of their family after they become married, and be a good person. When good people like this come across Tzu Chi, they happily join Tzu Chi. This is the most joyful. Although everyone leads different a life, now we have the same common goal and direction.
We emulate the Buddha’s heart and volunteers take on my mission as their own. When everyone takes the Dharma to heart, we will all have the same direction, which is to act according to the Dharma. If everyone’s heart is united as one, and everyone is heading in the same direction, then we will have a large group of bodhisattvas.
The Tzu Chi Path is a cultivation ground for bodhisattvas. The values and spirit for bodhisattvas’ cultivation ground is the Jing Si Dharma lineage. The Jing Si Dharma lineage is a path of diligence. So, we should never slack off in our cultivation. We need to hold on every tightly to our spirit and values, which are sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty. We need to constantly instill one concept in our mind, which is the Four Great Vows.
The Four Great Vows tell us to constantly make four vows: I vow to deliver countless living beings, I vow to eliminate endless afflictions, I vow to learn all the Dharma, and I vow to attain the supreme Buddhahood.
That’s right, this is our Jing Si Dharma lineage. Jing Si disciples must make these vows with sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty. Don’t just recite them and later forget them. If we can’t uphold them, reciting them is useless. So, we must uphold them. In reciting them, we do so with sincerity, uprightness, the vows we make are done so with sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty. This is our Jing Si Dharma lineage.
In walking the Tzu Chi Path, we must be firm in carrying out acts of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. The Tzu Chi Path is about carrying out work with the Four Immeasurable Minds: with great loving-kindness, we have no regrets; with great compassion, we have no complaints; with great joy, we have no worries; with great equanimity, we give unconditionally. No regrets, no complaints, no worries, and give unconditionally are how Tzu Chi volunteers give of themselves for Tzu Chi, for society, and for people.
So, I hope every one of my disciples can harbor these spirit and values. I ask nothing of my disciples but to have their conduct be aligned with Tzu Chi’s spirit and values. We must be firm with our spirit and values, which are sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty.
Living bodhisattvas are like farmers and sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty are the soil of our inner fields. The wisdom of the wondrous Dharma is like clear water in which we use at all times to irrigate our inner fields. Sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty and the wisdom of the wondrous Dharma are what we use to cultivate our field of blessings.
Can one person cultivate such a vast field by himself? No, he cannot. As farmers to our own inner fields, let us have sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty. May every one of us be a farmer for the field of blessings in the world; let us use sincerity, uprightness, integrity, and honesty as the soil of our inner fields. We should use the wisdom from the Dharma like water to cleanse our world, and invite people with kind hearts to cultivate this field of blessings that is our Earth.
All in all, volunteers, the Tzu Chi Path calls for us to serve amongst people, but people can get quite complicated, so, if we do not have the Dharma in our heart, nor are we action according to the Dharma, our heart will also become tainted. Rather than helping others purity their hearts, our heart becomes tainted by others. So, let us always hold on to our heart of cultivation.
I always say that life diminishes every day. As life diminishes, if we are not mindful, even only slightly, more afflictions will be created. If we are mindful, though life diminishes, our wisdom-life grows. If we are not mindful, afflictions will multiply. Time can help one accomplish his spiritual cultivation; time can also help one create negative karma.
Whether time is used to create negative karma or to grow wisdom-life, it is entirely up to you. I’ve guided you to cultivate, yet you must cultivate on your own. Time keeps on passing by, and my expectation of you is always be diligent every day and all the time, and work together in unity and harmony as you serve in your community. Thank you, and I give you my blessings.
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