20191129勇猛精進向前行Striving Forward on the Path of Giving
Thank to Master, we elderly folks can dedicate ourselves to recycling work, which is great. The more I do recycling, the more healthy and happy I become. In 2010, when my husband passed away, I felt so depressed that I no longer wanted to go out. Then, my granddaughter said to me: “You mustn’t just stay home. Let’s go to Tzu Chi’s recycling station. Then, you’ll find a way out.”
She was right. At the recycling station, I was surprised to see so many resources that were still usable. There were also volunteers sorting recyclables. Then, I saw an umbrella. As its canopy was still new and very beautiful, I took the umbrella apart and turned the canopy into a shopping bag.
It’s very beautiful. You have good vision and excellent craftsmanship.
I received an eye surgery at one of Tzu Chi’s hospitals. So, I can see well, and I can still serve.
So, you are now in your 30s as you’ve saved 50 years of your life in our “age bank.”
Indeed, I’m only in my 30s. My legs are still strong. I’m very grateful. It’s a blessing from the Bodhisattvas.
It’s truly great that you are in good health. Thank you. I will take Master’s encouragement to heart. You can still see well and are also very agile. I can still serve for a few more years. Yes, you still have much time to serve. Thank you. No problem.
This is a small shopping bag. When I go grocery shopping, I take my purse, my cell phone, and this shopping bag with me. Whatever I buy, I can put them in the bag so as to cut down on the use of plastic bags. This was made from recycles. So was this.
This is truly not an easy feat. The bags are light and easy to carry, and whatever you buy, you have bags to put them in. You truly have my admiration.
Each of you is good are reusing recyclables. In life, there is the suffering of birth, aging, illness, and death. As none of us can escape such suffering, we must learn to come to terms with it. Our body is unclean and impure, our thoughts are impermanent, and all phenomena are without intrinsic existence? Everyone has an ego. But, we Tzu Chi members have returned to our pure, true nature. We’ve been doing what others might fail to do.
Nowadays, many people around our age can retire and enjoy life. Can we retire from volunteers? No. If we do, we can’t make progress. If we retire when we can still serve, we are slacking off and aren’t putting our lives into good use. Rather than that, we must seize our lives to give.
We must not retire from volunteering. If we do, we are wasting our lives. So, what does it mean by not retiring from volunteering? It means to do Tzu Chi’s work steadfastly and stride forward on the path of giving. This is the way of Tzu Chi members. I’m indeed very grateful to all Tzu Chi members. I truly have no regrets in this life because all Tzu Chi members around the world carry out my convictions, share my words with others, and are close to me in heart. They all work with the same heart to carry out Tzu Chi’s missions.
Every day, I remind myself that I must seize every moment to give as my time will come one day. I’m grateful I can go on my tour this time and give talk. I can speak louder than yesterday, and yesterday I also did better than the previous day. May we pool everyone’s strength together and carry out Tzu Chi’s work generation after generation.
We see a little volunteer of ours, who is only five years old. Thanks to his help, I can walk more stably. When I walk off the stage and get to the door, I always see him there. Hs is just like Bodhisattva Never-Slighting. What did Bodhisattva Never-Slighting always do? Pay respect to others. That’s right. He always prostrated himself to people he met.
When I get to the door, this little volunteer of ours is always there, pay respect to me with sincere piety. Then, he turns around and puts his palms together so I can put one hand on his shoulder and walk more stably.
He is truly a little Tzu Cheng member. He also does our recycling work and save money in his coin bank although he is only five years old. He also presented me a globe model. Our volunteers made the globe model with bottoms of plastic bottles. Of course, when we teach children to recycle, they will naturally understand its importance.
I asked him: “Do you encourage your classmates to recycle? Yes, I do,” he replied. What he does is also a form of education. May we guide everyone to take up recycling. May all of you live out my words generation after generation. People from all walks of life can do what they can do to benefit others.
I work in advertising and marketing, and I like drawing. So, Master asked me, “Do you know Koko? Koko was a gorilla who could use sign language.” I said, “I’m good at drawing gorillas.” As Master shared Koko’s story with me, I tried to learn all about the gorilla the whole weekend. I couldn’t stop creating works based on Koro, connection Koko to the recycling work we do.
I think that what’s most important now is to guide our children to understand the importance of recycling. In addition to recycling work, O also hope to integrate Tzu Chi’s spirit with Koko’s story to bring more creativity and fun to recycling work so children would want to join us.
We see Koko. It urged humans to protect the Earth. See how the mind of Buddha and living beings is truly one and the same. Also, with only a few pens, Mr. Chi has created vivid drawings that not only convey his thoughts but also contain life’s true principles. May you all do what you can for the common good.
Thank you all. When something is right, we should just do it. As Tzu Chi members, we must be as brave as a lion in carrying out our missions. Many Tzu Chi members are in their 90s or even more than 100 years old. We must serve regardless of our age. If you save 50 years of your lives in the “age bank” that I set up, you will become only 50 if you are 100 years old. If you are 90 years old, you will become only 40 and still have much strength to serve.
If I find my steps unstable or of I’m not walking straight, I always encourage myself, thinking: “I’m only a little more than 30 years old. I should be able to walk straight. This is how I encourage myself. So, may we all seize every moment to give and take each step firmly in carrying out our work.
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