20200101生生不息愛綿長Passing On the Buddha's Spirit by Relieving Suffering in the World
Everyone, time truly passes by unceasingly second by second. With time ticking away, Tzu Chi is now in its 54th year. As we are growing older with each passing second, we must seize our lives to give. Only then can we live out our value in life.
I often hear our young volunteers say: “Master, please don’t worry. We will shoulder the responsibility of benefiting the world and all humanity.” They’ve truly set my mind at ease. I hope that our middle-aged volunteers can care for and guide our young volunteers and that our elderly volunteers can also do the same with our middle-aged volunteers.
Only then can we work, generation after generation, to benefit the needy around the world. To benefit the needy, we must live out the Buddha’s teachings. We need to look around the world and see what is happening so we can reach out to those in suffering and then guide and inspire them by sharing the Dharma with them. The Buddha’s greatest purpose of coming to this world was to teach the ways of Bodhisattvas. Indeed, to practice the ways of Bodhisattvas is to benefit all living beings with loving-kindness and compassion.
On the afternoon of March 1, 2003, I witnessed suffering that I’d never seen before. When we arrived at the disaster site, we truly felt great pain to see the families of the deceased crying their hearts out. So, we embraced and comforted them.
We’d like to accompany the families of the deceased to the funeral home after we did religious chanting for the deceased and the prosecutor completed the autopsies. So, when the families of the deceased asked us if we could accompany them to the funeral home, we said yes right away.
What touched me deeply was that when we arrived at the funeral home, I saw that our fellow volunteer, Mr. Wang Shou-rong, had prepares ginger tea, set up a tent, and gathered many fellow volunteers to help there. Even though I’m also a Tzu Chi volunteer, I was deeply touched to see so many fellow volunteers bring care there.
In the ambulance, as the mountain roads were twisty, the body of the deceased, which had become incomplete, may easily fall off. So, putting my palms together, I bowed to the deceased, saying: “To send you to the funeral home, I’ll press your shoulder with my hands and hold your head in place with my knees. Please pardon me.” I kept the posture all the way from Alishan to the funeral home.
Although I felt very unwell and threw up many times, I didn’t change my posture hoping that the body of the deceased would not be harmed again. Dear Master, I’m not brave by nature. Yet, serving as Tzu Chi volunteers gives us courage and perseverance. It is not only a responsibility but also an honor to serve as Tzu Chi volunteers.
We see our volunteers share our relief work for a train accident in Alishan in 2003. We must not forget the work we’ve carried out, those affected by the disaster, or our Tzu Chi members who give with courage and work hard to carry out relief. Whenever there are people in suffering, Tzu Chi members bring them aid and care. Our Tzu Chi members are truly living bodhisattvas. I’m deeply moved and very grateful to them all.
All Tzu Chi members go amongst people to serve and to relieve people’s suffering. Whenever a disaster strikes in the world, we reach out to help regardless of all difficulties. When we see others do good, we must praise them by saying: “What you do is truly meritorious.”
Indeed, when others do good, we must praise them and give them our best wishes. Yet, can one alone create boundless merits for the world? No. Only when everyone works together to do good can boundless merits be created. Indeed, we must cherish our blessings and harbor gratitude at all times. We must count our blessings as we are safe and well in a time like this and are able to sow blessings for the world.
Everyone, please be mindful always and keep working hard to learn the Dharma and cultivate wisdom. Do you all understand? Yes. Very well. As the new year is approaching, I’d like to give you all my best wishes. Let us bid farewell to 2019 with gratitude and embrace 2020 with sincere piety.
As Jing Si disciples in Jiayi, we make vows with utmost sincerity. Dear Master, we will never forget out initial aspiration. We’ll practice the Six Paramitas with diligence, sow blessings by cultivating sincerity, integrity, faith, and honesty, and serve as living bodhisattvas with loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We’ll emulate the Buddha’s heart, take Master’s missions as our own, and relieve suffering with firm faith and action.
I’m indeed very touched. You’ve all shouldered the responsibility of guiding and inspiring others through the Dharma. The Dharma nourishes wisdom. I hope all of you gain a deep understanding of the Dharma and remember the vows you have just made. The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings is the essence of the Lotus Sutra that nurtures our wisdom-life. I hope all of you will cultivate your wisdom life after life.
We must work steadfastly to relieve people’s suffering and share the Dharma with others. This is how we work for Buddhism and all living beings. Thank you all and my best wishes to you. may all of you cultivate blessings and wisdom. Thank you. I hope our young volunteers will work to benefit all humanity. My best wishes to you all.
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