Date: September 9th,2010 (Thursday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Recycling Volunteers---Giving with Love and Mindfulness 百千萬手惜物命
My trip this time is mainly to visit our recycling volunteers and express my sincere gratitude to them.
This is the sole purpose of my trip this time.
Yesterday, I visited our Wanhua (萬華) recycling station.
As it is under an overpass, it should be a very noisy place.
But surprisingly, it was very quiet as the many volunteers working there were very peaceful and quiet, making the place more like cultivation ground (很有道氣) than a recycling station.
There are different work stations there, and everyone works as team doing different tasks.
When I passed by the plastic sorting area, I walked close to take a look and asked them what they were doing.
They explained that the plastic bags with labels or sticky tape stuck on them are considered miscellaneous and cannot be sold for a good price.
But, by cutting the labels off, the plastic pieces can be sold for a better price.
After doing this, I saw them stack up these bags of plastic which were then compressed with a machine to become small and compact bundles.
Our volunteers then tied them up with strings.
By doing this, they save a lot of space.
They told me that the bundles of plastic bags are trucked away once every two days.
If they had not been compressed, it’d take many more trips to truck them away.
See how mindful they are.
The way our recycling volunteers work to cherish all these resources is truly veryremarkable.
(我們慈濟的環保菩薩，那種的疼惜物命，真的是功德無量)
Then, I went to the Woloong St.(臥龍街) recycling station.
There, I saw an elderly man, Mr. Chen, piling up recyclables slowly, piece by piece.
Seeing how much effort he put into this task, my heart truly went out to him.
From the second floor of the station, there is access to a tree house which sits on a big tree that grows beside the station on the mountainside.
That is where they keep recycled bicycle parts.
From that, we can see how much effort our volunteers put in to collect and move all these recyclables and then mindfully sort or fix them, regardless of how heavy the recyclables are.
Words cannot describe my gratitude to, our recycling volunteers.
Indeed, every recycling station that I’ve visited is unique in their own way.
When I went to our recycling station in Tianmu (天母), I feel it seemed to be an especially ideal location in terms of safety.
This is because they have a spacious area for trucks to load or unload recyclables.
In Taipei City, it is not easy to find such a spacious piece of land.
When we entered the building, the area inside was very well-organized and clean.
In one corner where paper is sorted, there is a paper-cutting machine.
“This machine is also recycled?”
“Yes, the company that owned it is no longer in business, so they gave it to us.” “What is this machine for?”
“To remove book spines as there is glue in there. Book spines can also be recycled.”
“They can?”
“Sure.”
Because the recycling plant is not able to recycle books directly with book spines, glue, and all that, books cannot be sold for a good price.
However, if we remove the spine of the book where the paper is bound, the paper from the books can be sold for a much higher price.
Everyone, I have truly learnt a lot during this visit.
At every recycling station that I visited, I saw everyone’s mindfulness.
We also heart what our volunteer shared with us and it was indeed very touching.
A Tzu Chi volunteer, Li Huanghuan: “I’ve been to Gansu, China, where my a father-in-law lives. I went for a month, and I didn’t bathe even once. The water there is more valuable than gasoline in Taiwan. We had to fetch water at dawn, and the water we fetched was share among more than 20 people. It could only be used for drinking. So, since I returned, I cherish water even more than before. I use the same water repeatedly, until finally. I flush the toilet with it.
When I wash my hands, I use a small basin to collect the water.”
See, we must cherish water.
People in Taiwan truly must cherish the water we have.
Everyone, the love you gave is what makes our recycling efforts possible.
During a speech 20 years ago, I gently reminded everyone to use the hands they were applauding with to do recycling.
(環保已經二十年了，一場的演講，不經意地對大家說，你們用鼓掌的雙手，我們來做環保)
Over a thousand people were in the audience that day.
After the speech, a lady began to take action and collected paper from everyone.
She is the first of our recycling efforts.
From then on, more and more people around Taiwan began doing recycling.
This is how our recycling first started.
Now, there are around 5,000 recycling points across Taiwan.
In Greater Taipei alone, there are over 1,000 recycling points.
All across Taiwan, there are over 67,000 certified recycling volunteers with over 10,000 of them in Taipei alone.
Seeing that, I’m truly very grateful and touched.
For my trip this time, I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to all the recycling volunteers.
I am truly very grateful to all of you and no words can describe how grateful I am, for yours efforts and dedication.
See how it all started with one person and there are tens of thousands of volunteers now.
When everyone lends a hand to help, see how much good work can be done.
(從一個人開始，雙手、百手、千手、萬萬手，你看這種大家的手伸出來，可以做這麼多的好事)
Everyone, thank you for your efforts.
I often tellev eryone that Tzu Chi’s recycling volunteers are my most precious assets because you’re all giving of yourselves to benefit humanity, and throughout my life, allI hope to do is to help people around the world.
So, as you’re all working to benefit humanity, aren’t you my precious assets?
(我都跟大家說，師父的財產就是這些環保弟子，你們大家真正用心在造福人群，師父這輩子不為別的，就只為天下人人，你們如果能夠造福人群，這不就是我們的財產嗎？)
The most precious assets we can have in life are not material wealth, but our lovefor others.
(我們的財富不是有形的，是真正的愛)
So, please take good care of yourselves as your health and safety is my blessing.
All of you have been doing recycling for a long time.
For those who havebecome our certified recycling volunteers, I am sure you all uphold Tzu Chi’s TenPrecepts (守戒, 守十戒) and do not smoke or drink, right? (Yes.)
For that alone, I am very grateful to you and love you all very much.
No words can describe how grateful I am to you all and I’d like to share with everyone today that we must work for the greater good of this world as it is the responsibility of every one of us.
The work we’re doing now is truly for the sake of the world, because when climate conditions are erratic, all of us living on this planet will be affected.
Everyone, the only way to save the Earth is to protect the environment we live in, and only with your recycling efforts can we truly save the Earth.
(因為你們所付出的，讓師父實在無法形容，所以這時候與大家分享，希望我們人人，我們所做的是為天下，天下大事，匹夫有責，我們現在是，名副其實的天下大事，因為四大不調和，住在這顆地球，地球人都不會平安。
各位菩薩，要救地球唯有環保，有你們，我們才有辦法保護地球)
We started doing recycling early on and have been doing it for 20 years now.
So, we have gained much knowledge in this area.
By doing recycling, you’re cultivating both blessings and wisdom.
Bydoing the work, you are sowing blessing, and being understanding, you’re growing in wisdom.
(總而言之作環保，是福慧雙修啊！做就是福，善解就是智慧)
Thank you, everyone.
May there be peace, safety and auspiciousness for everyone every day.
(感恩大家，師父要祝福你們，人人平安，日日吉祥)
Please remember that your good health and safety is my blessing.
So, only when you are safe and well, can I be truly blessed, understand? (Yes)
Again, thank you for all the work you have done.
(Source:Da Ai TV 人間菩提)
首頁 
