20210527靜思典範道綿長Remebering Dharma Master De Ci
"Ever since I took refuge in Master in 1964, we've been working to support ourselves. This is a rule set by Master. At the same time, we'd begun our charity work. From 1965 until around 1991, we'd done 21 kinds of work to support ourselves.
Many people have asked me, 'Early on, you had little or nothing to eat, and lived and dressed with scarce resources. You also had to do heavy farming work. In addition, the Abode was in debt. Didn't you ever think of giving up?' I replied, 'No.' Back then, I thought that becoming a monastic was a blessing. It was a good affinity and also a blessing for me to meet and follow Master. Although the labor work was difficult, I was filled with joy."
In life, due to countless bonds of love, we often can't be at ease and peace. We should transcend these bonds of love in order to be at ease and peace. Life is filled with much suffering. In the face of daily circumstances, we need to interact with people and things. When our time comes, which is a law of Nature, we will draw our last breath and probably can't let go of our attachments.
So, I often say that even if there are countless bonds of love in life, we should let go of our attachments in order to be at ease and peace. We must keep in mind that if we live out the truths of the Lotus Sutra by walking the Bodhisattva Path, our mind will become the most beautiful thing. Such a mind is timeless. The Buddha taught us to serve with enlightened love forever and ever. He also taught us to pay love forward and spread it all around the world.
A few decades ago, a celebrity asked me that form the time I founded Tzu Chi until our hospital in Hualien was completed, what thought did I harbor? I replied that it was a single thought of love. A love towards Mother Nature, towards everyone and everything. No other suffering can compare to that from illness. Life and death are a law of Nature. No one can escape death but many people have suffered from illnesses before their passing. Such is life.
Only love can relieve suffering in life and only medical care can relieve suffering from illness. So, I stared Tzu Chi's charity mission to help the ill and poor and built hospitals to relieve people from the pain brought by illnesses. Charity and medicine are truly indispensable in this world. We must cultivate enlightened love and wisdom and remain at ease and peace despite our countless bonds of love.
In all, we must be very mindful of the Dharma. This is how we can attain liberation. We must not let ourselves be entangled by the bonds of love.
"I've been practicing repentance and I'll follow Master in walking the Bodhisattva Path life after life."
"De Ci, you've been my disciple for nearly 60 years. As my first disciple, you've been giving me great support and doing much hard work with me. It's truly not easy for you. Yet, you've sown countless merits because with your support, Tzu Chi has become what it is today and has helped many people around the world.
While I've been carrying out Tzu Chi's missions to benefit humanity and the world, you've been safeguarding the Abod mindfully. Here at the Abode, you and other Dharma masters follow the Jing Si Dharma lineage and work to support yourselves. This practice began when you became my disciple and we made baby shoes, remade cement sacks, and grew and sold sweet potatoes to support ourselves.
Tzu Chi can become what it is today as you have been following this practice and have set a good example for everyone at the Abode. So, you can be at ease and peace. We've carried out the work we have to do in this life and we've been working to benefit all living beings. We have no regrets in this life. As our direction is right, the one who leaves first must come to this world again and continue to pave the Tzu Chi Path, and the other one who leaves later must catch up and pave a broad path.
As master and disciple, we must do so life after life. When you became my disciple, I called you 'Shao Wei.' Recently, I'd ask, 'How is Shao Wei?' For me, you are still the Shao Wei nearly 60 years ago. You've been living out the spirit of our Tzu Chi family. I'm very grateful to you and I'd life to give you my best wishes."
"Thank you, Master."
"Please be at ease and peace. My best wishes to you."
Only when we liberate ourselves from countless bonds of love can we be at ease and peace. As we Tzu Chi members have wonderful affinities, I hope we can settle our minds and eliminate our afflictions so we can be at ease and peace. I've mentioned this principle over and again.
Nothing is more auspicious and wonderful than the Dharma. Although emptiness is often mentioned in Buddhist texts so people can understand that everything is empty in nature and let go of their attachments, the Dharma also teaches us that our innate, pure love is a wondrous existence and the most important seed of Buddhahood. We must walk the Bodhisattva Path with enlightened love and serve with a pure and loving heart so as to inspire love in everyone. Everyone, please be mindful.
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