Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Four Elements (四大)
The Four Elements may cause all wrongdoings. The four Elements are earth, water, fire and wind.
Each morning when we quiet our minds, our inner world and external environment should be very clear. We should be able to feel the land breathing. We can also sense our body breathing. When the land breathes gently, it is peaceful and safe. When people are breathing well, their bodies are healthy.
If our minds are calm, we are well, internally and externally. Whatever is intangible is chi (energy). Whatever is tangible is part of the Four Elements. The Four Elements can benefit our daily life and let us handle life’s hardships. What are the Four Elements? They are earth, water, fire and wind. Heaven, Earth and all beings are created by the Four Elements.
In the sky, the sun is a form of heart, like fire. The earth consists of anything that is of firm matter. It is whatever we can touch, such as the ground, buildings, trees, grass, flowers, etc. Everything on land that has form for us to see and touch, hard or soft, is considered the Earth Element.
Water is moisture. Objects become moist because they contain the water element. The land cannot be without water. Do you know that although we feel the land we walk on is dry, there is actually water flowing beneath? In the past, people dug into the ground to create wells. So there is water under the earth. In our life, the Four Elements should be in constant harmony. Besides water, the land needs sunlight. In addition to sunlight, it also needs air for all life to flourish.
Everything in the universe is composed of the Four Elements. If the Four Elements are in balance life can be safe and peaceful. If they are an unbalanced, natural disasters will continuously arise, resulting in great suffering.
We know that some places lack water. Drought causes the land to lose sustenance. All crops are dependent on land, and land needs water and sunlight. Is water alone enough? Of course sunlight is also needed. But if the sun is too strong, the climate will be too hot, and that would be detrimental. Thus, when there is a lack of heat and water, the land is not in balance. Already our environment shows symptoms of this problem.
You see, the effects of global warming have created irregular climates. It doesn’t rain when it should, and there is no sunshine when there should be, thus creating many problems for the Earth. With the imbalance of the Four Elements, we are becoming more concerned. So we often speak of natural disasters. Natural disasters arise from man, the mind of man. The Earth is known as the big universe and the body is the small universe. Only when the big universe is peaceful can our small universes be sound.
The Earth is a macrocosm. The human body is a microcosm. Only when the macrocosm is peaceful and safe will the microcosm be healthy. Now we speak of the Four Elements of the body, which also consist of earth, water, fire and wind. Parts of our body that we can touch, our muscles, bones, nails, hair, spleen, liver, stomach, intestines, etc., all belong to the earth element. Our blood, urine, excrement, tears, saliva, etc., are all part of the water element. Our body heat is the fire element, and our breath is the wind element. When the earth, water, fire and wind elements of the body are not in harmony, our life is threatened.
In the administrative department of our middle school, we had a young employee, Mr. Peng, who was 29 when he was in a car accident. He had been pronounced brain-dead. His family was connected to Tzu Chi, because his sister was a student at our nursing school. After graduating, she began working in our College of Technology and her husband worked at Tzu Chi University. Since she felt Tzu Chi provided a good working environment, she referred her brother to our middle school. He had only worked there for a year.
The day that he had the accident, he was pronounced brain dead. His mother also lived in Hualien, since her daughter, son-in low, and son were all there. Each day she listened to her children talking about Tzu Chi. She also volunteered by recycling. So this family understood the spirit of Tzu Chi. After the accident, the mother was heartbroken.
That day, I was on my way to a meeting. After hearing this news the daughter and mother came to see me. I understood that it was very serious, and he was determined brain-dead. I told mother that his affinities had ended. He was 29 years old, close to 30, and had yet to make his contribution. We should pray for him. If he survives, we should advise him to give back to the community. This requires a miracle. But if his affinities have ended, we should advise him to donate his body to allow other lives to continue. So he can still benefit or save the lives of others. It would deepen the meaning of his life. The mother accepted and agreed to this. Comforted by her daughter and son-in-low, and the company of our volunteers who consoled her and inspired her selfless love, she agreed to organ donation.
They told her that his organs could be used; also his skin, bones, and joints could benefit others. So she donated his entire body. You see, this mother was truly giving. By donating her son’s body, she extended the lives of eight people, and helped their families.
That day, our patients received notice and also came to the hospital. The patient who received a liver transplant was also a young man, with young children. He lived in poverty, and in order to support his family, he did manual labor. He had been unaware that he had Hepatitis C, and that it was developing into cirrhosis. He rarely rested and continued working every day until he began to vomit blood. That’s when he realized the severity of his condition, and came to our hospital. Test results showed he had cirrhosis.
But his children were still young, some were in school, and the youngest was very small. Therefore, he continued working. But soon he checked into the hospital again, and was told to get more rest. Yet afterwards he still kept working. This continued for a period of 2 years. Seeing him like this, his wife also started working. However, the doctor announced that he needed a transplant, since he was at the terminal stage. So this family was disheartened while waiting for the transplant. The family was very poor, and was one of our care recipients. However, we needed to save him in order to save the family.
So when Mr. Peng donated his organs, we contacted this young man quickly and asked if he would accept. He was joyous but his wife was so nervous that she was weak in the knees. She had a dilemma: without the transplant her husband would suffer, but the success of the transplant was uncertain. The family was struggling with the decision. On the other hand, the family of the donor was also struggling. It was hard to let go.
So that day, besides the medical team, our volunteers also helped ease their minds. That day, the young man received the transplant. One of our doctors, Dr. Lee Ming-Che, noticed that the wife was very nervous. During the operation, he left the operating room to update the wife on the process. He told her to not worry, because the liver was in good condition and had been successfully transplanted. After she calmed down, he processed to finish the operation.
You see, the medical team showed such sincere love, despite the patient's financial situation. Actually, this family had been one of or care recipients. Over the years, we often tended to them in person. We were not just saving one person but an entire family. This young man soon left the ICU, and I heard that he was doing well.
This is what makes life meaningful. Mr. Peng not only saved eight people, his bones and skin are still preserved in our bone bank. His bones can be donated to 70 or 80 others. Thus, close to 100 people benefit from the gift of his body. This is such a valuable use of life.
Fully maximize the value of your life while you are healthy. When we have reached the end of life, if we can extend another person's life with great love, we have realized the ultimate meaning of life.
When coming into this world, our bodies are created by the aggregation of the Four Elements. If they are in harmony, we are healthy. There are accidents, injuries, or natural illnesses, such as liver disease, that cause much suffering. The young man continued to work. However, when his life was threatened, there were people to save him: many individuals with the necessary medical and technical knowledge.
Thus, it is important to maintain cooperation, harmony and mutual love. Utilize this energy to ensure the harmony of nature and people. Some people live meaningfully, while some people's actions worry many others. Nevertheless, it is all in our mindset. If we are in harmony, everything will flow smoothly and thrive. If our Four Elements are in harmony, our bodies will be healthy.
In learning Buddhism, we need to learn to let go. Life is a false aggregation of the Four Elements. If one element is in imbalance, our health is affected. Such impermanence of life appears all around us. Therefore, we should always be mindful. Everyone, we should use the body well, while it is healthy, to truly contribute to humanity.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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