20131106 Walking the Bodhisattva Path by Practicing the Six Paramitas
Our Year-end Blessing Ceremonies are around the corner. Tzu Chi volunteers from around the world who are going to be certified have come to Taiwan to get certified and also to cultivate together. Every year, Tzu Chi volunteers recruit new volunteers and inspire them to make the vow to benefit humanity.
So, our certified volunteers are increasing in number every year. Seeing this, I’m very happy. I earnestly hope that after being certified, our new volunteers will shoulder the mission to serve as living bodhisattvas. In my Dharma talk this morning, I talked about how we need to practice the six paramitas and aspire to be a bodhisattva.
The six paramitas are giving moral discipline, forbearance and tolerance, diligence, Samadhi, and wisdom. You all know the six paramitas very well and can recite them. But, do you simply recite them or have you truly taken them to heart? I hope everyone can understand that the size paramitas are methods for us to walk the Bodhisattva Path.
A bodhisattva should provide people with what they need. And only when we possess these six paramitas can we fulfill the needs of people according to their aptitudes and circumstances. We need to understand their individual needs, offer them the appropriate help, and give of ourselves unconditionally.
This is walking the Bodhisattva Path. In my Dharma talk this morning, I spoke of something very important--- forbearance and tolerance. Living in this world, we should not be affected by people when they put on long faces, speak harshly, slander us, etc. We shouldn’t take those to heart.
All that we need to do is go amongst people to serve with a heart of purity. To do that, we need to practice forbearance and tolerance, which requires great effort to do. No matter what circumstances we encounter and how people criticize or mistreat us, we should remain firm in our conviction.
This is the most important in walking the Bodhisattva Path. That’s why the Buddha came to this world to share life’s principle with us and teach us to seize time to follow truths and moral principles so that we can be guided onto the correct path in life.
Only then can we nurture a pure, enlightened heart like that of a Bodhisattva. This is what we should work hard to promote. A few days ago, our Tzu Chi volunteers in Canada came to Taiwan for a training camp. Each of them vowed to recruit 100 donating members.
I told them to recruit 100 commissioners instead of donating members and there were all startled. In fact, it’s easy to recruit 100 donating members because all people have to do is donate money. But, without sharing the Dharma with them, their love will not be inspired and so they’ll have little strength to do much.
So, we should share the Dharma with them for them to take into their hearts. Apart from taking in the Dharma ourselves, we should share it with others and inspire them to give of themselves. So, I want them to recruit commissioners rather than donating members, and then new commissioners can recruit even more donating members. Inspiring love is the most important.
Only when everyone learns and takes in the Dharma will our world enjoy peace and harmony. Back in August, Tropical Storm Trami caused severe flooding in the Philippines. In the aftermath, Tzu Chi volunteers quickly went to provide aid to those affected. On the news this morning, I saw that many flood survivors there still live in makeshift shacks in very poor conditions.
Seeing that, my heart goes out to them. So, our volunteers are still caring for the flood survivors there. Also in the Philippines, due to a conflict between the government and a Muslim rebel group in Zamboanga back in Sept., many schools were damaged. So, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan are now setting up temporary classrooms for them.
Even though they are only temporary ones, they are in fact very sturdily built. Seeing how hard our volunteers work on them, I’ very happy. These classrooms can be used for a few years before the damaged schools are rebuilt. During this time, children there can continue to study in these temporary classrooms.
For that, I’m truly very grateful. While there are people leading hard lives in disaster-stricken areas, some countries are spending money on scientific research. Take India for example. Yesterday, India launched a space probe to gather information about Mar’s surface features and atmosphere.
Its journey will take a long time, and it is expected to arrive in Mars’ orbit in September 2014. See how much money was spent to produce such a spacecraft and how much pollution was created to launch it. I really don’t understand why people do that.
And here in Taiwan, we’ve seen many news reports about the giant rubber duck, which has been on display in Taiwan recently. Exactly what’s so special about it? I truly don’t understand. Many people flocked to see it and created a lot of garbage. Cleaners have collected several tons of garbage.
To clean up all the garbage created during this event, we’ll need over 10,000 cleaning shifts. See how ignorant and deluded people are. All this will only waste resources and cause pollution in our environment. It’s also reported that the rubber duck contains plasticizers. The giant rubber duck is made of PVC.
It could release toxic chemicals into the water. The longer, the more. So, it’ll pose a threat to rivers and creeks. Over two years ago, plasticizers in drinks concerned everyone. Now, people made a rubber duck that contains plasticizers. I truly find it unbelievable.
What exactly were they thinking? How great it would be if the crowds of people viewing the rubber duck could gather to listen the Dharma or donate the money they’ve spent out the duck to help the needy. It’s difficult for me to fathom. Seeing how deluded people are, I really feel helpless.
All in all, we must take good care of our minds so we will have correct views and be able to see the world through the eyes of Bodhisattvas.
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