20131227慈悲等觀好修行Aspiring to Serve as Bodhisattvas in the World
At this time every year, I’m most happy and comforted as I see more people becoming our certified Tzu Chi volunteers. With one more Tzu Chi volunteer, there’s one more bodhisattva in the world and with many more bodhisattvas, we’ll have much more strength to do more work.
I believe that every one of us aspires to learn Buddhist teachings and has faith in the Buddha. But, have we really kept the Buddha deeply in our hearts? “Yes”
As a Buddhist practitioner, we should keep in mind why the Buddha came to the world. He came because he couldn’t bear to see living beings cycling through the six realms, which are the heaven, human, asura, hell, hungry ghost and animal realms. Actually, right here in this world, we can see these six realms.
Take the heaven realm for example. Some people are born to wealthy families and enjoy a good life as they grow up. They inherit their family businesses and sail through life smoothly. People like this are living in the heaven realm as they enjoy many blessings.
But, it’s difficult for them to cultivate because they lead a good life and don’t know what it feels like to suffer. However, for the materially rich who walk the Bodhisattva Path to help others, such as many of our Tzu Chi volunteers, they also live in the heaven realm because they’re rich both materially and spiritually. Next is the human realm, which is where we live here.
In this realm, we also see many people who are poor but happy as they give of themselves willingly. There is also the asura realm, where people are ill-tempered. Among our Tzu Chi volunteers, many used to have a bad temper. They were rude to their families and led wayward lives. But, after coming across Tzu Chi volunteers, they transformed from ill-tempered asuras into loving bodhisattvas. In this world, we also see the hell realm.
Tzu Chi volunteers often visit the poor, the disabled or the elderly. Some of their homes were very dirty and messy as if they were living in hell. When we see people suffer like this, we’ll do all we can to help them. After people receive our help and care, quite a few of them will be inspired to become our volunteers. This is how we can serve as bodhisattvas to help others.
We not only relieve people’s suffering, but also share life’s truths with them as we know everyone has the same love and so, we work to inspire them to give with love and serve as bodhisattvas in the world. So, only in this human realm can we cultivate. When we help the needy and further inspire love in them, we’re true living bodhisattvas.
Apart from people living in the hell realm, we also see those in the animal realm. They cannot tell right from wrong and do not follow moral principles, disrupting the proper relations between people. For people like this, Tzu Chi volunteers will help them as well. This is how we help people and awaken them to truths.
No matter where we are and who we encounter, we’ll use various expedient means to help others. Only when we do so are we people’s true wholesome friends.
As this can be done only when we work to relieve people’s suffering with great compassion and further guide them to sow blessings through giving. This is what we’ve done. Those of you who are certified today all wear a lotus flower, which is the symbol of Buddhism.
Lotus flowers grow from muddy ponds. The much provides nutrients to the flowers, and the flowers beautify the ponds. Similarly, to walk the Bodhisattva Path, we must serve in this world where people’s minds are filled with impurity.
To serve as bodhisattvas, we must go amongst people to give of ourselves. Only then can we learn from everyone we meet. It is said that every family has its own problems. These problems are actually the nutrients for the lotus flower in our heart to bloom. Like how the muck nourishes the flowers, the impurity in the world helps us to become a bodhisattva.
Everyone, from now on, this is what you should aspire to do. No matter how successful you are or what achievements you’ve attained, now that you’re walking the Bodhisattva Path, you need to carry out acts of bodhisattvas. I’m sure that all of you have very pure hearts, so you won’t be tainted by anything and will remain as pure as a lotus flower. I also believe that you’ve all kept the Buddha in your heart and vowed to walk the Bodhisattva Path steadfastly.
I see that our senior volunteers have very well guided you by example. So, I hope you’ll all be respectful and grateful to them. Were it not for their help to pave the Tzu Chi path with me, how could we have such a broad and straight path to walk upon steadily today?
Our senior volunteers love and respect you very much. So, you should also treat them with gratitude, respect and love. This is how everyone should get along and respect one another.
All of us share the same heart and mind, and this is what makes our group of bodhisattvas so beautiful. Such beauty lies in our concerted effort and the selfless giving of everyone. This is also what the Buddha teaches us to do.
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