20140126 圓滿人生願承擔 A Beautiful Life
When I was young and life was hard, I had a wish. What wish? I was thinking my life story could be written into a novel in three parts, as it’s a good story. That was my wish. This time, with Da Ai TV’s help, my life experience has been made into a drama I am very grateful I often say that it’s only because I joined Tzu Chi that I can have such great blessings.
My past was filled with hardship. Since I joined Tzu Chi in 1980 and met Master, I have been taking in spiritual nourishment, so I’m hale and hearty now. If I could go back in time, that’d be wonderful. But I can’t do that. Because birth, aging, illness, and death are Nature’s law.
So, I think to myself that, when I am still alive, I want to be active. If I don’t, I would feel miserable, being alive is for us to do good deeds. Thank goodness I can live so long. Otherwise, I would’ve died without doing enough good deeds.
Our Changhua commissioner, A-Cua when her life story was made into a Da Ai Drama, it inspired a lot of people. She joined Tzu Chi when she was 58. She helped me raise funds to build our hospital in Hualien and was very active and dedicated. After our hospital was completed, she served as a volunteer in the hospital and spent time interacting with patients.
Every family has its own difficulties. She was very mindful in listening to their story and after listening, she’d really reflect on it. Hence, she would have very meaningful stories to share with fellow volunteers. Also, from the lessons that she drew from others’ life stories, she’d remind herself to be diligent on the path of cultivation she had gone through a lot of trials and hardships.
Her marriage was not a good one and she had to work to support her children by herself because her husband didn’t take up any of his responsibilities. She of course resented what he did, but after joining Tzu Chi, she gradually started to let all her resentment go. Ever since she started Tzu Chi’s work, she maintained more than 1,000 donating members. That’s really impressive.
Among her donating members, she nurtured many to become certified Tzu Chi commissioners. She was like a good seed which produces many more seeds Tzu Chi volunteers which are each filled with nourishment and very healthy. The volunteers she nurtured are healthy both in body and mind. It’s because she’s a very good role model.
When I went to Changhua City earlier this month, I asked about her because I did not see her. They told me that due to her advanced age, she was very weak. I asked them to tell her that I was thinking of her. If she could not come to our Year-end Blessings Ceremony, I’d give them a red envelope of my well-wishes for them to bring it to her.
That’s how I learned she was getting weaker and weaker. Then, I got the news this morning that she passed away in peace yesterday. She had participated in Tzu Chi for close to forty years. In Tzu Chi, she was always very positive-minded and she always did all she could to contribute. She was truly a role mode for everyone. She was a very pious person.
Towards others, she always kept a broad, wholesome, and forgiving heart. She truly was a living example of what a bodhisattva is like. During her life, she went through a very rough period where life was very tough. But in her later years, her children and their spouses were very filial and good to her.
In a word, hers was truly a life with rich substance and value, truly very precious. She lived to her nineties. Joining Tzu Chi was a very good thing for her. It broadened her life and made it even richer. She was able to really bring out her value in life. She formed good affinities with many people. She had over 1,000 donating members.
She also inspired dozens of people to become Tzu Chi commissioners. She really exemplifies how one seed can give rise to a multitude of seeds. Her life was truly a very bright and beautiful one. However, this truly shows that it’s impossible to stop or slow down time.
With time moving forward incessantly, we have to think carefully on how to make the best use of our time, for it is efforts through time that bring things to fruition. To cultivate, we must not miss any chance to hear and practice Dharma. Having the chance to learn Dharma, we really should seize time to wake up early to listen to Dharma teachings and not let that time just slip by.
It is so good to see our Tzu Chings in action because they represent the young generation. Our society is in need of many young people to take on the good causes. Young people also need to stay on the right path in life by abiding by the moral values of being filial to their parents, respecting their teachers and caring for society.
If young people can live by these three values, I believe that will make you the most outstanding and beautiful generation. So, you Tzu Chings should know your blessings, cherish your blessings and create more blessings to benefit people.
We also saw our shelter design team. Who returned from Tacloban, Philippines. Yesterday, they returned to the Abode to report on their work and experience for the past half-month in the disaster area, building temporary classrooms for the children there. During their stay there, it rained for every day except one. Working in the rain on the muddy grass, they even developed athlete’s foot from wearing rain boots all the time.
Yet, they said that they were all very happy doing it. When they reported on the local children, however, they all became choked up because they saw what it was like for children to study in the classrooms. Though the classrooms provided shelter, the ground was very muddy and the children had to stand for eight hours in the mud because they had no chairs and desks.
Yesterday, we brainstormed on how to provide flooring that does not damage the land, so children wouldn’t have to stand in the mud. Also, in the more rural villages, the survivors don’t have temporary shelters yet. So, these volunteers also expressed their hope and willingness to go to the Philippines again to provide more temporary shelters as well as to do more to help the local children.
All in all, life is full of suffering. When people are suffering, what they really need is help and loving care from people in the world. It is very urgent and important to them. In summary, I see you Tzu Chings in the audience are blessed with good fortune.
So, you should actively create blessings for others I also saw you participating in the bamboo banks program and fundraising for our Philippine disaster relief I saw you activity reports and want to say “thanks you” to you. Yet, we still have our mid- to long- term disaster relief in the Philippines. We will continue to provide aid. So, our work isn’t finished yet.
You want to help me shoulder the mission of taking care of humanity and the world. Isn’t this your vow? Right? Yes. Good. You have to remember this and fulfill your vow by action.
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