20140127善用生命行正業Be a Wholesome Guide
We see torrential rain in Bolivia which has caused landslides. People living in the affected mountain region were buried by rocks and mud. We often hear news of landslides occurring due to heavy rain. Different countries are all experiencing this kind of disaster. This is a sign of extreme weather when it rains, it’s a super rainstorm. Also the mountains have long been exploited and damaged by human beings’ profit-seeking activities. So, over the course time, we’ve created this hidden hazard and now it has threatened people’s lives.
We also see that Mount Etna in Italy erupted again and sent lave streaming down melting rocks along its way. The force of volcanic eruption is truly powerful. It is very scary to see the destruction it brings. See how fragile and at risk our land is neither the mountains nor anything on land can be there forever, for us to rely on. Sometimes I’m concerned for the tall mountains behind our Abode. All in all, our land and everything on it, be it rivers or mountains, are all fragile and impermanent. Given this reality of all things on earth, what is there to be attached to and fight over?
We also saw news about the flooding in Indonesia. It’s been close to ten days since the flooding occurred Indonesia is a very big country. Besides the flooding in Jakarta, there is also flooding in the north, in North Sulawesi Province, which is a six-hour flight from Jakarta Mudslides also occurred there. So, heavy rains have led to severe disaster in the area.
Our Tzu Chi volunteers flew there from Jakarta and have started a cleanup program, inviting flood survivors to clean up their community. Our volunteers also distributed aid. Yet, back in Jakarta, there’s also severe flooding near the Angke River. Our volunteers in Jakarta are also providing aid to those affected by the flood in Jakarta. They’re also continuing to hold free clinics to treat survivors.
There is truly a lot of people suffering in our world I’m so grateful that there are living bodhisattvas to help those in need. Wherever there are Tzu Chi volunteers, they will act quickly to bring people timely aid in their time of need. Seeing them do this, I’m very grateful and very moved.
We also see this in Guangdong, China. There is an elderly couple who live by themselves and are unable to take care of their home. Things piled up inside, and the house was falling into disrepair with a leaking ceiling. So, our local Tzu Chi volunteers went to give them care and help them to clean up their home.
Seeing the state of disrepair, they also arranged for repair and renovation work to be done. Because of this, the elderly couple can now live in better conditions. This is how Tzu Chi volunteers around the world, with their love are taking care of the people in need. It’s truly touching.
I also saw a piece of heartwarming news which happened in Southern California, U.S.A. There is an elderly woman who embraces the Buddhist philosophy. One day, her grandson saw a Buddha statue at the entrance of a small inn. He quietly took the statue home with him, stealing it, to give to his grandmother as a gift. When his father found out, he told him it was wrong to take something that belonged to others without their permission.
His father said this was stealing, which is wrong. The right thing to be is to quickly return it. So, the father brought his son to the inn to return the Buddha statue and to apologize to the owners.
Originally, the owners were very upset about the theft. But, seeing that this father was so sincere in returning the statue and making an apology, they forgave them. When the media learned of this, they reported on it.
When our Tzu Chi volunteers saw this story in the news they felt it contained touching lessons. The boy had wanted to make his grandmother happy, except that he went about it the wrong way.
The father had had the ethics to teach him it was wrong and make him return it and apologize, and the owners responded with forgiveness Tzu Chi volunteers went to visit the inn’s owners as well as the family with the grandmother and gave them a gift of our Buddha statue and gave them a gift of our Buddha statue. They gave one to the owners and one to the grandmother. Everyone was very happy. The grandmother was very happy to receive such a gift.
This story is very heartwarming, except for the part about stealing which we really shouldn’t do.
In life, when a wrong thought leads us to do a wrong thing, if we have wholesome people around us who can quickly tell us it is wrong, we can put an end to it immediately. In this case, the father was his son’s wholesome guide. He quickly taught him stealing was wrong and made him return the stolen statue and apologize.
This is what it’s like to practice precepts… to stop wrongdoing and guard against it. Since the son had done something wrong, he needed to put an end to it and be taught to never do it again. To stop current wrongdoing and keep from doing it again is the moral discipline we should practice.
If this is what everyone is taught to do, I believe the hearts of all humanity can become peaceful and well-balanced. With people’s hearts well-balanced, naturally Nature will become balanced too. It all stars with people, because humans are the ones who damage the environment the most. We’ve been causing harm for a long time, without being aware of the serious problems we are creating. Many still remain unaware.
So, we all need to be cautious, vigilant and pious in daily life. For every day that has passed and for every person and all things in our life, we need to be grateful. As for the future, we must take care at every second and do everything with piety and sincerity. This is the kind of attitude we should always have.
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