20141106慈心圓融入世間 To Gain Insights into the Buddha’s Teachings
We see news from Malaysia showing volunteers’ monthly charity outreach. Their day starts with listening to my early Dharma talk. Then they receive instructions for their home visit assignment.
This is their regular monthly activity for everyone to go out and make home visits. They are truly inspirational. This takes diligence. In their outreach, they see people’s suffering and learn to appreciate their own blessings. They also gain insights into the Buddha’s teachings and learn to bring forth their compassion.
The Buddha said that life is full of suffering, so they went to visit people in need and personally witnessed the suffering in life. They saw families who were poor to begin with and then suffer from illness on top of that. Families like these truly undergo tremendous hardship.
Fortunately, Tzu Chi volunteers come to their aid. Yet, volunteers are also grateful to these families for showing them the suffering in life. Some care recipients have both physical illness and mental afflictions. If they only focus treating their illness and did not deal with their afflictions and worries, their illness might get worse due to their afflictions.
A person who can help others is the most blessed. Being able to help people is a blessing. When we see others’ suffering, we realize how blessed we are. Then, it will occur to us that we should help the people in need. It’s only after we help people that we will gain true happiness.
Because, to help people, we have to overcome problems and challenges. To give of ourselves to help people, we will encounter many challenges. After we went through all these challenges and see how happy the people in need are to receive the help they need, joy will fill our heart.
It’s just like what I often say about how the most beautiful smile is that of patients. When we see patients happy and smiling, that is the most beautiful smile. Though the charity work is full of challenges, we still move forward to ensure that all the people in need are saved.
In the moment that we see them relieved of their suffering, tremendous joy will fill our heart, because we have overcome many challenges and finally found the way to help them. We make great aspirations with firm resolve and are determined to give the help that people need. That is the source of our motivation and joy for figuring out ways to help.
When we see people being relieved from their suffering, spiritual joy swells up in our heart. I often praise Tzu Chi volunteers for their work around the world. Not only do they help the people in need, but they further help those people to develop “spiritual riches” in their hearts.
On top of helping them without conditions, they inspire the poor to open up their hearts to help other poor people, which will give them spiritual riches and enable them to come out of their poverty one day and become a person who helps others.
Therefore, Tzu Chi volunteers learn to be bodhisattvas who serve with humility and help people without conditions and with a grateful heart. When we how to the aid recipients, say thank you to them, the smile we see on their faces as they receive our care and supplies--- that gives us the strength to keep serving and is the biggest reward that makes all our work worthwhile.
Recently in my morning Dharma talk I have been talking about the value in giving of ourselves. Besides the lessons we learn, what we have achieve is the planting of wholesome seeds in the inner-garden of people’s hearts. Not only we save people in distress and help them survive, we also guide them to develop their wisdom-life and to create blessings. Seeing Tzu Chi volunteers accomplishing this makes me very happy.
Looking back in our history and the places that we have provided relief to, we remember the schools we helped and the students and families that we encountered. We see brilliant differences in their life and their community before and after. People whom we have helped in the past are paying back to the society by donating their coin banks filled with their savings. This is the result of having built awareness in people.
In the military base, armed forces are also adopting coin banks to help people. Islamic organizations are also working with Tzu Chi to give love for the greater good. This makes me truly happy. I have always been grateful to people around the world for their love to continually help people who are in need.
Da Ai TV is available to viewers all around the world either through satellites or Internet. This accessibility allows people to watch Da Ai TV. Many people watch Da Ai Drama. The Da Ai Drama is based on true stories of Tzu Chi volunteers, who present Dharma with their life experiences.
Da Ai TV delivers wholesome values to viewers. See how a viewer talks online to a volunteer of a Da Ai Drama. Who is online? Sister Xiao-Yan. So pleased to see you. You’ve given me great encouragement.
I often say that despite being physically ill, we should remain healthy mentally. If we become ill psychologically, we will lose all we have. You see what I mean? Yes. We have to be brave. We need to use willpower to stand up and face our illness. Yes, I’ve learnt this from you. It’s great!
So I am happy and cheerful like you now. I think Da Ai TV has transformed your life. Da Ai TV has transformed my life. Master has also transformed me. So have you Tzu Chi volunteers. I am truly grateful to you. Look. They connect via Skype to learn from and encourage each other. You see such a long distance communication can be in real time. This is indeed a wonder.
The Buddha said that people have innate abilities to communicate with each other. When we use a sincere heart and a practical approach, with the help of technology, we can bring our presence to a very faraway place instantly without moving our physical body.
This is a wonder that everyone possesses. This also originates from our innate Buddha nature. This is how Da Ai TV can help us spread the Dharma. All the good works that every volunteer does can be broadcasted for the world to know. Besides spreading the word, volunteers also tirelessly find ways to inspire others to live a wholesome life. This is all takes the power of love.
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