20170128溫馨過年眾護持Celebrating a Heartwarming Chinese New Year
Today is the Chinese New Year. Last night, at the Abode, our big Tzu Chi family had a traditional reunion meal serving close 2,600 people, serving close 2,600 people, including Tzu Chi volunteers and guests from 16 countries and regions.
We are a big family with volunteers around the world. During the Chinese New Year, volunteers return to the Abode, our spiritual home, where Tzu Chi’s Dharma originates.
I’m truly happy. The atmosphere was very festive last night. At the evening celebration, there was Dharma shown in all the performances.
Mr. Huang with his family from Taichung of Taiwan and Mr. Tan Poh Joo and his family from the U.S. both came back specifically to celebrate the New Year and perform in the evening celebration.
Take the Huang family form Taichung for example. They all have the same hobby, the same love for Tzu Chi, and support Tzu Chi together. In order to share Tzu Chi’s Dharma, Mr. Huang would travel overseas. He also writes Chinese calligraphy. His family is all artistic and talented.
It’s the same with the Tan Family from the U.S. Like the Huangs, they are also a family of four. Mr. Tan composed and wrote a new song. He and his family played the music and sang the song together last night. The song was inspired by his insights of my Dharma talks on the Lotus Sutra.
The song is about the Tzu Chi world, which is like the path and life’s principles described in the Lotus Sutra. The sutra show us life’s principles, pointing to us the right path to walk on. The sutra encompasses all the paths that Tzu Chi volunteers walk on. The paths are all baes on life’s principle which comes from the sutras.
We also see a volunteer, Huixian, from China. She diligently listens to my Dharma talks. Despite being in her seventies, she never stops learning the Dharma and takes down notes carefully. She mindfully listens to my talks in Taiwanese.
Once, she brought her notes to Taiwan. Her writing was so small that I had to read it with a magnifier, but I could see that every character was neatly written. I really admire her.
This year, she came to the Abode by herself. I asked her yesterday, “Are your hasband and daughter alright with coming here alone?”.
She replied, “Coming to see Master is more important than anything else. I came back to the big family. Before I came to Taiwan, I had contacted a fellow volunteer in Taiwan. So when I arrived, they came to pick me up.”
Such wisdom of hers. Truly, around the world, the power of love can be seen everywhere, and it truly warms our heart.
Yesterday in the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, it was also very festive in the hospital’s lobby.
Supt. Lin invited the doctors and the nurses to serve with the hospital volunteers. Together, they held a reunion meal for patients who couldn’t go home to celebrate the New Year. Patients were brought down to the lobby for the reunion meal.
Our hospital is truly like a family which is friendly as well as happy.
Moreover, Supt Li n even gave out red envelopes. Because he had to join the reunion meal at the Adobe for the New Year’s Eve, he started early and went to every ward to give out red envelopes. He visited every nursing station to thank the nurse. This is the power of love.
I sincerely thank all the hospital volunteers who give of themselves so selflessly. They served at the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and came back to the Abode late. While everyone had a hot pot for the reunion meal, theirs was quite simple.
I said, “Is this your reunion meal?” They set a pot of soup in the middle, and happily called this their reunion meal. Yesterday, I told them that the reunion meal was to bring everyone’s heart together.
They were every happy. There were a variety of dishes last night. In order to provide dinner for almost 2,600 people, volunteers from northern, central, and southern Taiwan all came to the Abode to help out; there were even volunteers from Malaysia.
Over 100 volunteers served as culinary volunteers, at times, over 200 volunteers were in the kitchen. So, we can see that we’re truly a big family, and I am deeply grateful for that.
I hope that in our big family, at the start of this Chinses New Year, the year of the rooster, just like the morning crowing of a rooster, people can be awakened to eat vegetarian. This year, Tzu Chi is promoting eating vegetarian. It’s best that everyone goes vegetarian.
It is time for us to awaken, because the Earth is greatly damaged. We need to care for the Earth, the environment, and the wellbeing of humanity. We all have the responsibility to take care of our world. This is my expectation for everyone.
Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year. The best time to start anew in a year is in the spring, and the best time of the day is in the morning. Each morning, we diligently cultivate ourselves. I look forward to everyone cultivating diligently just like in today’s morning service.
We need to care for our world, protect the environment, and all living beings on Earth. I’m very grateful to all volunteers for doing this with love.
I often hear volunteers sat, “Master, I love you.” I would reply, “You must love those whom I love and help me accomplish what I wish to accomplish. Everyone must take up the responsibility”
Tzu Chings from Malaysia wish everyone to take the essence of the Jing Si Dharma lineage to heart and grow in wisdom-life by diligently learning the Dharma.
As your disciples, we sincerely vow that we’ll work in unity and harmony to widely sow the seeds of love. We’ll diligently attend the Morning Dharma talk even in inclement weather. We’ll seize this great affinity to earnestly cultivate ourselves and live out the Dharma to deliver all living beings.
Disciples of Jing Si Dharma lineage in Malacca sincerely make vows to Master. We make the Four Great Vows to deliver all loving beings, eliminate all our afflictions, learn all the Dharma, and attain Buddhahood. We will diligently practice the true Dharma and follow Master life after life.
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