20200716勤修捨行護眾生Practicing Giving for the Wellbeing of All
"I'm very fortunate because my parents took good care of me when I was little and my husband did the same. It was our who made me sad. Whenever he called, it was always to ask me for money. He never called to show his care for me. So, I always felt very tense. Without Tzu Chi, I couldn't have opened my mind."
"She couldn't open her mind because of the son. On March 16, 2019, she visited our Abode in Hualien. Inspired, she let go of her hatred. She was even grateful to her son as he'd actually made her grow spiritually. Seeing how she'd changed, we were truly relieved."
"After I joined Tzu Chi, I learned about the law of karma. Now, I remind myself not to create bad karma."
We must cultivate mindfully in order to be liberated from suffering. The Buddha taught us that the world is filled with much suffering and that suffering will occur when we give rise to unwholesome thoughts. Our bad thoughts lead us to go against one another, bringing many afflictions upon ourselves. Out of ignorance, we create bad karma and suffer from bad consequences life after life. In the cycle of birth and death, we suffer ceaselessly, giving rise to regrets, worries, sadness, etc.
We must strive to relieve people's suffering. How do we do that?When there are people in suffering, we must bring them timely aid. When there are people who have afflictions or have gone astray in life, we need to share wholesome teachings with them, to guide them in the right direction in life. This is how we serve as living bodhisattvas to guide and inspire people.
In life, we often bring suffering upon ourselves. How can we keep away from suffering and enjoy a life of ease and joy? We must learn and practice the Dharma. We must also serve as living bodhisattvas to guide people towards the right direction in life. In a time like this, many people are full of worries and sadness. How can we help them let go of their worries?
Many people are feeling down and depressed. Because of doing recycling work, one of our volunteers no longer feels depressed. Originally, she couldn't walk stably. Now, she can walk well and can even move and carry recyclables.
"I can walk much more stably than before. I can even walk a long distance to collect bottles. I work hard to practice using scissors. (Now,) I can cut the straps myself. I pull the straps this way so I can bind the waste paper together (and cut off the straps.)"
She is determined to do recycling, and the work brings her great joy. There are many people suffering in the world. But, by doing recycling, she benefits humanity, enjoys good health, and heads towards the right direction in life. She suffered from her health problem before. Now, she is very happy as she is walking in the right direction in life.
By sharing life's true principles with others, we can guide and inspire them to learn the Dharma. The Dharma is invisible. Yet, she has gained insight into life's truths through the work she does and taken the true principles to heart. So, we must share life's truths with others.
As bodhisattvas cannot bear to see people suffer, we must share life's truths with others and guide them towards the Bodhisattvas Path, which is the safest path of cultivation. We must cultivate by reaching out to those in suffering. When we count our blessings and let go of our greed and desires.
By learning the Dharma, we can cultivate compassion and will feel others' suffering as our very own. As all living beings are equal, we should not only love people but also extend our love to all animals. Out of love for animals, we cannot bear to eat them. Yet, it is hard for many people to curb their desire for meat. They know that eating meat leads to animals being killed, but they ignore their innate love and cannot refrain from eating meat.
Recently, I often say that when we have attachment in our minds, we will be obstructed and cannot face things honestly. So, we must be mindful and make a great vow to be loving. As we cannot bear to see animals get hurt or killed, we must make a great vow to be loving and compassionate and seize time to cultivate ourselves.
We must practice equanimity and work to eliminate our many desires, including our desire for meat. We should give of ourselves selflessly to protect all life and help those in poverty and suffering. When we give selflessly and extend our love to all, we are truly cultivating a compassionate heart.
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