20210318疼惜眾生護大地In Praise of Tzu chi Doctors and Recycling Volunteers
"During the training, I learned more about Tzu Chi's Four Missions and Eight Footprints. Master often says that people may become poor due to illness or vice versa and that those who are poor and ill will become poorer and their illnesses will worsen. So, Master reminds Tzu Chi doctors and nurses to safeguard the health and lives of the poor. As a doctor who is one of Master's disciples, I'll keep safeguarding the health and lives of the poor."
"My professional qualifications include medical lab science and dietetics. I'm very grateful for being able to benefit people as a TIMA member. I'll follow Master's words, promote vegetarianism mindfully as a dietitian, and learn the Dharma diligently to cultivate my wisdom."
I'm truly grateful. Our TIMA volunteer doctors, after hearing you share your experiences, I know you truly are living bodhisattvas and that you've truly created countless merits. When you were young, you opted to serve as doctors. It must have been because you saw it as your calling to save people's lives.
When you decided to major in medicine, you must have aspired to save people's lives, and although you've increased in age, you still hold firmly onto your aspiration. You truly have my admiration. You devote your lives to saving people's lives, which is indeed very admirable.
Those who know to cherish their lives and seize time to give are repaying their parents. When giving birth, our mothers experienced excruciating pain. Our parents gave us a healthy body, let us grow up happily, and helped us fulfill our aspirations. So, we must repay their kindness. I keep saying that those who work to benefit people are repaying their parents. Doctors are truly repaying their parents, for illness is the greatest suffering in life and doctors can relieve such suffering directly.
So, whenever I speak of our doctors, I always say that they truly have my admiration. I'm grateful to all of our doctors. You've just shared how you've been guiding younger generations of doctors. There are also young doctors here with us. We are all truly blessed. You are the most blessed as you can serve as "great healers," and more importantly, learn the Dharma and walk the Bodhisattva Path by saving lives.
We Tzu Chi members live out the Buddha's teachings to benefit humanity and the world, and our TIMA doctors go amongst people to serve and care for the ill.
"I'm very grateful to Dr. Yuan Tung-kuang and Dr. Yieh Tian-how for paying home visits to two recycling volunteers. One of the volunteers is Ms. Song Lin Peng. When we visited her for the first time, she told us sadly that she wouldn't be able to do recycling. We comforted her and gave her our best wishes.
Then, when we six volunteers went with Dr. Yieh to visit her again, she was very energetic and very happy to see us. Dr. Yieh thought that she must have taken too much medicine, so he asked her family to show him the medicine. He then reduced the 12 medicines to 6.
The other volunteer is Ms. Zheng Zhao. When Dr. Yuan visited her for the first time, he said in amazement that she didn't look like she was in her 90s. We were told that her son was very filial and measured her blood pressure every day. The next time, when Dr. Yieh visited her, he held her hands and said: 'Nothing is more beautiful than your hands.'"
We hear stories about our recycling volunteers. This year marks the 31st anniversary of Tzu Chi's recycling effort. Most of our recycling volunteers are advanced in age. Many of them live alone as their children have started a family. Thanks to our recycling work, they can come together to do recycling, thus bringing joy to one another. Many recycling volunteers have said to me: "Master, thank you so much. By doing Tzu Chi's recycling work, we are happy, healthy, and free of worry."
They are indeed happy, healthy, and free of worry, and most importantly, through recycling, they've learned to seize their lives to give. I'm truly grateful to our TIMA doctors for taking care of our elderly volunteers for me so they can keep working for the greater good. I'm truly grateful.
Many of our TIMA doctors are also advance in age. Instead of thinking that we are already advanced in age and can retire, we must continue to take care of others. I'd like to remind you that we've all deposited 50 years of our lives in the "age bank" that I've set up. I've kept your deposits well. With 50 years of our lives deposited, we've become much younger.
Whether we've become young or middle-aged, we must seize time to give. As we've deposited 50 years of our lives, we have become much younger and can continue to go amongst people to serve. This is how we bring value to our lives. The Buddha said that to attain Buddhahood, we must form good karmic affinities with others first. I often say that true living bodhisattvas are those who work for the greater good.
I say that nothing is more beautiful than our recycling volunteers' hands. I've praised our recycling volunteers for that. You've all heard me say so. Whenever I hold our recycling volunteers' hands, I always say to them: "Your hands are the most valuable." I'm truly grateful to our TIMA doctors for taking care of these elderly volunteer for me so they can enjoy good health and keep working to protect the Earth.
"Apart from offering free clinics in various places, I also do recycling when I'm free. Sometimes people ask me, 'You are a doctor. Why do you do recycling?' Then I'd reply, 'Everyone is responsible for protecting the environment.'"
We see that even our doctors have been doing recycling, too. I'm very grateful. I've also learned that our doctors have been inventing medical instruments. To provide free clinics, they invent instruments that are not available in hospitals. This is truly not an easy feat. They've been cultivating blessings and wisdom. I'm grateful to them. May you all keep giving with love. Thank you.
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