20210926薪火相傳菩薩心Passing on Wholesome Education
A teacher’s heart is the heart of a bodhisattva. With deep love, teachers teach earnestly. A teacher’s heart is the heart of a bodhisattva. Teachers pass on the light and connect hearts together.
We saw and heard the anthem of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association. Teachers are to connect people’s hearts together and keep passing on the light. There’s still the chance to do this as long as teachers aspire to do so. They can still on school campuses for the purpose of passing on the light and connecting teachers’ hearts with the spirit of teachers and bodhisattvas. There is still the chance to do this.
There’s nothing that cannot be accomplished in this world. Our current education needs teachers from Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association even more. Do not think that you’ve retired and there’s nothing for you to do. In fact, seeing our education at this time, we need to pass on the wholesome education of the past.
Among the students you’ve taught, some of your students have become teachers. You can contact your students, who are now teachers, and reconnect your teach-student relationships. With the heart of a teacher and a bodhisattva, use your love to connect hearts together, pass on the light, and make an impact on teachers and students.
After you’ve made an impact on people, quickly share the story with us and write it into Tzu Chi’s history. From the start of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association and throughout the years, its members have been mindful in connecting their hearts together and passing on their teaching philosophy. Such is the function of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association.
Every year, members of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association would come to Hualien for a gathering. During that time, it boosted the teachers’ spirit of teaching. All in all, as long as we’re determined we can do this and head in the correct direction. We can still do this now. The spirit of teaching is still there.
The spirit of teaching is still there. As long as you’re willing, you can contact your students, encourage them, and boost their spirit of teaching. In teaching, teachers are to not only teach book materials, we need to guide teachers toward the correct direction.
We need to take a lamp and shine a path for the current teachers and show them how to bring light to society. Someone also reported online teaching. I’m very grateful. By collecting used computers, just as schools switch to online classes, we’ve helped students living in mountains or in rural areas continue their learning despite schools being closed.
I am very grateful for this. Such is karmic affinity. Teachers, Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association helps teachers form bonds and connect their love together to keep their spirit of teaching going. We can never say enough about teachers’ love. Today, I see teachers wearing the uniform of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association. I also see the qipao from the early days of our Teachers’ Association.
Dear Master, do you remember this dress? It’s been close to 30 years, but we still cherish our dress so much!
Master, we’ve always been here! Though time has taken away our youthful figures and looks, and we have gray hair, also, some of us have gained a little weight, but our determination to cultivate ourselves has been the same from way back till now. We’ve always been here. Whether we are commissioners or as a part of Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association, we have firm aspiration of cultivation. So, we are grateful to Master, because Tzu Chi makes our life meaningful and very colorful too.
They show us the history of Tzu Chi and they bear witness to Tzu Chi work. When Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association started, the gracefulness of their demeanor and their image became the role model for Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association.
I also have high hopes for those in the Teachers’ Association who used to be Tzu Chings. You ought to be even more aspired. You are in your forties and fifties, and are considered as the young ones. Yet, are you willing to be labeled as the young ones? You grew up with Tzu Chi’s values since you were young, so, you are actually quite senior.
The senior ones are the most valuable ones. I’m the most senior one at Tzu Chi, there’s no one who’s been in Tzu Chi longer than me. Yet, our Teachers’ Association has truly been passing on wholesome education. In the audience, there are several members of the Teachers’ Association who are very senior, such as our Ms. Wu, Principal Yang, Ms. Chen, Meijin and others; they are all very senior, very senior ones!
We can see that, many people are still with us, and the most important thing is that I’m still here. Still, I hope for all of you in the Teachers’ Association please don’t give in to old age. Let us seize the time and never waste a single second. Please invite the teachers from your schools with the vigor you had back in the days no matter they know of you or not.
Put on your Teachers’ Association uniform and introduce yourself: I am with Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association. I used to teach at this school. This is the methodology that worked for me… Volunteers, please seize the present moment! Never mind your old age, you must serve because you are old! It is because you are old, so you must spread your message and teach others.
If you don’t do that now, when are you going to do it? Share your experiences with the teachers and principals and hope that they will have passion with education like you did. You can inspire the spirit of Tzu Chi’s education in your school once again. We call it the knot of the rice dumplings. May you pull them up by the knot. Do you understand? Yes.
Like these parts, right here, may you pull them up! The spirits and values symbolized here are to be pulled back to the knot. This way, there’s hope for the world, education will flourish in our society, and the path for education will be correct. When one teaches the right path, one leads a right way ahead. Confucius has talked about to lead a right way ahead. Such is the way for us to maintain the path properly.