20220717修褔增慧育菩提Letting Go and Moving On as We Focus on Walking the Path
There are eight kinds of suffering in life and I have encountered all of them. Simply put, what we can’t see are torments of the mind. There was the way my husband thinks, and the way of how I did things. We couldn’t figure out one way to handle things, so we were both tormented.
I left for work before sunrise, and worked hard to make money, but I drank with friends and had several mistresses.
He had a bunch of girlfriends. With the last one, he moved out and lived with the women for two years. That has hurt me so, so much, and I wanted to commit suicide. But, I thought of what Master said about serving as a hospital volunteer and watching how people fight to live, how they fight to take one more breath, and you will cherish your life more.That was how I got over it. 夫，
Mundane beings, mundane beings, again and again, they have a rather common, ordinary love. People have different affinities with those they encounter; what’s most important is to hold on to the affinities we have with those we meet. Many people know to say, Master has already told us that, our husbands are ours within our sight, beyond that, we mustn’t take that so seriously.
Those affairs they are having outside of marriage happened beyond your sight, so, what is there for you to be entangled with? What is there to think endlessly about? Yet, it always sounds like it isn’t something you need to waste your time thinking about, however, people always think of so many ways to wedge themselves in the whole mess.
You wedge and wedge in, into a tiny spot without space, and you suffocate. And like that, people are affected until they take their last breath, it is like they suffocate themselves to death. Nevertheless, let us say to ourselves that we are blessed. We know the Dharma, which awakens our wisdom and let us create more blessings. As you have come to know me, you should know to let go. Let go of interpersonal disputes; let us know of blessings.
I think I’m someone with so many blessings. If I was not born in this era, how is it possible for me to aspire to walk the Bodhisattva Path, and to expound the Dharma for people? The Dharma is to help deliver people. With different audiences, who have all different types of afflictions, we talk about different things, because the Dharma is to be expounded in accordance to the audience’s circumstance.
This relies on our abilities; the Buddha taught us to use our wisdom, to let go, to move on, and to be without concerns and afflictions. It takes the right time and the right opportunity; this is how we nurture a blessed affinity.
Lately, I have been very happy with what I hear in your sharing. I heard that people have been truly going online and learning the Dharma. I can bear witness to what you have said. You said, this is what Master has expounded. I will vouch for you that you have indeed been learning the Dharma, that you have been learning it, talking about it, and you have been spreading it on my behalf.
You are spreading the Dharma, and I am your witness. We have this good affinity between us, so let us cherish it. This is what’s been on my mind recently. It’s so good for me to have you as my disciples. You, as my disciples, are fortunate to have met me and have me as your teacher so that you can be free from your afflictions, broaden your heart, broaden your views, and walk far on the path.
Thus, only when your feet hit the ground can you know that whether you are stepping on a concrete ground or stepping on a soft comforter. In the past, I tell you to place a comforter on the ground. What is this for? If a ball is thrown at the ground, it will not bounce.
We need to learn to be gentle and soft. This is called being gentle and forbearing. If you know to be gentle you can always throw a good ball. How many good balls have you caught? How many people have you inspired to be a good person? How many people have you guided to serve as living bodhisattvas amongst people?
So, for affairs that have been in the past, we should now think in this way: I’m grateful that I joined Tzu Chi. I’m grateful that Master adjusted my mindset. Speaking of this, being in Tzu Chi for a long time allows us to create blessings and accumulate wisdom.
As we create blessings, we increase our wisdom. In this life, we’ve truly accumulated many good causes and affinities. One day, death will come as this is the law of nature. Right now, my mind is always on this law of nature. For what I can say, I want to seize the time now to speak clearly. I want to speak every sentence clearly so that people can take in my teachings and create blessings for the world.
I often say, I’m very grateful. I’m very grateful. I’m genuinely very grateful. When I say I’m grateful, it means I truly hope people can do the right things happily. I’m grateful to people for doing a lot of right things. If I added the word genuinely before grateful, it means I praise that person for walking the Bodhisattva Path life after life.
If I only say I’m grateful, this means that this person is to plant wholesome seeds in his heart and spread the seeds. If I say I’m very grateful, it means that this person and I have formed affinities in our past lives for us to meet now.
In the future, the seeds that have been planted will sprout, grow roots and branches with its branches keep on spreading out. New leaves then bud from the branches and the Bodhi tree will grow bigger and bigger. It then matures, grows flowers, and produces seeds. This is called one seed gives rise to innumerable seeds.
Having countless good affinities with people in our future lives is the result of us sowing wholesome seeds in this life. In my past lives, I have sown wholesome seeds. This is why I only mention something lightly and volunteers plant this seed I’ve given them deeply in their hearts. Not only are the seeds in their hearts, they give rise to a great bodhi heart and sow bodhi seeds themselves.
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