20230519淨心造福正思惟Taking Care of Our Mind and Following the Correct Path in Life
Dharma masters have guided and inspired us here at the Abode. I’m deeply grateful. Master De Hang has shared how candle making can also teach us profound true principles. Changing the color like changing our mindset. Whenever we encounter a difficulty, we must change our perspective first. Only when we cultivate through matters and issues can we deal with people and things harmoniously.
Master De Hang has also taught us that candle wicks must be inserted upright. Otherwise, the candles can’t be lit. She also said that candle making reminds us to head towards light every day. I’m grateful that at our Year-end Blessings Ceremonies, Master always lights up our hearts and minds. Now, I understand that Master wants us to bring the light of people to every place we go.
Our Dharma master at the Abode always give of themselves more than willingly. They all live a very simple life without ever seeking any pleasures as they are humble and content. No matter how heavy their workload is, they all serve more than willingly.
I often say that monastics are to spread the Dharma to benefit all. Whenever I hear what our Dharma master says, I feel very comforted, as I know that they’ll keep spreading the Dharma to benefit all even if I’m not here.
Master De Huang took us to a tick trefoil field. I didn’t know what tick trefoil looks like, and Master De Huang patiently taught us to identify it. Yet, as the herb was overrun by weed, it was hard to tell them apart. Again, Master De Huang patiently taught us to remove the weed.
When I saw how the herb was covered by the weed, I realized that if my mind is entangled in ignorance and afflictions, which are like the weed, I’ll become deluded and unable to tell right from wrong. So, I’ve been reminding myself to uproot every weed in my mind.
I hope we Tzu Chi members can nurture wisdom so we’ll be able to use simple words to guide and inspire others. Even if we eat simply, we still need to thank the land and the weather. Every day, before we eat three meals, with vegetables and rice before us, we should put our palms together, calm our hearts and minds, think about how hard it is to grow crops, and give rise to gratitude.
To grow a mere grain of rice, not only is much human labor required, but the land, the air, rainwater, and so on are also indispensable. So, let us put our palms together and reflect on the effort it takes to grow every grain of rice.
Not until Master De Ning and Master De Kan took us to our farm did I realize that it provides rice for so many Tzu Chi members. With so many of us coming back from around the world and enjoying meals at the Abode, we are deeply moved after realizing that every bowl of rice and every drop of water is made possible by Master and Dharma masters.
The Abode is our home, so whenever you come back, Dharma masters, especially I, are always very happy. As my disciples, you’re very close to my heart. When you return to our home, you should listen to the Dharma, learn about our direction, and encourage one another to cultivate diligently and work hard. This is what you come back for. Please keep this in mind.
You also go with dharma masters in the morning to help with physical labor work. It’s because we are a Dharma family. As Dharma family members, we should pass on our wisdom-life by inviting others to the Abode so they can see the right path in life. This path is different from other paths. People can choose from different paths. While some choose a right path to do good, others choose a stray path to do bad.
By inviting people to our Abode, we can inspire them to walk the Bodhisattva Path to do good. This is how we recruit living bodhisattvas. Everyone, I hope we can work hard to nurture our wisdom-life because time waits for no one. We don’t know when our time will come, so every day, I think of life’s impermanence and remind myself not to do anything that will leave me with regrets.
We should guard our minds well. Its hard to have no regrets in life, so we must often practice repentance. As you’ve learned the Dharma, you pay attention to your actions and refrain from doing things that you’ll regret. Yet, before you began to serve Tzu Chi, you didn’t cultivate yourselves, so you might’ve done many wrongs. Here’s a simple example: You might’ve given in to your desires and eaten a lot of meat.
Yet, as you now know about Tzu Chi, even if you still eat meat, you’ll remind yourselves to eat less meat. Most importantly, you often remind yourselves to do good and treat others well. As you’ve been cultivating yourselves, you’ve learned better care for your minds.
So, we must nurture our wisdom-life. Others cannot sow blessings for us. Only when we benefit humanity, and the world can we gain blessings. Only when we have the heart to benefit all can we be blessed. With the Dharma guiding us, we’ll head towards the right direction in life and not do wrong. Even if we commit a wrong, we’ll repent and correct ourselves quickly
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