20241013造福修慧菩薩情Our Meaningful Efforts
Some floodwater came from the road, some came from the back of the house, so our appliances, like the washing machine, are all broken. The muddy water kept coming down and when I got to the field, it was all flooded.
We'll stay in touch with the affectees who lost their home and make sure they have a place to go. Volunteers of that area will continue to check on the affectees to see if their home has been returned to normal.
This care recipient has been with us for at least 15 years. For disadvantaged families or individuals, we have hired professionals to repair their homes.
Volunteers have served with the mindset that serving is something they do without question, therefore, they give of themselves with that mindset, and so I would express my gratitude to them. Volunteers, coming to the world, our wisdom-life is the true valuable thing. Let us utilize the value of our life; when we have something and know how to use it, there is value.
My mother is a volunteer, too, and she went to the cleanup in Wulai, but she said she's a little too old and she can't come to this one, So I thought, I'm now a volunteer, I ought to take up what my mom did before.
Listening to volunteers chatting with people, we might learn if the elderly have high blood pressure issues, are feeling unwell, or have an injury, and we can provide immediate treatment. If the volunteers accidentally get injured while cleaning, we can also offer immediate assistance.
They say we're going to pass it down.
No, no, I'm not tired.
I'm ok, I'm not tired. We're helping people to have a speedy recovery.
I thought this was easy, but I now know that even a little bit of mud can be quite heavy.
Bodhisattvas serve in the world, and when you see them in action you would find them to be remarkable. I always praise them as this is a difficult task but they keep doing it. I often speak about this during my Dharma talks. These volunteers are physically giving of themselves; I want to say that this is Great Love, it is giving without asking for anything in return, and it calls for companions to serve together. Companions are those serving with you, and we can do a good job.
When we serve, let us not ponder, what will I gain from this? Those who are senior volunteers now, I trust that every time you served, you felt that the tasks are worthy of your efforts, so, however difficult the job is, it is still worthy of your efforts. You do have this mindset, but you might not have realized it. If you don't think it is worthy, you will not participate.
Some of you have been a volunteer for over 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years. You continue to volunteer, so most likely, you have sensed the value of your life, so you are willing to serve continuously. There are many things that are worthy of our efforts, and we can do them joyfully.
Take the Bodhisattva Path into the world, and what we feel is called Dharma joy. Serving is our duty, so having served, we feel Dharma joy. We have done our responsibility, our duty. In all, we are good people, and good people do good deeds; when the deed is good, let's do them.
This time, we're checking and confirming the list of disaster affectees. We're very grateful to the mayor, who gladly received us in helping the disaster areas in their community.
What volunteers did was the right thing, so they touched people's hearts. Volunteers, I'm grateful to you. When something is right, we are to do it. Moreover, the path we're stepping on is a solid path. This is why we are to move forward one step after another so that we can go from being deluded to being awakened. I hope everyone can be more mindful in walking the Bodhisattva Path.
I hope everyone can remember that our Dharma lineage is to go among people and serve and walk the Bodhisattva Path. We are to open this door wide and big so that many people can enter this door and serve as living bodhisattvas. Moreover, for our Dharma lineage, we are to form lasting compassion.
This lasting compassion is not only for this life, but for all future lives, life after life. In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha said we are to learn and pass on the Dharma. The Buddha talked about relying the Dharma to the 50th person. But I say that we are to pass on the Dharma not only to 50 people but to 50 generations.
So, we need to aspire big and make great vows. We are to spread Tzu Chi around the world. Wherever you go and for the people you meet, you are to tell them about Tzu Chi. I volunteer for Tzu Chi, and this is what we do. This is speaking good words for people to listen. This is transforming living beings.
We share with people the good deeds we've done and the joy and insights we've gained from serving people. If people are inspired and happy after listening to us and then join the Bodhisattva Path, this is called transforming living beings.
Nearly 60 years ago, Tzu Chi started with people donating NT 50 cents daily. Since then, Tzu Chi has helped people in over half of the countries and regions in the world. This shows that as long as there are people with love, we are able to create blessings for the world. This is how living bodhisattvas transform people's life.
We help the poor with material aid. We also want to inspire love in the wealthy by inspiring their heart so they're willing to learn about the Dharma. What is the purpose of life? What is the teaching of the Buddha? We are to inspire people with Dharma like these.
All in all, we are to share the Dharma with people until they realize that the world is full of suffering, so they stop fussing over things, getting afflicted or entangled. There are ways to help people realize this, yet, it takes all sorts of methods and patience to guide people to realize the Dharma.
So, in coming to the world, the Buddha did not attain Buddhahood in just one lifetime. It took him many lifetimes, eons of lifetimes. For eons of lifetimes, he kept coming to this world for the one great purpose of teaching people and getting them to understand the Bodhisattva Path.
In this world, there are people in suffering as well as people who are wealthy. It's because there are people suffering that we have the affinity to create blessings. So, everyone, please be mindful in creating more blessings for this world. This is being a living bodhisattva.
首頁 