Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Appreciate the Value of Life (認清生命價值)
Every day is a new beginning. At the start of each day, we must cherish our health. As the Buddha told us “Life exists between breaths.” When we breathe, if we can inhale and exhale smoothly, it means that we are still alive and well. I often say, “Everyday when I wake up and open my eyes, I move my hands and I move my feet. Aside from breathing smoothly, if my limbs can move about easily, I am grateful for still having a healthy body as I begin my life today.”
Thus we must clearly recognize the value of our lives. The Buddha guides and educates us with patience and skill. Sentient beings have many afflictions, countless, innumerable afflictions. The afflictions we have are just like filth. How can we wash away all this filth? With water. Only water can eliminate all defilements. Sentient beings have so many afflictions. How can afflictions be eliminated? With Dharma. Only Dharma can treat afflictions. It gives us many methods to counteract our afflictions. We must honestly accept Dharma with sincerity and faith, just like a patient accepting treatment.
Generally, sentient beings suffer from afflictions. Only by cleansing the mind with Dharma-water can we eliminate the accumulated filth and return to our pure, intrinsic nature.
Yesterday I spoke of the Eightfold Noble Path in the 37 Practices of Enlightenment
I have covered Right Views, Right Thought, Right Speech and Right Action. Every single act creates karma. Everything we do sows seeds in our minds, or more specifically, in our Eighth Consciousness. In the Earth Treasury Sutra, it is written that each time we open our mouths or move our limbs we create karma. So I constantly remind you to be mindful and look after your every thought and action. How long we live is not important. What is important is the type of karma we create with our bodies and minds in our daily living is it good or bad karma? Throughout our live, we continuously create and accumulate karma.
Therefore, karma must be held in awe. We must be afraid of accidentally creating bad karma. So we must be very mindful each day. People with great blessings can make great contributions. For example, yesterday I mentioned the group of entrepreneurs in Indonesia. They could influence the president as well as the people. They used that power to help their entire country. This group of kind-hearted individuals had tremendous strength and will, so their endorsement and actions had a great impact. If our direction is correct, our actions can bring tremendous benefits to the people. But if the direction is wrong, the power of many people working together will likewise be tremendous. It will bring chaos to ourselves, our families, our society and country. So we should be mindful and practice Right Action.
If all our conduct is pure, without evil, we can benefit ourselves as well as others. This is called Right Action. When Right Action is perfected, we will create pure karma with the body.
Next is Right Livelihood. Livelihood is how we make a living. Many create karma because of their livelihood. Some people see others’ success in business, fame, wealth, or status and become envious, so they continuously seek these things. In the process, they will commit many wrongs. Such people create more negative karma the longer they live. When people engage in deviant ways for their livelihood, they will go further astray, falling into the traps of evil ways. Since we have taken refuge in the Buddha-Dharma we must turn wrong to right. Whether we do something to make a living or for any other reason, we must always choose ways that are upright. Some people earn a living through fraud, etc. That is wrong.
It is good to work hard to provide for ourselves, yet we must do so by engaging in proper occupations or decent businesses. This is what we should do. If we depart from our values just to earn a living we are making a grave mistake. Right Livelihood means that we must sustain our living through upright means, and not through improper acts.
Rely on upright methods to make a living. When one engages in a proper career and uses the right means to obtain what one needs to live, that is called Right Livelihood.
Some people live very long lives, while others live very short ones. Sometimes we say that people died too young. However, we should know that “there is always someone younger who has died” When some people get sick, they are fearful, anxious and afraid to face reality. Some people seek answers from deities when they are ill, and sometimes the medium will say, “Do not have surgery in certain months. Do not travel in certain directions. You should take certain medicine, which is often incense ash or a water-soaked glyph, etc. Listening to them can delay timely treatment.
Even those who are quite knowledgeable likewise do not have a correct understanding of life. They turn to superstitious practices to escape the reality of their illness. For many, proper treatment is delayed as a result. People say a good life is better than a long life. What kind of life is the best? A life that is headed in the right direction, that is the best kind of life. When we die, karma is the only thing we take with us. We are fortunate because we have encountered Buddha-Dharma in this life. We are also most fortunate to practice Dharma and walk the Bodhisattva-path. By practicing the teachings of the Buddha, we can dedicate our lives to benefitting others as well as ourselves. The value of our lives is something that should be shared and enjoyed widely. We are most fortunate if we can contribute to our society, country and to humanity. Some people seek longevity, but a long and meaningless life is of no use.
A good life is better than a long life. In this life we have encountered Buddha-Dharma and can diligently walk the Bodhisattva-path. If we vow to contribute to sentient beings and widely share the value of our lives, then we are indeed the most fortunate people.
When people with great fame, wealth and status pass away, what can they take with them? Nothing, Doesn’t this prove that we cannot take anything with us? We have met many admirable people who devoted their lives to benefiting others. When they pass on, they leave lasting impressions in many people’s minds. Some say, “I want to pass away right when I am at my best. Then I can leave behind the impression.” That is beautiful.
Our Commissioner, Tzu Ying, is one such person. I am sure that when I mention her name, the image of an energetic, brilliant and beautiful Bodhisattva arises in your minds. The last seven years of her life were very bright and beautiful. Everything happens due to causes and conditions. Some people encounter Tzu Chi while things are going well for them. But for others, it is during a time of adversity.
Tzu Ying was one who realized the truth of life in suffering. She fell from her roof and broke her pelvic bone and other bones. Because of her severe injuries, she was incapacitated for three months. We can easily picture how painful those months must have been. At that time, her older sister in Taiwan had already joined Tzu Chi and was a Commissioner, a Tzu Chi Bodhisattvas. When her older sister heard about her injury, she flew to the US to take care her and gave her cassette tapes of my teachings. As she took care of her, they would listen to the tapes together. During that period she had free time. Previously, before she was injured, she told her sister, “Participating in Tzu Chi is good, but you can do it because you have the time & money to do whatever you want.”
But during that period of time, she realized how valuable life can be if it is fully utilized. Life is impermanent. A simple fall caused her so much pain and suffering. When she was listening to the tapes, she heard me say, “All of you have families and careers, I have nothing, just this life.” At that moment, she realized that since she had a family and a business, she had the ability to give. She also heard me say, “I have nothing, just this life. I can only dedicate this physical body to benefit others while it is still alive.
She realized and quickly accepted what I said. The doctor wanted her to rest for six months. But after just three months, she returned to Taiwan to see me. Since then, her husband and children have joined. Since then, her husband and children have joined her on the Tzu Chi Bodhisattva-path. The story of her life will take too long to tell. So l had asked our volunteers to compile her life story and include it in the permanent Tzu Chi Archive.
Although she has passed away, she left with a lot of blessings. In those seven years she created many blessings. When she returned to the US after her first visit, she joined the local Tzu Chi chapter, and took part in international relief missions in 15 different countries to help people of different skin colors, different ethnicities and different religions. She happily did what she could in those countries and created many blessed and good affinities. I believe that those blessed seeds were sown in her Store-Consciousness and have already matured. I am sure that her next life will be filled with blessings and wisdom. Her life will be smooth and successful.
She will definitely become one of the youngest Bodhisattvas in the future. She will have more time to walk the path. When she returns, she will transform her parents and benefit others. Just think, didn’t she exchange this life for a better one? So we should be happy for her and give her our beat wishes. Although she passed away at 50, her Wisdom-life grew a great deal in those 7 years. Her Wisdom-life grew and flourished beautifully in Tzu Chi. This is the way we can bring out the value of life.
We should ponder how to make our life a truly good one. Whether or not we can lead a good life depends on what we do. I have often said that a long, narrow life with no depth is useless and just creates karma. We should add breadth to our lives. Moreover, we should also it depth. Aside from laying a firm foundation, we must live a life with depth. Indeed, we must have a deep sense of life’s value. To do so, we must always be mindful. Being born as a human is a rare opportunity. Do not go astray and lose your intrinsic nature for the sake of making a living. Since we are blessed with this human life, we must make the most of it. Alright everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水).
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