Date: June 23th, 2011 (Thursday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Caring for All Life with Love and Respect 應機度眾導正行
In Italy, the beautiful city of Naples is now strewn with trash, and those who collect the garbage have to bear the brunt of public outrage.
But even they do not know what to do with so much trash.
People create trash, and yet they become angry when the trash they created cannot be handled.
Why don’t people reflect upon themselves and think about what they can do to reduce trash?
Things like this area not helpless but can actually be solved.
As long as we are determined and take action to change our way and mindset, there is nothing that cannot be done.
See that in the Philippines, Tzu Chi volunteers are working very hard to encourage people to recycle and keep their community clean.
Take Dreamland Village for example.
When Typhoon Pabuk and Tropical Storm Wutip devastated the village back in August 2007, Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized to help the residents there.
When our volunteers first went to the village, they saw that the entire area was surrounded by garbage and affected by flooding.
We can imagine how severe the devastation must have been.
Starting from that time, apart from providing emergency relief, our volunteers also decided to visit and care for the villagers regularly.
So, our volunteers often go to the village as they are determined to do what they can to help improve the lives of these people.
Every month, they go there to distribute aid and give them villagers care.
Tzu Chi volunteers have indeed done a lot to help the villagers of Dremland.
For example, to hold regular aid distributions, our volunteers needed the household information of each family.
When our volunteers began collecting information from these several hundred families, they discovered that many of the children did not go to school because they did not have birth certificates.
So, our volunteers went to talk with the mayor to see what could be done.
Finally, they were able to register each household and obtain birth certificates for the children.
Then, our volunteers began helping the children to get an education.
Many of these children were already nine, ten or older, when our volunteers registered them for school.
To prepare them for school, our volunteers bathed them and also gave them new uniforms as well as new shoes.
These children never had new clothes before as everything they had was from the garbage dump.
Now, they can put on new uniforms and even have shoes to wear, so they were all very happy.
Because our volunteers have been there for the villagers all these years, they all willingly take to heart the advice our volunteers share with them.
For example, two years ago, to celebrate Tzu Chi’s 43rd anniversary, the 300 plus villagers vowed that they would quit their bad habits like smoking and drinking.
Many of them also serve as our volunteers now.
When Marikina City was devastated by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, over 200 of them went to help clean up the flood-affected areas.
So, even though we are not yet able to clear this garbage dump and build permanent homes for them, we’ve cleansed their hearts and minds by inspiring love in them.
A resident in Dremland said: “Although I am not educated, I hope my children can complete their studies so they won’t have to struggle like me.”
It’s very moving to see.
They know that they should work hard to give their children an education so that they can break away from poverty.
We also see that a toilet was especially built for our Tzu Chi volunteers to use because when Tzu Chi volunteers visited before, they had to go outside of the village to find one.
A resident in Dremland said : “No one owns a toilet there in this village. So, when my relative gave me 2,000 Pesos (US$46), I used the money to build a toilet for Tzu Chi volunteers to use so that they don’t have to go far to find one.”
She’s truly thoughtful to build a toilet especially for Tzu Chi volunteers.
This is because Tzu Chi volunteers go there to distribute aid every month.
Now, when they see Tzu Chi volunteers arrive, they will take it upon themselves to help set up tents for the aid distribution.
This is truly an interaction of love.
If all people in the world can love one another like this and further extend such love to all living beings, I am sure that this world will become one of peace and harmony.
Lately, we’ve been encouraging everyone to practice repentance and vegetarianism, hoping that everyone can respect life.
We see that in Mongolia, a prairie fire forced many wild gazelles a prairie fire forced many wild gazelles to break through the border fence into China.
To flee for their lives, several gazelles rushed the barbed wire fence to make holes for the other gazelles.
So, many of them were injured by the barbed wires as they passed through the holes.
Seeing that, my heart went out to them.
We know that some people raise sheep in order to kill them for food, but see how these gazelles cherish their lives so much that they will do what they can to flee danger.
The Buddha often speaks of “living beings,” which are not just human beings.
He cherishes all life, and believes that all living beings share the same Buddha nature.
The Buddha is the Great Awakened One of the Cosmos and see how he respects and cherishes all life in the world.
But see how people kill other animals for food simply to satisfy their desire for meat.
Look at how the herd of gazelles fled for life.
Don’t they cherish their lives just as humans do?
So, we must feel for them and extend our compassion to all living beings.
This is what we should do to care for all life.
As man claims himself to be the most intelligent of animals, we truly must work to safeguard all living beings.
Only then can man have peace and safety.
(Source: Da Ai TV 人間菩提)
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