Life Wisdom: Coming Together to Relieve Suffering with Great Love
In Bohol and Zamboanga of the Philippines, many people lead a difficult life, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made their lives even more difficult. A lot of people are in suffering. Every day, before each meal, I always express my gratitude. I'm truly grateful as food is not easy to come by.
All of us who can take part in this video conference are truly blessed. Since we are capable of helping the poor, we enjoy more blessings than they do. I've seen how you cared for and brought warmth to those visually challenged. Although we can't give them as much aid as we wish, the warmth from us can be a great support for them. I think there are many who are poor, old, or ill over there.
That place needs more living bodhisattvas. It's very important for us to keep bringing aid and care to Bohol and Zamboanga. I'm grateful that Mr. James Chua, our Tzu Chi volunteer, often brings aid to Bohol. He gives great support to the needy there.
“We've received your relief supplies. Thank you all for not forgetting about us,” said Haspaul, Jeepney driver.
“This sack of rice can truly help us to sustain our lives,” said Reynante, Jeepney driver.
As we can only provide limited aid, we must encourage the locals to give. The poor can also help others and bring peace to their hearts. We can help the poor to stand on their feet. As long as they work hard, earning a living shouldn't be difficult, while it could be more difficult for those who are elderly, ill, or disabled. So, we must help them by giving with love.
I'm very grateful that our volunteers there have been giving with love. We must encourage more people to do the same. We must also encourage entrepreneurs there to give back to society. One doesn't have to make a large donation. My only wish is that we can inspire everyone to give. I've said that it doesn't matter how much money we can raise. What's most important is to inspire all to do good, which can create blessings and thereby mitigate disasters. I hope our volunteers can become the most blessed.
While some people are wealthy, what's most important is to give with love. Those who are wealthy and give with love are the most blessed. I hope everyone can become the most blessed. Those of you who are less wealthy should be content and happy with what you have and give what you can to help the needy. Those who help the needy through giving are practicing the greatest good. Let us call on everyone to give with love and help the needy. As there are many poor people in the Philippines, we all the more need to inspire all to give. 
Everyone, I hope you can encourage one another. I'd like to encourage all of us to work harder. Actually, I've also been encouraging myself to work harder. Of course, I do not have money to give, yet I've been devoting my life to our missions. Time passes very quickly and my life is diminishing second by second.
I know that as my life is diminishing constantly, I all the more need to make value of my life by bringing lights of hope to others. Take a candle for example. To make value of it, we must light it up, To make value of it, we must light it up, for only when a candle is lit can it produce light and dispel darkness. Just like how we light one candle after another, let us call on everyone to let us call on everyone to light up hope in others. By doing so, we can sow blessings for our society.
As a saying goes, when we do good, we can sow blessings, and with blessings, disasters can be mitigated. Blessings are like a protective layer. Let us bring about peace by sowing more blessings. I hope our young volunteers can give of themselves more often and call on more young people to give and serve.
Our young volunteers, whether you are office workers or entrepreneurs, may you inspire more people to give with love. They'll be the next generation of Tzu Chi members. May you also pass on Tzu Chi's spirit in your family from one generation to another. This is how goodness can be spread around. I can't express my gratitude enough as our volunteers have been bringing everyone's heart together by inspiring love in all.
Most importantly, we must pass on enlightened love generation after generation. In all, we must spread love around and pass on love forever and ever. As Buddhists, we all hold Bodhisattvas in high esteem. Bodhisattvas and the Buddha came to this world to teach the way of Bodhisattvas and spread love around the world. Look at Tzu Chi's Buddha image. As the Awakened One of the Cosmos, the Buddha purified the world and cared for the Earth.
I hope everyone can also awaken to all the true principles in the universe and have great compassion for all living beings like the Buddha did. I also hope that we can spread love around the world by we can spread love around the world by bringing aid to those in suffering and encouraging those who enjoy more blessings to work together to relieve suffering. Let us strive to do this with one heart.
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