Life Wisdom: Lighting Up the Lights for the World
I’m moved by each and every Year-End Blessing Ceremony. Each region exerted their creativity so that they could best express to me their sincerity toward the Dharma. That is why, in every ceremony, I feel moved, I’m grateful, and I feel like I needn’t worry.
I’m moved to see everyone being together in such unity and harmony. everyone being together in such unity and harmony. When everyone is of one heart, they have the same voice. Especially for our doctors, nurses, and the staff at the Tzu Chi hospitals, with the guidance of our superintendents and assistant superintendents, everyone is dressed impeccably, has loud and clear voices, and their movements and sounds are in sync, so, I’m very moved.
It is the same for Taipei and for Taichung. I asked the superintendents, “There are so many staff members, how does everyone practice? Do you practice every day?” They answered, “Yes, this is our annual coursework.” For the sutra presentations, they don’t just memorize the lines; they take it to heart. Even in meetings every day, they incorporate the spirit and words from the sutra into the tasks they do.
Hearing this, I was very touched. This applies to our hospitals in Taipei as well as Taichung. I’m very move by this. Besides being moved, it’s even more important to be grateful. Being moved is temporary, but feeling grateful is for forever.
I have been in Xindian for several days. Every day, doctors from each department take turns to come talk to me. They share how the staff interact with each other, and how they interact with the patients. The doctors and the patients have a heartwarming bond, as the doctors treat their patients like family. Such is how bodhisattvas cherish and care for living beings, and the reason for the Buddha’s coming to this world.
I am very concerned with the COVID-19 situations. The Buddha said that, in this era, there will be more and more suffering, disasters will be more and more drastic, and people’s hearts will be more imbalanced. People need to be guided, hence, I say that the grand lesson is needed at this time. Living beings are ill and need the cure of the Dharma.
The Dharma can cure living beings’ illness, which is ignorance. For people with ignorance and those in the dark, may the Dharma motivate them. This is why many people say, “Master, thank heavens that your Dharma teachings has changed how I think, or I wouldn’t know how to go on living! It was because I used Master’s Dharma that I was able to let go of my afflictions. I seize time to help people. I forget my worries. I’m happy. Doing recycling lets me forget my worries. All my tiny efforts go to help people and take care of the Earth.”
Such are Tzu Chi volunteers. Grannies are able to do this. They are no longer lonely. They get together, help one another to light up the light, and encourage one another to speak good words. They are happy talking to one another. For the whole day, their day goes by fast, and they live their life happily.
They go home and are quite tired; they take a shower and watch TV. They watch Da Ai TV and listen to my talk. They are happy and enjoy a good night sleep. Early next morning, they go out again before dawn. They exercise a bit and then go to recycling station to do recycling. That’s their everyday. These elderly volunteers live a very happy life. This is why I’m very grateful.
Volunteers, I hope all of you can spread the Dharma to help people. To do this, we need to recruit more volunteers. Don’t just encourage people to donate money. That’s the mentality of ordinary kindhearted people in donating money. What I want is people to serve with the heart of a bodhisattva. After we’ve inspired love in people, they can further encourage others to also give love with them. Don’t do this as a temporary thing.
To purify people’s hearts, we need to motivate society and inspire everyone to have love in order to make our society safe and peaceful and pass on Great Love in our world generation after generation. This is what people in the past say: the love of parents to their children is like an ever-flowing stream.
Like an ever-flowing stream, the Buddha’s care and guidance for living beings is forever. Parents’ love to their children and grandchildren is like an ever-flowing stream. The Buddha’s love to living beings is forever. It’s passed on for hundreds and thousands of years and continues on forever. Only Dharma can do this.
Wholesome Dharma and principles are invisible and intangible, but they can impact the world. It’s like a firefly. We don’t normally see it, but when it is needed, it flies out. When it’s dark, no one knows where it is. When we are in the dark and ignorance arises in our heart, when we are most in need, the firefly flies out and guides people the way.
The firefly gives off blinking lights. I hope to be a firefly, and that this firefly joins the lights of everyone and tells people, “The path ahead needs light. We need to light up the lights, join our lights together, and guide people toward the right direction in life.” This is what we need to do now, to inspire people to make vows to do this. Even if it’s just one firefly, don’t underestimate it. We need to fly forward and guide more people to join us.
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