Life Wisdom: Living a Life of Kindness
Volunteers, seeing you come together, aspire to be living bodhisattvas, and make vows to be awakened, this is what makes me the most happy. It’s rare to be born in the human realm and to come across the Dharma. Now, we’ve been born as humans and heard the Dharma, moreover, we’ve carried out the Dharma and walked the Bodhisattva Path. To live life like this is truly rare and precious.
Buddhism guides us to lead a life of wisdom. Although it is a religion, it is in fact more like a goal for our life. The purpose of religion is to educate people about the purpose of life. Our direction and goal is to walk the Bodhisattva Path together. This is our purpose. We take in the same teachings which are the Dharma expounded by the Buddha.
Blessings can only be gained by those who take action to do good themselves. Blessings are obtained when we do good ourselves. Take the life we live for example; every day, we have to take in food to gain nutrients to keep our body going, meanwhile, we still have to cultivate our wisdom-life by absorbing spiritual nourishment, which is the Dharma. The Dharma is spiritual nourishment of wisdom. So, of the faith we have chosen, let us truly cherish it, and live out its teachings accordingly.
We have to be diligent in doing good and do charitable acts for the world. I am very grateful to all Tzu Chi volunteers. Currently across the world, if there’s a country impacted by a disaster, the first question I’ll ask is, “Are there any Tzu Chi volunteers in that country?” If there are Tzu Chi volunteers, it’d be easier to help people and carry out charity work or aid projects. If not, we have to come up a way to reach out to them. Such is the world of Tzu Chi.
I am grateful to all the Tzu Chi volunteers. I’m grateful to those 30 housewives 55 years ago. Thinking back now, of those who were with me 55 years ago, few are still alive. They are in their 80s, 90s, or close to 100 years old; but they are all Tzu Chi volunteers. I often say that, Tzu Chi volunteers must remember those senior ones who started the Tzu Chi Path. Everyone needs to look back and be grateful.
In the past, on uneven grounds, they began a small road, and continuously, they paved the road even. The road became a path which was widened, and now it covers the world. Such is how the Tzu Chi Path came to be a grand Bodhisattva Path, which is truly not easy. Therefore, I’m grateful to the mindfulness of Tzu Chi volunteers; they don’t need to be well-off to serve with Tzu Chi, they do shoulder Tzu Chi’s responsibilities despite being poor. They are spiritually rich; even in poor countries, there are certified Tzu Chi volunteers.
Ever since Tzu Chi started, we’ve seen that there is no socio-economic status when it comes to love. As long as there is a thought of kindness, there is love; and those with a kind heart are the wealthiest ones. He has wealth leftover to help others, hence, he is the wealthiest person. Everyone, this trip of you coming to the Abode is to accomplish your path of being a living bodhisattva.
Lately, I’ve been telling everyone to take an inventory of their life. In our past, if we have done wrong, let us reflect on that at once; change our ways now and do deeds of great kindness. Heading toward a life of doing good is called taking refuge. Taking refuge is to rely on the spirit of religion. In Buddhism, the purpose is to guide people toward being good, which is pure and untainted. This is called turning toward the light from darkness by following the Dharma and rules.
To take refuge in the Dharma is to study deeply the sutra treasury and gain wisdom as vast as the sea. We need to truly study the sutras and understand principles clearly so that we do not go astray in our life. We might have gone astray in the past, but now we need to follow the correct Dharma. There are many teachings that can bring our life back on the right track, bring peace to society, and create harmony in our family.
All these require using the Dharma. We also take refuge in the sangha who can guide living beings. Over 2,500 years ago, the Buddha expounded the Dharma, and now we understand Buddhism’s purpose. Yet, Buddhism needs someone to guide people to follow it. Who is to guide people? It needs monastics who renounce the lay life of individual family to embrace the big family of humanity. They have the responsibility to guide the world to return to the right path, turn toward the good, and urge people not to walk the wrong path. This is the responsibility of the sangha or spiritual leaders.
Everyone, starting now, please learn more about the Dharma. After the Buddha attained enlightenment, he gained many insights, and expounded many teachings. Buddha’s wisdom encompasses everything in the universe. Everything in this world has its ways of existence and the principles behind it. It would take a long time to explain it, so, everyone, please study the sutras deeply. I would also ask everyone to follow the teachings under the guidance of spiritual leaders. This is the meaning of taking the Three Refuge.
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