Life Wisdom: Nurturing Kind Thoughts and Cultivating Ourselves Diligently
Such is the marvel of internet; there is wondrous existence in true emptiness. Our cultivation grounds are connected via internet. Such is the affinity, and I must seize this chance. Right now, how many people are willing to accept my teachings and get close to my heart?
Words come out from my mouth and enter the ears of volunteers and into their hearts. I speak what I truly want to say in my heart. So, as I speak the words, volunteers take in my words. As I speak what I truly want to say in my heart, volunteers want to listen to me and they take in my teachings into their hearts.
The same is true for the Dharma. There are teachings that I want to share with people. Through our bodies’ intricate six sense organs, I can give a talk, and they can take in my teachings. It takes time to transmit my words. How far do volunteers live from me? They live far away. My words seem to be delayed by several seconds. However, they listen to my talk as I give my teachings.
Though there are distances, two or three seconds after I speak the words, they can hear my words. Thus, as I talk about the teachings, they listen to my talk. There are only few seconds lag, and it does not hinder volunteers from learning the teachings. Overseas Jing Si disciples cannot go back to the Abode.
“By attending the spiritual retreat online our hearts can follow Master closely. I feel like I’ve gone to Taiwan. I feel that I’m closer to Taiwan and Master. I’m grateful to technology,” said a volunteer.
That’s right. Thanks to technology, we can communicate with one another. Being able to do so, we need to cherish it. Dharma is all the same. They are not different. Every one, there is no other Dharma. This is what I want to say to everyone, it’s very difficult to seek the Dharma. To seek the Dharma requires nurturing affinities which are accumulated through time.
I often say to myself, “I’ve been forming affinities for many lifetimes.” When I say something, so many people respond.
“We heard Master say that this needs to be done, and we want to support this cause. We’ve aspired happily to carry it out!”
Their power of love quickly forms a strong affinity that connects people and matter together. We’re grateful to all the staff at each location for working closely with us, so that we are able to make the delivery smoothly and the medical supplies can be put to use. The staff at the city hall said the vaccination venues provided by Tzu Chi are fantastic as the elderlies are vaccinated at such a nice place.
“After all these years, we finally have a chance to be at the World Food Summit and present Master’s Dharma through various ways, her thoughts, views, and actions her thoughts, views, and actions in working with other religious organizations, and to promote vegetarianism.”
These are all good karmic affinities. I hope volunteers worldwide will take my words to heart. When Tzu Chi volunteers come together with their power of love, it becomes a great strength. It can be utilized and we can all feel it; we can also feel our wisdom reaching out. With love, we create blessings, and with wisdom, our wisdom-life lives on forever.
Such is how Tzu Chi has been creating blessings and cultivating wisdom for the past fifty years; everyone is cultivating both blessings and wisdom. For over fifty years, Tzu Chi’s strength did not rise out of thin air, it came from volunteers serving wholeheartedly. Utilizing time and space, people come together to give with love. It’s been done very solidly, though many things cannot be seen, they create an atmosphere, which is the atmosphere of kindness.
As Tzu Chi volunteers come together with their power of love, from the things we do, we see principle sand we can apply principles to the acts we do. This is the wondrous existence in true emptiness. The world contains the five realms. There are good and bad in the world; as we cultivate, we are to comprehend the meaning of wholesome principles; these wholesome principles are the path to Buddhahood.
To attain Buddhahood, we have to walk on this path. This path requires us to understand the truth and to experience the function of life, the air, and the world. We have to find ways to bring people together and help them not to take the wrong direction but follow rules. As we abide by laws and follow rules and correct ourselves when we make mistakes, this is called changing our ways immediately.
In the past, people would say, “The butcher who lays down his knife at once becomes a Buddha.” But, is this that easy? It is easy to say than do. Is it true that when we lay down the knife, we become Buddhas at once? Yes and no. It is a yes when we know what we did before was wrong, and now we are awakened, we won’t do wrongs again.
Nevertheless, when we seek the true Dharma, no matter how unbearable the hardship is, we have to endure it and keep going with a heart of tolerance. Does being tolerating bring that much suffering? Actually, it isn’t that much suffering. All we have to do is keeping our desires in check, and this desire is merely a thought.
“We must quickly stop the bad thoughts that have already risen in our minds.” This can warn us that once we are about to give rise to a bad thought, we have to quickly get rid of it; “We have to prevent bad thoughts from arising.” We must nurture the kind thoughts we already have in our mind.” Since we have done what is right, we have to be more diligent.
“We must nurture the kind thoughts we already have in our mind.” Do not give rise to bad thoughts and quickly get rid of the bad thoughts already in our minds. Do give rise to kind thoughts and quickly nurture the kind thoughts already in our minds.
We must quickly cultivate kind thoughts that we have yet to give rise to. Let’s seize the moment, whenever there are opportunities for us to align ourselves to the right direction, we should quickly move toward that direction; rather than staying put and not moving, we must move forward at once, and walk solidly forward. This is to cultivate ourselves right away.
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