Life Wisdom: Tzu Chi's Recycling Stations: A Cultivation Ground of Bodhisattvas
Oil prices are soaring, which forces us to walk instead of drive. We even have to use firewood for cooking as gas is also super expensive. There's a mother who has to choose between paying her energy bills and feeding her two children. Why is the world filled with much suffering? Suffering comes from people's desire to enjoy life.
In addition to enjoying natural resources at the cost of excavating and damaging the land, people have been creating much swill and garbage, thus polluting the land and water. A lot of pollutants have been created by people. Yet, instead of being content or repenting, people keep letting their greed run rampant. We see that as industrial development has led to the creation of much garbage, many Tzu Chi volunteers are bending over and doing recycling tirelessly
Some volunteers drive trucks to collect recyclables, and when the trucks loaded with many recyclables return to our recycling stations, many elderly volunteers begin to sort the recyclables. Among the recyclables, there are many that contain rotten food or have become soaking wet, carrying an unbearable odor. These volunteers of ours truly have my admiration, and I'm grateful and touched for they all serve at ease rather than let the smelly and dirty recyclables hold them back. As they've vowed to do recycling, they've been dedicated to recycling work unwaveringly.
During a tour in 2010, I visited our recycling station in Yanpu, (Pingdong) and saw many volunteers do recycling with great joy under big trees. There were many big trees on this piece of land and many villagers came here to do recycling. Instead of gossiping, they talked about good people and their good deeds. They listened and shared the Dharma as well as encouraged and praised one another. I kept hearing them showing their gratitude. This piece of land truly was a pure, joyful land. The land was donated by an elderly volunteer, and he was dedicated to recycling work too. Our volunteers did recycling joyfully on this pure land just like a family. This was what I saw during my tour many years ago.
Our elderly volunteers said to me: Master, we are very grateful to you. I replied: I'm the one who should express gratitude. I called on you to do recycling and you've been following my words. I'm grateful to you all. They then replied: No, Master, we are the ones who should express gratitude. If you hadn't founded Tzu Chi, how could we do recycling here? Thanks to Master, we can cultivate ourselves here at this recycling station. You say that recycling is a way to cultivate ourselves. We can't write or give a Dharma talk, so we do recycling diligently here.
I told them, "When you collect and sort" bottles and other recyclables, every one of your movements is like words written beautifully to convey the thoughts of recycling volunteers. Through your laughter, you can inspire others as if you were sharing the Dharma. You all serve here joyfully and willingly, and your laughter can be heard constantly. You are truly cultivating yourselves and this is a pure cultivation ground of living bodhisattvas. Isn't the cultivation ground with big trees cool and refreshing?
When I was about to give a talk, they sat down under the trees quickly. I gave the talk under a tree too. It was very cool and I was very happy. I said a lot to them and they all took in my words with joy. This is what I always hope for. I truly wish to go on a tour. In the past, I could go on a tour twice a year and visit Tzu Chi's facilities around Taiwan. But now, hardly can I take a tour even once a year.
Yet, as this year marks Tzu Chi's 55th anniversary, I've been working hard for my next tour. I've said that I've been striving to train myself so I can take large steps and walk fast and steadily. Now, my only wish is to visit and tour each of our recycling stations. I'm preparing myself for our Year-end Blessings Ceremonies and I'm looking forward to them. Even if the tour is still many days away, I've been training hard. I'm training myself so hard for our Year-end Blessings Ceremonies, which reminds me that this year is drawing to a close. Time still passes very quickly in this second half of the year, and New Year is coming around again. My previous tour was for our Year-end Blessings Ceremonies, and now I'm preparing myself diligently for our Year-end Blessings Ceremonies again. So, time passes very quickly and everything is subject to its passing.
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