What are "grass-root"bodhisattvas?
They are Tzu Chi's recycling volunteers.
I often refer to them as "grass-root" bodhisattas.
We must know that it is everyone's responsibility to care for this piece of land that we live on.
(Grass is good for soil conservation)
Though your individual contributions to recycling might seem tiny when everyone's contributions are pooled together they go a long way to helping protect the land.
Just imagine---if there is no grass to help conserve soil with its roots the land will gradually dry up and eventually become a desert.
When strong winds blow, there'll be sandstorms (that can affect a very wide area)
Every year, in sandstorm season, the dust in deserts can blow long distances.
For example, when sandstorms are sweeping inner Mongolia the dust can reach
Why is there so much dust being blown across such long distances?
It is because the land is so arid that it eventually turns into a desert.
Some people may ask what deserts so far away have to do with us?
Since
Living on this piece of land, we must keep our environment green by growing grass and planting trees.
Wherever there are grass and trees that land will be fertile enough to grow crops.
Man cannot live without grains.
So, if we do not take good care of the land we live on that will truly be a crisis for mankind.
(Fortunately,)
(we have this group of recycling volunteers)who I often refer to as "grass-root" bodhisattvas.
Because there are so many of you working to care for our Earth, it is able to remain very healthy and provide all kinds of resources for mankind.
That is why I highly admire and respect you and am very grateful to you all.
Of all the programs on our Da Ai TV the one on our recycling volunteers is one I make sure to watch twice a day.
Touching stories can transform people's hearts.
So, as you save the planet, (your touching deeds) are also saving hearts.
So, we must seize time to do recycling and work to inspire one another.
Indeed, the lifetime we have is very precious.
Even if one has made mistakes in the past if he can repent and start anew that would be the most valuable.
We heard the sharing of one of our volunteers, Mr. Shi.
His body was covered with tattoos.
I told him:
"Though you may regret getting the tattoos"
"they can't be removed now. So"
"(what's most important is to change your ways)"
"and not go back to your old ways"
"When you know what the right thing is."
"you must persevere in doing it"
"and do it right away"
"You are very talented"
"and draw very beautifully"
I then continued:
"You should make good use of such a talent"
"and draw stories about Tzu Chi"
(He then started drawing on the spot)
In just a short while, he presented his drawing to me.
See how clever and skillful he is.
But why did he lead such a deluded life in the past?
As people often say:
"People's cleverness can lead them astray"
That's why I often share with you that we don't need to be especially smart all we need is wisdom.
Those with wisdom work to benefit others and also know to take good care of themselves.
Only when we love and cherish ourselves can we open up our hearts to embrace and love all living beings.
I've been feeling that time is running out as our time on this Earth isn't long.
So, we should truly seize our time to do what is right and by no means should we let our lives slip by emptily indulging ourselves in leisure activities.
When we do that (not only do we not grow in wisdom) we are also creating and accumulating bad karma.
So, in leading a deluded life, not only are we not benefiting others, we're actually creating bad karma.
Although I'm constantly worrying that there is still so much to do and that I'm running out of time.
I seize every moment I have and wholeheartedly devote myself to my work.
Having completed a task, I know I've completed one more thing and I'll feel great joy.
It's just like when all of you are doing recycling.
Recycling work requires many people's efforts.
The more people there are working together.
The more enthusiastic and happy everyone will be.
If only a few people do it, the work will start to get discouraging.
So, recycling stations are like spiritual cultivation grounds where volunteers can inspire one another.
By inspiring those around us, we are recruiting living bodhisattvas.
So, although the price that recyclables sell for is now much lower than before, we are doing this to better care for the Earth.
If the recyclables we collect can be thoroughly cleaned and carefully sorted into finer categories, they can be remade into other quality products.
This way, they would not become garbage that causes problems for our land as some recyclables are not biodegradable.
In the olden days, most wastes could be used as fertilizer but garbage people produce nowadays cannot be used as fertilizer.
Take copper and iron for example.
If we do not recycle these materials they will also end up among piles of garbage.
When a battery is carelessly thrown away, the toxic chemicals from it will pollute the land.
So, when doing recycling we must keep in mind that we're doing this to care for this land.
In these past one or two decades, people have become more and more wasteful throwing away more and more things.
Everyone, we must cherish resources as the land truly cannot withstand the wasteful ways we live our lives now so we mustn't continue like this.
For our own sake, we should start caring for the Earth and for the sake of our future generations we should not give up, but continue our efforts in doing recycling so land can be clean, and the money from selling recyclables can also help fund Da Ai TV to
produce wholesome programs broadcast worldwide.
All in all, we do recycling to protect and care for the Earth to cherish the resources we have and to spread the Buddha's Dharma via Da Ai TV that you help to support.
All the money you collect from selling recyclables is used to support Da Ai TV because only with funding can Da Ai TV spread the Dharma to benefit others
So, be it supporting Da Ai TV or protecting the Earth the recycling work you do is doing great good.
So, we must cherish the work we do and be mindful in doing the work.
There are too many thanks to say as I know how mindfully you all give of yourselves.
I also see how our volunteers help to transform others by guiding them to do recycling.
I can never finish expressing my gratitude for all that you do.
I have shared all of this with you so that you can understand that the Earth needs our help so we mustn't give up on our recycling efforts.
Do you all understand what I'm saying?
Good, I'm very grateful.
We now have so many recycling volunteers spread throughout the world sorting recyclables into very detailed categories.
It is truly a form of spiritual cultivation.
(Without our recycling volunteers in
(what we've done would not be possible)
This is the spirit that I've always wanted everyone in the world to know---
The recycling work you do in
重播 週一到週五
09:48 11:45 15:15 23:00
重播 週六
07:45 11:45 15:18 23:00
重播 週日
02:45 07:45 11:45 23:00
草根菩提如瑰寶
環保道場做中覺
簡樸淡泊惜資源
弘法利生遍清流
2008/11/27
Regards, Jenny
Today's Jing Si Aphorisms: Only with our feet firmly planted on the ground can we hope for stability, inner peace and freedom.
今日靜思語:做人踏實, 才能穩定自在
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