"Legend goes that Wang Bao-chuan."
"But I have suffered for 30 years."
"After I got married,"
"my husband changed jobs a lot"
"when he came home, he would it us & yell at us"
Our relative and friends wouldn't lend him money.
So, he turned to loan sharks to borrow money.
To Support the family, I've done all kinds of work:
Tile work, wood work, selling betel nuts, temp jobs, cleaning work,
and even cooked meals for others.
When I heard Master say that we can change our life if we change our mindset.
I thought it was a very apt teaching for me so I started to change myself.
Master said to "just do it"
After I heard this,
(I began o do recycling work)
My second son had been doing drugs.
I told him Master says that mistakes are forgivable, but we must correct them.
He has changed. He's now very good.
He'd say, "Mom, don't worry"
"I'll take care of the house. You go do Tzu Chi"
He used to be a bad kid so I was so happy to hear him say this for the past two months.
My daughter (also did drugs, but I forgive her)
Master says that we need to forgive people.
When we forgive, we're being kind to ourselves.
Master also says that it's never too late to correct our wrong ways.
(We also need to do good deeds)
(My daughter would drive me to the Jing Si Hall)
After my mother joined Tzu Chi, she became happier.
So, I also joined Tzu Chi with my mother.
Just now, we saw Xiu-wen, a recycling volunteer or "grass-root bodhisattva"
Her life has been full of adversity.
I can see that her son and daughter are good and kind at heart.
So, as long as they resolve to reform and follow the right direction.
I am sure (they can change). I believe that from now on, Xiu-wen's life will have a turn for the better, and she can be happy, and not be afflicted because of her family troubles.
In truth, financial problems are one thing, but what causes true misery is one's mental suffering and afflictions.
I have faith that her daughter and son have truly changed.
I'm very grateful to my mother.
She's always loved us & taken very good care of us.
To support our family, she's had to work very hard and has never had a good life.
But when she was going through the roughest time, my brother and I went and did bad things which gave her a lot of pain.
Mom, please forgive us.
From now on, we will be good children to you.
From now on, we will also do Tzu Chi's work with you.
We see her daughter and son apologizing to her in front of so many people and all these people are bodhisattvas.
So, they have repented in front of so many bodhisattvas.
All of us sincerely wish them the best.
As we say, repentance brings purity.
Those who can turn back from wrong ways are very precious, as the saying goes,
and such people's lives will be very valuable.
Everyone let us all lead a life that has great value and meaning.
Over the past few days, many disasters have occurred in the world.
For example, in the state o Santa Catarina in Brazil, it has been raining everyday for the past two months.
Moreover, the rainfall these past few days is the amount it usually gets in four months.
So, it has caused flooding in many areas.
People living close to the mountains though that they were safe from the flood due to the higher elevation.
However, tons of mud slid down the mountainsides.
(burying the houses)
It's truly terrifying to see.
Why did this happen?
(Because there are many poor people)
(in that country and)
They make their living through illegal logging.
Because of deforestation and poor soil conservation once it rained, the heavy rain caused mudslides killing many people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
Our Tzu Chi volunteers in Brazil flew to the disaster areas from Sao Paulo.
They traveled 600 or 700 km to the state of Santa Catarina.
When they got off the plane (what they saw was total devastation)
Wherever they looked, they either saw places submerged in water or houses destroyed by the disaster.
From what they know, as of now, around 79,000 people are homeless.
So, these past few days, I've been paying close attention to the situation in Brazil to see if the areas our volunteers went to are safe and what kind of aid we can give to the people affected by the disaster.
Our volunteers are in the disaster areas to assess what the people need.
The local authorities say that though there is a need for everything what is needed most now is medicine.
The water there has been contaminated due to the flooding.
If people drink contaminated water they might get infected with (leptospirosis)or other diseases. There've already been (cases of leptospirosis reported)
There have been related deaths and the diseases are still spreading.
When I learned of this, it made me very worried.
Our local volunteers said that they'll try to find out what medicines are needed and get the needed medicine there.
They'll also try to find out what other materials the people need.
While in the disaster area, our volunteers saw goods people had donated.
They started to help with sorting out these goods to see if some of the goods could be
Readily given to the flood victims.
While they were sorting out the goods heavy rain came down and the area became flooded again.
So, although out volunteers want to help the people there.
(the continued rain is hampering their efforts)
My heart really goes out to the people.
So, you see, I worry a lot, too.
Even though I'm traveling around Taiwan.
(holding Year-end Blessings Ceremonies,)
I still have to worry about a lot of things.
So, everyone, we really need to cherish and care for our planet.
We need to be a bodhisattva that protects the earth.
Though we're in an economic downturn.
(and recyclables don't sell for as much,) we have to still continue recycling like always to let people know the need to cherish materials so that our natural resources won't be depleted.
Do you know?
Everything on earth is a treasure.
If we count our blessings and cherish everything, everything is a valuable treasure.
It all depends on our frame of mind.
(If we see what treasures they are,)we'll see that the recyclables we collect are very precious and valuable.
If we think it's all just useless garbage. Then it will be valueless and will just be garbage.
So, now that we're in an economic downturn, we must all the more recognize how every material thing is a treasure.
That's "gathering blessings" which will make us rich.
Furthermore, we mustn't let earth's resources become depleted.
Look at Brazil, I'm very worried about their recent flooding.
Look at Haiti, They don't have food to eat and I'm very worried about them, too.
If all of us can be more thrifty we'll have money left over to help others.
I hope we can all help others.
Since we help our fellow man of course we should help the earth.
In a word, I hope everyone can look with eyes of wisdom and see that everything is a treasure and see everyone as a bodhisattva.
That is to look upon the earth and humanity with a mind of wisdom, and hence we respect all life and cherish all things.
首播 每日19:45
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