人間菩提--心寬入法度群迷
Entering Tzu Chi's Bodhisattva Path
In November of last year, we held our first Year-end Blessings Ceremony at the Jing Si Hall in Hualien, and yesterday and last of the Year-end Blessings Ceremonies was again held at the Jing Si Hall in Hualien.
There was really the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
(because with the approach of the CNY,)
(we will be starting a new year soon)
So, in celebrating the Chinese New Year, I sincerely give everyone my blessings and wish everyone has an auspicious year filled with blessings and wisdom and may everyone create blessings in this world.
(Our Year-end Blessings Ceremony is also our)
(certification ceremony,)Everyone was filled with great joy--- a deep inner joy that comes from the Dharma.
In yesterday’s two ceremonies, the story behind the Water Repentance text was dramatized. Who wrote this text?
Dharma Master Wu Da. In the text’s preface he told about this nemesis following him for ten lifetimes to seek vengeance
It showed how the law of karma plays out
So, the preface encapsulated. the Buddhist teaching of karma.
On stage, however, they conveyed this teaching with their bodies.
This year, I am truly grateful to our volunteer, Ci Yue, for designing this program and inviting the heads of our hospitals, schools, and cultural center to be involved in the performance where they conveyed the teaching with their bodies.
At every ceremony a different pair of department heads took the stage, but they all displayed the same movements to express the teaching.
Every one of them really brought their roles to life, e it the role of Dharma Master Wu Da or Ven. Kanaka.
It was as if these two cultivators had come back to this world again
When the superintendent of each of our hospitals played the role, they really got into character.
It was truly touching. They enabled everyone to enter deeply into the Dharma and experienced the joy.
Be it the heads of our hospitals or the heads of or university and technical college.
(they are not performers one could have hired)
Yet, they had no pride or ego as they (willingly let themselves)
(be molded into performers)
I am truly very grateful to them for enabling us to take in the Dharma from their performance and experience spiritual joy.
This year, there are 5,000 new living bodhisattvas.
It is truly a very moving thing.
Just think, doesn’t every new bodhisattva lead to the arising of many more bodhisattvas?
(that’s because who inspired to walk the path) will in turn inspire others to walk the path also
With more bodhisattvas, there will be greater strength to realize the mission of purifying the hearts of humanity.
(This is the Buddha’s mission. The Buddha) came into the world to enlighten living beings.
(This mission is the origin of Tzu Chi)
(We practice the Buddha’s teachings) and nurture our spiritual wisdom-life.
Everyone makes great, selfless vows
(to walk the Bodhisattva Path in this world)
This is the way of Tzu Chi
Everyone willingly goes into the community to serve with the pure heart and mind of a bodhisattva
Their spirit inspires & purifies people’s hearts
In learning to become a bodhisattva, everyone first purifies their own heart and mind.
The certification ceremony only serves to signify that the person has already “passed the test”
In the past, everyone had unwholesome habits.
(be it gambling, drinking, smoking, etc)
But when they’re inspired to join Tzu Chi---
Just wanting to join doesn’t make you a certified member right away. No, to be certified one has to truly enter the core of (Tzu Chi’s Bodhisattva practice)
(So, one has to follow the precepts of)
(our Jing Si Dharma lineage)
One has to purify his or her mind and get rid of unwholesome habits.
That’s why they first go through a trial year.
They need to first understand our moral standard and determine whether they can live up to it and whether they can endure the spiritual training and follow our rules and precepts.
They have a year to try it out.
This period is called “jian xi”
(If after that year) they decide to commit to this path, then, they enter the next stage of training where they have the conviction to undergo training to become a certified member.
During this period, we let them know that as we serve others, we must do so with gratitude and be grateful to those we help
(because in order to realize the Dharma,) we must learn the Buddha’s teachings
In the first period of his teaching, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths.
(which is about suffering)
To understand the ultimate truth the Buddha taught, we must first understand the reality of suffering
If we don’t know this, we will easily go astray
So, to truly understand the truths that the Buddha taught, we must first know about the suffering in life.
But people think, “I’m not poor or starving”
“I’m not lacking in anything”
“I’m enjoying my life. I’m not suffering”
But while you may not suffer, others are experiencing all kinds of suffering
Some people are very wealthy & have a lot of money and have all they could want
But spiritually, they full of afflictions.
(They suffer form wants and desires and)
(the feelings of love, hate, and resentment)
So, though wealthy, they still experience suffering
To come out of suffering, they must learn the Dharma. Then, they can open their hearts and expand their love.
One should treat one’s loved ones with the (wisdom) of a Bodhisattva and embrace all the people in the world with the unconditional love of a parent.
If they can do this, they’ll be able to broaden their hearts.
So, by engaging in worldly affairs and seeing others’ suffering, we learn to count our blessings.
That’s why in serving others, we have gratitude in our hearts.
So, when we help others, we bow lower than the people we give the aid to because we are very grateful to them for showing us the suffering in this world so we can understand it.
So, serving as a living bodhisattva in this world, we should use a pure heart in passing on the Dharma and in increasing our wisdom-life.
Therefore, we should spread selfless Great Love all around the world.
We ought to take all the suffering in the world into our heart.
(and realize what is really the important thing) and seize the present to help relieve suffering
Otherwise, look at Dharma Master Wu Da
Even though he had both blessings and wisdom in the moment that he gave rise to unwholesome thoughts his negative karma manifested.
So, he had to suffer the karmic retribution
All in all, we need to understand the law of karma
If we’ve formed bad karmic affinities with others, we need to know how to resolve it.
(and not create more negative karma)
For people who have blessings, they should utilize their blessings to create more blessings everyday
This is how we can nurture wisdom and eliminate misfortunes and disasters
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