人間菩提--病痛淬鍊心鏡明
Making Use of Our Limited Lifeetime to Cultivate Eternal Wisdom-life
“The results of my checkup last Monday” showed that my liver was fine.
So, there’s nothing wrong with my liver because I’m “kind-livered” (kind-hearted in Chinese)
It’s the glandular cancer.
In any case, I’ll be a good patient.
I’m going to be a very good patient.
(I’ll listen to the doctor) and try my best to get well as soon as possible.
We should seize every moment (to do good) as life’s impermanent.
So, I treasure each and every day that I have
In this world, there are so many Tzu Chi volunteer bodhisattvas who have vowed to carry out my missions and follow me in walking on the Bodhisattva Path
Every one of them is very important to me& has helped me very much.
Needless o say, I also care and worry about every one of them.
Xue-e, my disciple and a brave warrior of life, came back to the Jing Si Abode yesterday.
In the past, when she came back, she could smile at me and talk to me.
She would proudly share with me the work they had done in Kaohsiung.
She would say: “Master, do not worry”
“Everyone is working together in harmony”
“with one heart and mind”
She would report to me what they have been doing in the community.
That’s how spirited she was when she came back to the Abode in the past.
However, when she came back yesterday, she was lying in an ambulance.
She had passed away and her body was brought directly to he Abode.
You’ve returned to the Abode now.
I hope you will come back as a little bodhisattva, a cute, well-behaved, and smiling child.
You’ve formed good affinities with a lot of people.
See, there are so many people here to see you off and that’s because of the good affinities and that’s because of the good affinities you’ve formed with everyone.
So, you must continue forming good affinities.
I give you my best wishes.
The morning before yesterday, her husband, Dr. Lin Rong-zong was still chatting with her and she was still concerned about me.
She knew Master often gets mouth ulcers, so she asked me to give Master this salve.
She knew that injections hurt, so she wanted me o pass this ointment to Master.
And after receiving injections, there’s often bruising or swelling, so there’s another ointment for that.
She was still thinking of me at that time. Almost a fortnight ago when I was in Taichung, I heard that she had passed into unconsciousness.
But being at a Year-end Blessings Ceremony, I could not leave the ceremony and talk to her.
However, when I called in the evening.
However, when I called in the evening, it was she who personally spoke to me.
I asked her, “How are you feeling now?”
She said: “Master, hearing you talking to me now,”
“I feel a lot better already”
“I feel quite energetic now”
“I feel I’ve gained some strength”
I said to her: “You’ve been working hard”
“Don’t overexert yourself”
“You should relax and be more at ease”
Hearing that, she said to me:
“Master, I cannot bear to leave you”
“and I cannot bear to leave before”
“everything is in order”
“at Kaohsiung’s Jing Si Hall”
“I must keep working”
I told her, ”I understand how you feel”
“You have worked very hard”
“but you need to stop worrying so much”
Then, she said: I will follow you life after life, Master”
I said, “Okay,”
“then you must take care of yourself”
“I am very busy right now”
“and cannot visit you in Kaohsiung”
“but you can come back to the abode”
Although I kept encouraging her:
“You must be strong and be at ease”---
However, in my heart, could I possibly feel at ease?”
It was very hard.
Although I said to her:
“You will have the chance to see me again”
“You will”
“If you come back after the Chinese New Year,”
“I will of course be very happy”---
But, I clearly knew that it was not going to happen.
I knew that when she did come back, it would mean that she had already passed away.
In this lifetime, she dedicated herself to Tzu Chi’s work without letting any second slip by emptily even when her body was ravaged by cancer.
These past two years or so her prognosis wasn’t good.
She underwent chemotherapy, and it was hard on her.
Her husband did everything he could, and no matter how costly her medication was or how difficult it was to obtain, he’d get it for her.
(They spent a lot of money of her medication)
So, our health is not something that can be bought with money.
The diseases that afflict our body are due to the karma we created in past lives, so how long we live is not up to us.
Fortunately, Xue-e chose to walk on the Tzu Chi in this lifetime, and see how she had formed good affinities with so many
Yesterday, some staff at our offices around Taiwan, volunteers from Tzu Chi Humanitarian Aid Assn. as well as our honorary board members all happened to be here at the Abode.
When Xue-e was brought back yesterday so many people happened to be here to see her off.
See what a large and orderly group there was
What a dignified scene it was
She had formed good karmic affinities with many people in this lifetime so when she passed away, her circumstances were such that (there happened to be many people at the Abode)
(How inconceivable karmic affinities are)
When she arrived at our university, the chancellor, some professors, and department heads of our university were all there to give her their best wishes.
Wasn’t that a consequence of her deeds in this lifetime?
(With every step she took, she lived out)
(the meaning and value of her life)thus sowing a field of blessings. She did this broadly and deeply.
Although her life has ended, I’m sure her wisdom-life has grown.
Indeed, everyone must face death one day.
That’s true for everyone.
We don’t know when that time will come and we don’t know how long we can live.
But, what’s important is for our wisdom-life to grow continually.
(Before passing away,)
(Xue-e was still worried about Tzu Chi’s work)
This mission was part of her consciousness.
(as she left this world) and she has gone to be.
(reincarnated in another family)
So, let us wish her our best.
See how she was able to get go.
(and leave behind all worldly attachments)
What she brought away with her is a seed of enlightened love which is pure and untainted.
In the family she is reborn to may she be loved by all, always beam with smiles and help guide more people onto the right path.
She will continue to walk the Bodhisattva Path of Tzu Chi in this world.
(She had lived a life of great breadth and depth) and the seed she planted will lead her to the very path that she had paved.
So, I am not worried.
Indeed, our body is not ours to possess, and we have no control over the time we have in life.
Despite that, we can still make use of our body and the time we have, and live our life to its fullest (by serving others)
So, in life, we can only make use of our body, and (we have no control over how long we will live)
By making use of our body, we can add to the breadth and depth of our life.
(through working to benefit others)
That is something we can control and decide to do.
Our life can be filled with love---
As long as we know to give, we can be a living bodhisattvas in this world.
If we don’t know to make use of our life, our only contribution is to add to earth’s pollution.
So, it’s very important that we lead a life of purity and nurture our wisdom-life.
through making use of our abilities to benefit others.
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