人間菩提--心燈朗照‧日日吉祥
With the Inner Light Shining Always, Every Day Becomes Auspicious
Everyone is immersed in the spirit of the Chinese New Year celebration.
Everyone is praying sincerely and wishes that the new year will bring auspiciousness, harmony, and blessings.
This is the blessing that people are offering to one another.
With regards to blessings, is it true that we would gain blessings if people offer us blessings?
(No, blessings aren’t gained that way)
When people give us their blessings, it serves to remind us that we need to create blessings by helping people.
Therefore, we must be grateful for their blessings.
We should gratefully accept their blessings and at the same time give them our blessings.
So, when everyone gives blessings to one another, it creates a harmonious atmosphere.
Indeed, when the Chinese New Year comes, (it means spring is coming)
But what is most important, (is the state of our inner world)
When we are sincere and pious, our heart will be bright.
If our heart is bright, we would have light within our heart, an inner light.
Then we can pass on, this inner light of blessings and wisdom.
If our heart is filled with (the New Year spirit)
(of blessings and pious sincerity)
Just as spring renews and revitalizes the earth, sincerity does the same--- it brightens our heart so that the light of Dharma can shine within.
If we have pious sincerity, we’ll be able to have the Dharma.
When our heart is bright, the Dharma can enter our hearts.
For everyone to come together like this to pray for society and for humanity---this gathering is a very big thing.
It’s even more so because all the major religions are here together.
(They’ve set the place up very well)
This is a very good ceremony.
See, besides Taiwan, we have Tzu Chi volunteers in over 40 countries.
They live in different countries among different ethnic groups and under different governments.
Yet our volunteers are able to pass on the light of blessings and wisdom to the local people.
For the Year-end Blessings Ceremony, just like the volunteers in Taiwan, our overseas Tzu Chi volunteers from 25 countries produced and showed a video of the work they had done for the year.
I’m very, very happy.
It was very touching.
I’ve brought back the coin bank, filled with coins.
(They also got involved in making)
(Tzu Chi’s hong-bao just as we do in Taiwan)
The six grains inside the hong-bao represent the Six Paramitas.
(and the coin signifies forming good affinities)
The hong-baos were sent to countries worldwide where Tzu Chi volunteers reside.
They held the ceremony to offer everyone blessings and to light people’s inner light with the Dharma.
They are passing on the inner light and spreading the seeds of love.
Outside of Taiwan, we see Vietnam.
Do you know that because Vietnam is a socialist republic gatherings require government permission.
In these past ten or so years, Tzu Chi people have dedicated themselves with love.
So, Tzu Chi has gained the government’s approval and when we hold aid distributions or free clinics the government readily provides needed assistance.
For this yea’s Year-end Blessings Ceremony, we were able to put on a theatrical performance and were even allowed to show a video of Tzu Chi’s works in the year 2008.
Over a thousand people were in attendance and a musical theater adaptation of the sutra about filial piety was performed.
There was also a performance by doctors.
All the people onstage in white doctor’s coats are real doctors.
They are doctors who have participated in Tzu Chi’s free clinics there these past few years. For this performance, they rehearsed for over two months.
It is truly a joy to see.
In China, on Jan.1, in the city of Xiamen, we also held two Year-end Blessings Ceremonies.
Local officials, Tzu Chi volunteers as well as local residents attended the ceremonies which was held at (the Xiamen International Conference Center)
Altogether, over 3,500 people attended.
We were also able to have an exhibition on Tzu Chi’s works.
It really makes us happy to see this.
With so many people in attendance and with everyone praying sincerely, our collective piety will surely reach all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
I believe that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have heard our sincere prayers and our selfless Great Love.
We saw how people’s love was inspired.
Our volunteers had previously encouraged people to save up money in coin banks and donate it. This time, some people brought their full coin banks.
Some took many coin banks back home with them so they can donate a coin every day.
This is how we are spreading seeds of love on this earth.
Don’t all these people each represent a seed of love?
This year, we’re doing this in Sichuan, China also
There are over 20 Tzu Chi members now in Sichuan.
(to spend the Chinese New Year there)
(with local quake survivors). Yesterday, I saw them decorating the activity center we built.
When local officials such as the mayor and deputy mayor learned that Tzu Chi volunteers had come, these local officials personally went there bearing gifts of apples (symbolizing well wishes) to express their sincere welcome and New Year well wishes to Tzu Chi members.
It was very heartwarming.
When Tzu Chi volunteers went there, they expressed their wish to hold the traditional New Year reunion meal with local quake survivors. The officials gave Tzu Chi the list of local residents.
Yesterday, our volunteers went door to door to personally invite them to the traditional CNY reunion dinner.
Everyone was delighted
We see that there in Sichuan, the big family of Tzu Chi will be celebrating the CNY with the locals
I believe New Year’s Eve will be very festive.
Seeing them setting up the place, it seems just as if it was in Taiwan.
(So, in Sichuan, we can likewise find)
(the spiritual home of the Tzu Chi family)
While we’re at our reunion dinners in Taiwan, there in Sichuan, they will be doing the same.
I’m very truly grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers.(for going there to be with the quake survivors)
(for going there to be with the quake survivors)
(There are really so many moving deeds being done)
I hope that everyone will treat every day like the New Year and every day, have that same sense of piety and offer people blessings with selfless Great Love.
If everyone is like that, I believe that the coming year will be an auspicious year where everyone enjoys peace and good fortune and grows in blessings and wisdom.
If, in daily life, we continually pass on the inner light wouldn’t our society become bright and prosperous?
So, we don’t need to worry about the economy.
So long as everyone prays sincerely every day by doing good every day, following Nature’s laws and creating good karma---if everyone does that, I believe that just as time moves, bringing us into the new year.(the economy will also move smoothly)
This is our hope and our well wishes.
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