人間菩提--慈心妙法迎新歲
Chinese New Year in the Big Family of Tzu Chi
There is really the festive air of the Chinese New Year.
Today is the first day of the new lunar year.
So, it is the start of a new year.
Indeed, there is a real air of joy and celebration.
When people see one another, they greet one another with well wishes for the new year.
Their words are all well wishes. (and words that make people feel nice)
Everyone is wishing one another well
Everyone has wishes and hopes for the new year.
But no matter what our wishes and hopes are, it is most important that we have a heart of piety and vigilance---a heart in continuous prayer.
We should pray at every moment but are we praying for ourselves?
Or for our loved ones?
No, we ought to open our hearts broadly and pray for all people in the world.
Isn’t all the world one family?
Look at last night’s New Year reunion dinner.
It really was one big family at the Jing Si Abode.
We had over 200 tables of people for dinner and many had brought their entire family.
My Jing Si disciples from eight countries all came back to the Jing Si Abode for the Chinese New Year.
It was very heartwarming.
But it’s not only in Taiwan
For lunch yesterday, Tzu Chi members who had traveled to Sichuan, China held a reunion meal for over 70 local senior citizens who lived alone.
Besides the volunteers who went there from Taiwan.
(about twenty of them) there were also many local volunteers who came to help.
Everyone joined together to cook the reunion meal so it would suit local tastes.
See, in Sichuan, these elderly we have karmic affinities with were able to enjoy a truly heartwarming and festive New Year’s Eve and feel like they are part of a big family.
On everyone’s face, there was a bright smile. (full of joy and happiness)
Doesn’t it snow us that in our hearts, spring has already come and renewed our hearts?
Indeed, what I mean by spring coming to our hearts is that I hope everyone’s hearts will be filled with joy from the Dharma.( Just as the New Year heralds the spring) which revitalizes the land, I hope that spiritually, our hearts can return to the inner state when we first vowed to walk the spiritual path.
If we keep this heart always, attaining Buddhahood won’t be difficult.
As Jing Si disciples, we must all resolve to diligently uphold the Jing Si principles and follow the way of Truth.
Indeed, we are part of the Jing Si Dharma lineage and the Jing Si abode is our spiritual home.
We must all pass on its principles and values.
These principles, of course, are rooted in the Buddha’s teachings.
So, we must all uphold the (principles & guidelines set down by the Buddha)
As a member of the Jing Si lineage, we must follow the principles of our Dharma lineage.
Our lineage isn’t about cultivating oneself in isolation.
Our lineage’s tenets is to have great selfless vows rooted in the inner state of “Jing Si”
That state is an inner stat of utter purity and tranquility full of selfless love for all--- Great Love.
This is our aspiration and we must move forward in this direction.
But as we walk forward, we must life up our back foot.
Just as we need to leave behind yesterday to move into a new day.
(we have to let go of the past)
At New Year, we send off the past year and welcome in a new year.
In the same way, every day, we send off the past day and welcome in a new day.
Every month, we send off the past month and welcome in a new month.
Every year, we send off the past year and welcome in a new year.
When we walk, the process is quite like this.
We must lift up the back foot to move forward.
(We can’t let our back foot stay rooted)
Spiritually, we must do the same.
We must let go of the past and take every new step with Dharma.
Only then can we progress on the spiritual path.
(So, when t comes to our hearts) we must not let the past weigh us down and become a self-hindrance as we get bogged down by our attachments to our views and our ego.
Then, our hearts can never be broad.
We need to go into the world---
The path of Tzu Chi is a path of this world.
The Buddha’s Dharma is about this very world.
To deeply understand the Dharma, we must deeply enter into this world to explore all its phenomena.
They are all Dharma.
I hope that everyone can strive to inspire more people to become bodhisattvas.
(Tzu Chi is meant to be a big family)
Last nights evening program was very adorable.
There were two little bodhisattvas.
See how they talked about how one should use.
(the government-issued consumption vouchers)
What to do with the NT$3,600 consumption vouchers?
Grand-master says we should live a simple life.
So we should spend the consumption vouchers on where it is most needed.
(This is how to make good use of the vouchers)
What things are considered the most needed?
(I know!)
I can buy more clothes.
There are better uses for it than buying clothes.
You can donate the voucher to charity.
With the global financial crisis going on the global economy is going down.
To boost the economy, consumption vouchers were given out.
Businesses all want the vouchers.
People cannot discern necessary vs. wasteful spending.
Hence, they produce a lot of garbage.
We need to keep in mind---spend on necessities and not on wants.
It was really a joy to see.
(I’m truly very grateful to everyone)
Also, this morning’s Da Ai News really warmed my heart.
In many different locations, Tzu Chi people were giving out hong-baos.
The head of our hospital in Dalin visited every part of the hospital.
Of course, it was the same at our other hospitals in Hualien, Taipei, and Taichung.
This is the culture of humanity in all of Tzu Chi’s six hospitals.
They all care for the patients very much.
Of course, it’s not only the patients who can’t go home for the Chinese New Year.
The medical staff also have to remain in the hospital.
In the Tzu Chi family, the staff all willingly.
(stay at their posts to fulfill their mission) be it our hospital staff or media personnel be it our hospital staff or media personnel.
In a word, in the big family of Tzu Chi the Chinese New Year is a very festive time.
Everyone is filled with genuine sincerity and Great Love for others.
So, when there’s harmony, we can be safe and grow in wisdom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment