| Stay True to the Bodhisattva Path |
| By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Teresa Chang |
On September 2, 2015, the body of a three-year-old boy was found washed up on a beach in Bodrum, southern Turkey. A boat carrying his family and other Syrian refugees had capsized in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. The boy was lying face down in the sand and surf when he was found. He had drowned. Later, it was reported that he had fled Syria with his father, mother, and brother, and that only his father had survived the tragic journey. We can only imagine how sad the father must have been. The news of the young boy’s fate, and that of his family, spread around the world. Countries in Europe were called upon to extend a helping hand to the refugees in a humanitarian spirit. As a result, some countries have announced their willingness to take in a limited number of refugees. More than four million Syrians have fled their homeland since a civil war broke out there over four years ago. Whether traveling by land or by sea, they have risked their lives seeking refuge. They have been exposed to the elements during their journeys, have had little food to sustain themselves, and have had no access to medical care should they become sick. Some have drowned when their boats capsized on the sea during rough weather. Some refugees even suffocated to death in an overcrowded, closed truck trying to reach safety. These refugees’ paths to sanctuary have truly been covered in blood. Yet, even though countless people have lost their lives before reaching their destinations, others are undeterred. Similar tragedies have occurred not just to Syrians—the problem of refugees has long existed in the international community. Religious, racial, or political strife has led to wars in many countries, and legions of people have had no choice but to uproot their whole families and settle elsewhere. Sadly, even if they reach their destinations in safety, life does not turn out to be rosy for them. Without any legal status in many countries, refugees cannot work legally and have difficulty making a living. Despite having escaped danger, they are still stuck in hardship. The world is vast, but where is their home? The plight of the refugees is truly heartrending. To help relieve their suffering, our volunteers in Jordan and Turkey have been doing their best to take care of Syrian refugees. They provide the refugees with daily necessities and other items, including space heaters to keep them warm in winter. Our volunteers have found that quite a few Syrian refugees come from well-to-do families and are very well-educated. Some of them even owned companies back in Syria. But to escape the ravages of war, they had no choice but to abandon everything in their home countries and flee to a foreign land. They settled in shabby dwellings, and they cannot work legally. Their children cannot receive a formal education. Many children have even been forced to work to help support their families. In an effort to provide refugee children with an education, a group of kind-hearted people in Istanbul worked with Tzu Chi and set up a school this year in Sultangazi, Istanbul, offering both primary and middle school education. The local government provides space, Tzu Chi provides scholarships, and Syrian teachers conduct classes. Eight hundred Syrian youngsters go to school there. In a foreign country, refugees have no control over their destinies and do not know what tomorrow holds for them. We empathize with their situations, and at the same time we realize what a blessing it is that we can live in peace in our native land.
During a home visit, volunteers burst into tears after hearing the sad story of a refugee. Tzu Chi volunteers in Turkey have been aring for Syrian refugees there. Photo by Hsiao Yiu-hwa
Cessation of suffering We can trace the refugee problem back to the wayward thoughts of a few people in power. It’s truly horrendous how the unwholesome thoughts of a few people can cause such chaos and turmoil in society and lead to the suffering of so many people. The world we live in is indeed full of suffering, be it physical, psychological, or spiritual. What is the origin of all this suffering? How can we extinguish it? All suffering originates in the mind. Swayed by external circumstances, our mind gives rise to all kinds of thoughts, all kinds of ignorance and delusion. No matter how insignificant a bad thought may seem, if it is not reined in, it can lead to tremendous, earth-shaking tragedy. That’s why we must constantly keep an eye on our mind and reflect on ourselves: Do we get angry or fly into a rage when things do not go our way, when we cannot get what we want, or when others talk to us or treat us harshly? Even worse, do we let our anger escalate into hate? If we do, we are allowing the mental poisons of greed, ignorance, and delusion to hold us captive. When these hold sway, we feel discontent and bitter, and we fume and complain. As a result, bad affinities form between us and others, tangling us in a web of enmity. When we cannot tame our thoughts, when we instead allow them to be manipulated by external conditions and rampage like a wild horse, we cannot think clearly or judge correctly. Conflicts can easily flare up this way. We must therefore work on broadening our hearts and minds. We mustn’t be so self-centered that a little frustration and unhappiness make us complain and give in to resentment. When our minds become unbalanced like this, we are bound to suffer. Our life becomes shorter with each passing day. In addition, impermanence can strike at any time. We really do not know how much time we have. Faced with an ever-shortening, unpredictable life, we must really take care to think through the best path forward for us and do our best to give of ourselves while we are still healthy and able-bodied. Let us show care and concern for others, and share compassionately in the unhappiness of others. When we go among suffering people to give, when we learn and awaken to the truth of life through what we do, we will come to see the origin of suffering. Please don’t stay idle and let your precious life slip away in vain. When we have learned the Dharma—the Buddha’s teachings—we must take them to heart and put them into practice. If we can try our best to rid the needy of their suffering and help them get back on their feet, we bring happiness not only to them but also to ourselves. Helping others transform their hard life into one of happiness and seeing them break into smiles is a joyful experience. The more we give, the more we gain. On the other hand, if we work on broadening our knowledge of the Dharma but never practice it, we are likely to grow arrogant. Then it is very easy for our knowledge to become a stumbling block on our spiritual path. When that happens, our aspiration to walk this path will fluctuate as we encounter unfavorable circumstances, and we can easily fall victim to all kinds of afflictions again. Please be careful not to sow the seeds of this vicious cycle. The suffering in our world needs the loving-kindness and compassion of the bodhisattvas. When we can uphold the Buddha’s teachings and go among the less fortunate to ease their pain, when we can guide people to see things in perspective and smooth out their entangled emotions of love, hatred, and resentment, then we’ll be able to lead them to the path of stability. The suffering in this world is endless, but the Dharma can take us from this shore of suffering to the other shore of peace and happiness. So it is my wish that ever more people will receive the Dharma, refrain from doing bad, and do all the good they can. As more people do good and pool together their love to contribute to the well-being of the world, more people’s hearts and minds will be purified and the day will come when all living beings can enjoy peace and safety.
Tzu Chi volunteers purchase nourishing food for victims of the water park explosion. Photo by Chen Yan-bo Reach out In June, an explosion at a recreational water park in Taiwan left nearly 500 young people injured. Young people are the hope of society. Their injuries were a big disaster for Taiwanese society. After the calamity, Tzu Chi volunteers provided care and support to the victims’ families at dozens of hospitals so that medical teams could focus on caring for the patients. Knowing that the injured would need nutrition to help their wounds heal, our volunteers prepared nourishing food for them. When they saw victims’ families rushing around to buy diapers and other disposable medical supplies for their children, they saved them the trips by purchasing the needed items and giving them to the staff at the nurses’ stations for use. They took care of the burn patients and their families in every way they could think of. Even after the patients were discharged from the hospitals, our volunteers visited their homes and continued their care. From these home visits, volunteers found out that some families had financial difficulties, so they followed up with monetary assistance to those households. The burn patients face a long path to recovery. Though they are the ones who are injured, their parents feel just as much pain. They need society as a whole to give them support. Let us give it to them with loving-kindness and compassion. I believe that if we can reach out to them with sincerity, we’ll be able to help them through this rough patch; with the support of our society, sunshine will return to the lives of the injured. Having received help from others like this, the victims may even be inspired to put their compassion and wisdom into action and help guide others out of the dark tunnels of their lives. On August 8, Typhoon Soudelor hit Taiwan, causing mudslides in areas including Wulai, northern Taiwan. Tzu Chi volunteers and people from all sectors of society pitched in to help victims clean up their homes and neighborhoods. A participant who worked at the Industrial Technology Research Institute said the cleaning work was so hard he wanted to quit after shoveling mud for a while, but when he turned around he saw a senior volunteer who looked to be about 70 hard at work. That sight changed his mind. He bent back down and got back to work. Wastewater mixed in with the mud created a bad stench in some areas in Wulai. The stench was especially overwhelming in some basements. The volunteers cleaning these basements had to get out every once in a while for fresh air before they could continue their work. Even so, no one quit. Everyone persevered because they wanted to help the victims’ lives return to normal as soon as possible. A line from a Chinese poem goes, “Born to this world, we are all brothers and sisters even if we are not related by blood.” Acting in this spirit, our volunteers clean up disaster areas, care for the needy in their communities, and engage in other charitable work. Just as bodhisattvas always reach out to help whenever they see people suffering, Tzu Chi volunteers care for the less fortunate not just for one day, but every day throughout the year. Tzu Chi has developed with firm, solid steps since its founding 50 years ago. In the very beginning, our members donated 50 New Taiwan cents [then 1.2 U.S. cents] a day to help the needy; today, most members donate 100 NT dollars [US$3.30] a month. Though each of these amounts is small, they can make a big difference when they are pooled together. That’s how our foundation has been able to render aid in 90 countries around the world. My monastic disciples at the Jing Si Abode, the spiritual home of all Tzu Chi volunteers, do not accept offerings. They work to support themselves and are self-sufficient. Not only that, they provide assistance for our volunteers around the globe. Looking back on the path we have traveled, we have stayed true to our initial aspiration to “be committed to Buddhism and to all living beings.” Every month, Tzu Chi commissioners visit donating members to collect their donations. They do so at their own expense and on their own time. Sometimes they spend more money on transportation than the amount they collect. But they still make the trip because they are not just collecting donations—they are also soliciting love from the donor and helping nurture his or her kindness. They use the opportunity to tell donors about the work Tzu Chi has been engaging in, hoping that the donors may also step forward to give of themselves and help our society become more harmonious. With modern technology, people today are flooded with all kinds of information, and it is often hard to tell if a piece of information is true or fabricated. Sometimes a person says something the truth of which he has never checked, and it gets passed on by thousands of people. In this way, a piece of mistaken information is believed to be true. This can cause disturbances in society. As we walk on the Bodhisattva Path, it is inevitable that we encounter challenges such as criticism, whether it be true or false. When people criticize us, we should take it as a test to our resolve to walk this path. We should ask ourselves: “Have I carried out my duties to the best of my ability? Do I really understand the spirit and philosophy of our foundation? Do I uphold our guiding principles of sincerity, integrity, good faith, and honesty?” If the answers are yes, we should be at peace and continue doing what we should do. When you give of yourself to help others, do so without hesitation and stride confidently forward. When you face criticism, stay humble and reflect on yourself instead of lashing back with vicious words. This is the spirit I hope our volunteers work in. It is the spirit of the Six Paramitas (or Perfections) the Buddha gave us to practice: giving, moral discipline, patient endurance, diligence, contemplation, and wisdom. Please keep in mind that when we take a step back, our world opens up. On the other hand, if we get caught up in the mentality of “You’re wrong and I’m right” and allow ourselves to get riled up, things will get tough for us. Every one of us possesses the same pure innate wisdom as the Buddha. We should use this great perfect wisdom to look at all people and events in the world. Don’t get disheartened by unpleasant and trying circumstances and lose your determination to walk this path. Our volunteers aspire to be living bodhisattvas. When others suffer, we must reach out to them. To give with loving-kindness and relieve suffering with compassion—this is the pledge every one of our volunteers makes. Please hold firm to your vow so that we can bring peace and happiness to everyone.
After Typhoon Soudelor hit Taiwan on August 8, volunteers helped clean up the disaster areas. Photo by Chen Li Shiao-min Taking care of the world With advances in technology, our lives have seen a lot of progress. Using technology to bring convenience and comfort to people’s lives is a good thing. But if sellers, in an attempt to make more profits, overly encourage people to consume, negative impacts are bound to ensue. Overconsumption leads to excessive exploitation of natural resources and damage to the ecosystem, which will ultimately affect human beings. An erratic climate caused by global warming is one of the negative impacts. As denizens of this world, we should all do our part to protect the Earth and prevent the situation from worsening. We should cherish what we have and curb our desires for what we do not need to help cut down on the use of resources. Only when the Earth is healthy can everyone live in safety and peace. Recycling is one way to protect the Earth. Chen Hong-duan (陳紅緞) is a 90-year-old Tzu Chi recycling volunteer. She volunteers at a recycling station even on Chinese New Years’ Eve. She said that she saw a lot of things piled high at the recycling station, things that people threw out as they cleaned their houses in preparation for the new year. She stayed at the station through the night to help sort it out. Before she realized it, the sky was turning bright and another new day was dawning. She did not mind sacrificing her sleep, and she even said she had earned an extra day. Li Yue-juan (李月娟) is another recycling volunteer. Despite her advanced age of 102, and despite having to rely on a walking stick to get around, she still helps with our recycling work. In Tzu Chi, we have many elderly volunteers like Chen and Li who have dedicated themselves to recycling. They have long retired from their jobs and completed their responsibilities for raising their children. Instead of sitting around feeling at loose ends, they step out of their homes and give of themselves. By doing so, they forget how old they are and stay young at heart. The meaningful work of recycling, which benefits the Earth and our future generations, gives them a strong sense of fulfillment and pushes them to give even more cheerfully. They are truly the treasures of the world. While we do our best to protect the environment and keep it clean, we must also keep our inner world clean by cleansing away our inner impurities. Make sure your mind is free of mental garbage, free of unwholesome thoughts. Be content with what you have, treat others with sincerity and honesty, and play your part the best you can. When everyone helps and cherishes each other, it is the best blessing our world can have. I hope both our inner world and the world around us can be well-balanced and enjoy peace and well-being. Let us be ever more mindful.
A Tzu Chi volunteer collects recyclable garbage from a shop owner. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect the Earth. One good way is to reclaim reusable resources. Photo by Huang Xiao-zhe |
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