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Teachings by Dharma Master Cheng Yen
Translated by Dharma as Water Dev. Dept, Tzu Chi USA
I often say that “impermanence can strike in an instant.” This may seem like just words, but this is the reality of life. The earthquake on April 3 in Hualien was very big. It can be said that we “received a milder retribution for severe karma.” But most importantly, it helped people understand that life is impermanent. This is a big lesson.
In the Buddha’s teachings, the first thing He helps us understand is the concept of “impermanence, suffering, and emptiness.” What does impermanence look like? Now we know. This earthquake, which measured 7.2 in magnitude, struck without warning. All of a sudden, everything was shaking, so we should be grateful that Taiwan was safe for the most part.
Buddhists often say, “May Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protect us.” But in fact, we should also be grateful for sentient beings’ collective good karma. We must purify people’s hearts and make loving hearts more prevalent. Then, more people will do good deeds, contributing to our collective karma. When the force of goodness creates a strong energy, this shields us from disasters.
Following the earthquake, I took a ride in a car around the streets of Hualien. Looking out of the windows of the car on both sides, I felt constant gratitude. Most of what I saw was safe and well. It wasn’t until we reached the city center that I saw an entire building tilting. That night I saw on the television news that the building was even more slanted. At a speed unnoticeable to the eye, it had gradually tilted more and more.
We could feel the earthquake and see that the building had tilted. These were obvious appearances. However, its continual tilting was subtle. What is also subtle is the process of formation, existence, decay, and disappearance that things go through. What I saw was “decaying,” and when those buildings are eventually demolished, they will “disappear.” We must have sincere gratitude for being safe! Fortunately, everyone always has gratitude in their hearts, and everybody has the hearts and actions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
This earthquake is “a great lesson of our times.” A major event has occurred, and this impermanence brought distress and anxiety to everyone and left many homeless. I just told our CEO, Yen Po-wen, that Tzu Chi was founded here in Hualien, so now that there is a disaster in Hualien, we must be even more proactive in planning relief efforts and collaborating with the county government on reconstruction.
Fundraising is not the only aspect. It is more important to gather both people and love. The love we want to gather and inspire is “awakened love.” In Buddhism, Bodhisattvas are referred to as “awakened sentient beings of love.” We must recruit Bodhisattvas. With more people, the power of love will become greater. People come together to contribute their efforts, take in the “great lesson of our times,” and begin anew.
The Lotus Sutra details a parable about a group of people searching for treasures, with a teacher guiding them along the path. As they became tired of walking, the teacher found a place and said, “Let us take a break for a moment.” After a short time, however, the teacher said, “Let us start moving again, because this place of treasures is not far away.” No matter how long the road ahead may be, we must not let time go by in vain; we must seize the time.
The place of treasures in this story serves as an analogy for the destination of our spiritual travels, reached by earnestly walking the Bodhisattva Path. As everyone intrinsically possesses Buddha nature, we continue to walk on the Bodhisattva Path and give without asking for anything in return. I often hear you say, “I am grateful!” This is practicing the Bodhisattva Path with a sense of ease.
We have made the vow to give. When someone accepts what we give, we should be grateful. If no one needed our help, we would not have the opportunity to give. We must constantly have thoughts of gratitude, seize good causes and conditions, and quickly educate others when the opportunity arises.
We can neither see nor stop impermanence. The only thing we should grasp is how to be “self-disciplined and reverent.” What does it mean to be “self-disciplined and reverent?” We must cherish sentient beings’ lives. All sutras and treatises advocate cherishing life and helping sentient beings. Ordinary beings talk about wanting to “save sentient beings,” yet many still eat the meat of sentient beings in their every meal. Therefore, people are deluded; they may chant the sutras, but their actions do not reflect the teachings of the sutras. We have to be consistent in our speech and actions to be truly “self-disciplined and reverent,” the proper mindset we should have when facing impermanence.
This earthquake taught us a great lesson. Let us calm our minds and take inventory of ourselves. What is the value of our own life? Then, we should appeal to ourselves to work diligently toward the great Bodhisattva Path. “This place of treasures is close by.” We must not stop or be indolent; we must continue to forge ahead.
For many years, Tzu Chi has helped Syrian refugees in Turkey with their education. Tzu Chi volunteers teach the refugee children to always think good thoughts. When it comes to sharing with others, some of these children do not have money, so the volunteers say, “You can write it on paper.” So, they write “five dollars” or “ten dollars” on pieces of paper, fold them, and reverently drop them into bamboo banks. The virtues and merits are likewise immeasurable.
Merits and virtues come with action. We must seize the opportunity to provide education. We can awaken our loving hearts and donate what we can contribute. This will not affect the day-to-day affairs such as the family budget. In addition to awakening the love within, we can also send our blessings of love by sharing the virtuous Dharma with others. When we do these, we are “spreading the Dharma to benefit sentient beings.”
Compiled from Master Cheng Yen’s teachings from a conversation with Tzu Chi volunteers and honorary board members from Yilan on April 12, 2024
