The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.113)

2019 • 08 50 As Buddhist practitioners, in order to awaken our wisdom, we must not just listen to the teachings; we must mindfully put effort into mastering them. So, when we first enter the Buddha’s door, we must train our bodies and minds. We have to be able to withstand the tests from our surroundings and train ourselves to be unwavering in the midst of human affairs and relationships. If we can attain this state, then we can advance further. I hope that everyone will be able to understand the mindset of a noble being; if we are unable to transform our own minds, we certainly will not be able to transform others. The human mind is truly wondrous. Once, there was a patient who was hospitalized at a Tzu Chi hospital. For over a month, she cried continuously and could not sleep well at night. When I went to her ward and asked her, “What’s wrong?” she kept crying and said, “I’ve not been able to sleep well for more than a month. I’m suffering so much!” So, I patted her on the shoulder three times and said, “From now on do not cry anymore. Get tapes with recordings of sutra lectures and listen to them; after listening, you’ll be able to sleep very well!” After that, she actually started listening to the tapes, and slowly fell asleep. After waking up, she said, “From now on, I won’t cry anymore!” Later, when I went to see her, she said, “Master, since that day, I listen to your tapes every day, so now every day I’m very joyful and able to sleep well.” She completely changed her mental state, and was able to do so without me having to say much. Now, she always tells people, “Master patted me three times on the shoulder, then I fell asleep. After waking up, I stopped crying.” This is the result of the wheel of the heart being turned. For a person to turn the wheel of another person’s heart, he or she must first have the same mental experiences. I often say to people, “Accept it with a heart of joy!” When we are in pain, we must accept it with a heart of joy, then the pain will quickly subside. This is because my own experiences have been that way. I am often affected by illness and pain, but I live my days with joy. It is therefore easy for me to transform other people’s mental state. So, as we can see, in order to change the minds of others, we have to first transform our own minds. We need to temper ourselves in tough environments in order to achieve our spiritual cultivation. (To be continued in the next issue) * This article is extracted from the book “Reminders under the Sala Trees – A Commentary on the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings”. REMINDERS UNDER THE SALA TREES