The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

2019 • 10 50 one corner. Afterwards, the carpenter should be able to do the same with the other three corners. We ordinary people should also develop this kind of wisdom. The Noble Eightfold Path is fundamental in learning Buddha’s teachings; whether young or old, people must not depart from the Noble Eightfold Path. Ajnata Kaundinya accepted the Buddhadharma in his middle age, while Subhadra accepted it at the age of 120. So, we can see that accepting the Buddhadharma can be done at all ages. Some people say, “As a spiritual practitioner, it is not easy to attainArhatship. It needs to be done gradually.” That is not always true: it all depends on the wisdom-root and knowledge of the individual, and whether one accepts Buddha’s teachings with purity of mind. If one is willing to learn mindfully, one will be able to learn a good thing, sincerely adhere to it, and realize the spirit of the Buddha. This kind of deep understanding and feeling is the achievement of “awakening”. Just before his passing, Subhadra finally attained the Right Views, and his mind could thus be tranquil and at ease. This is like the first superintendent of Tzu Chi Hospital, Dr Tu. After his passing, his face looked more peaceful than when he was sick. After the end of the chanting ceremony for him, the volunteers told me, “Master, when the superintendent was put into the freezer he smiled, he really smiled.” Superintendent Tu never chanted the name of the Buddha until two months prior to his death. One time when I visited him at the hospital, he said, “Master, I actually always intended to become your disciple, I just never told you.” I replied, “If you have this thought in mind, you should speak out; this is called making a vow.” He said, “I don’t know anything about Buddhism, so I did not dare tell you.” I said to him, “It’s not too late. You need to have a religious belief.” “Master, I just believe in you.” I continued to encourage him, saying, “You should chant the name of the Buddha.” He said, “I’ll just chant Master’s name.” I said, “I always chant the name of the Buddha, so you should do the same.” He said, “Is that right? Then I will chant, ‘Master, Amitabha.’” It was then that he planted the seed of chanting the name of the Buddha. Afterwards, his daughter came to Hualien and told me, “Master, since you visited my father, he has been doing much better. He has even been walking about these last few days. He also said that he wanted to train until he could kneel down to take refuge. He said that only then can he show his respect.” When volunteers visited him, he also said, “I want to take refuge, and I absolutely want to kneel