The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.107)

2019 • 02 54 * This article is extracted from the book “Three Ways to the Pure Land (Revised Edition)”. THREE WAYS TO THE PURE LAND seize the present to do good and work to benefit everyone. Several incidents that I witnessed at the Tzu Chi General Hospital testify to the power of cause and effect. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, several families suffered misfortune. In one family, a husband and wife went out to do some shopping, but on the way they had an accident. The husband died on the spot, and the wife, two months pregnant, was rushed to the ICU. If the wife was saved, it meant two lives would be saved; if not, two lives would be lost. Even if she survived, she could end up in a vegetative state. As long as she was breathing, her baby had a chance to survive. However, the situation was not optimistic and at any time things could take a turn for the worse. It was truly a tragedy. In the ICU there were two other children. They were around eight or nine years old. One had been playing with firecrackers outside his house, and had been struck in the head by a passing car. The second child had placed a firecracker in a crevice under a rock, and when he tried to retrieve it, he was bitten by three poisonous snakes that were hiding under the rock. He had an older brother, who was also in the hospital! This older brother had what was called congenital arteriovenous malformation, a disease characterized by deformed arteries and veins. The illness did not begin to affect the boy until he was 16. Up to that point, the boy had not had any symptom of the disease; one day he simply collapsed. He underwent brain surgery at our hospital and seemed to be recovering well. Then he relapsed just days before Chinese NewYear and went into a coma. With two children in the hospital, the parents were extremely worried. When I went to visit patients in the hospital, the father said to me, “Master, why I am so unfortunate? Why have all these misfortunes taken place in my family?” Under the same sky, some people live in happiness and peace while some experience misfortune over and over again. This can only be explained as the effect of karma – i.e., cause and effect. We must always be careful about what we are thinking and doing in the present, because as the above examples have shown, the consequences can be enormous. When we are fortunate, do we think of those who are unfortunate? As Buddhist practitioners, even if we ourselves live in peace and happiness, we should have consideration for the less fortunate and plant positive causes in our daily living for the sake of our future. During the Chinese NewYear, people greet each other with, “Happy NewYear, may you make a fortune!” Good health and fortune are what everyone wants. I certainly hope you can be blessed with both. But aside from worldly riches, my greater wish is for all of you to gain an abundance of “spiritual wealth” – spiritual enrichment from the Buddha’s teachings. In order to obtain abundant spiritual wealth, we ourselves have to diligently give to and help others. (To be continued in the next issue)