The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

52 2019 • 10 Ms Hang: I had the good fortune to obtain Tzu Chi’s publications and Master’s books in China. Reading Jing Si Aphorisms always calms my mind whenever I encounter obstacles or unhappiness. I have visited many ancient temples in well-known regions. I think most people go to temples to ask the Buddha or Bodhisattvas for wealth or health: That is, they go to pray for their own benefit instead of wishing to help others. Tzu Chi has put into practice the principle of “applying Buddhadharma in our daily life and encouraging everyone to become a Living Bodhisattva”. It teaches people that only through helping others can they realize the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings. Tzu Chi has also been able to teach people how to “let go”. This is what makes Tzu Chi so great. Originally, I thought that Buddhism advocates the strenuous cultivation of isolating oneself from the world. Since coming here, I think that Tzu Chi is more like a big, warm family. Master Cheng Yen: The purpose of going to the temple to pay homage to the Buddha is to make vows and give rise to altruistic aspirations, not to ask for wealth. Actually, one does not have to be in a temple to make vows. The world is full of suffering; it needs warm-hearted people to contribute. Tzu Chi volunteers are very passionate about benefitting others. Their only wish is to make people happy; they desire nothing else. Like innocent children, they are genuine, open and always at ease in any situation. Therefore, they are very lovable and happy. The purpose of leaving lay life to become an ordained practitioner is to educate and transform sentient beings. It is for this same reason that the Buddha engaged in spiritual cultivation. Since we want to carry out our mission of educating and transforming others, we must enter where people are and engage with them. Traditional Buddhist monastic life is relatively isolated from society. The purpose of that was to enable individuals to self-cultivate so that one could understand oneself. This stage can he described as the training period for spiritual practice. However, one must understand that after benefitting oneself, one should find all kinds of skilful means to guide sentient beings. This is the most important thing. To engage in spiritual practice at a monastery was a Buddhist phenomenon of ancient times. In the modern world of advanced information technology, we can use different forms of media to achieve our goal of helping ourselves as well as others. Tzu Chi does many things at once because in today’s society, people’s minds are in such turmoil. We must take action right now instead of Serene Reflection Between Master Cheng Yen and Ms Hang Ying & Ms Zhu Lin on Purifying the Mind November 9, 1996 Question & Answer Ms Hang Ying and Ms Zhu Lin, both reputable authors from China, came to see Master Cheng Yen.