The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.116)

TZU CHI 116 51 * 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 impulsively, and one’s mind and actions are just and honourable. Such is the wisdom-nature inherent in all human beings. Sentient beings act impulsively because their intrinsic nature is obscured by their unenlightened minds. Therefore, their future is in the dark, and they feel frightened and insecure. Many people use any means necessary to protect their own interests. For example, in some disputes between employees and their employer, employees fight for higher pay, fewer work hours, medical insurance and retirement pensions, yet they never consider the difficulties of their employer. Actually, the employer has difficulties as well: the employer is not only responsible for the livelihood of his employees, but he also has to deal with the ups and downs of the society and economy. Some workers are not concerned about the employer’s business’ well-being. This is because they fail to realize that the stability of their livelihood also depends on whether their employer’s business is sound and healthy or not. Such an outlook is really short-sighted and unwise. Originally, they had a pure and bright nature, but because of their selfishness, ignorance and delusion, they became unenlightened beings, unable to achieve the radiance and purity of Nirvana. Nirvana is a state of stillness, purity, peace and brightness, in which the mind is unwavering and no longer confused by external surroundings. When a person attains Nirvana, the state of eternal tranquil radiance, he no longer has any afflictions of arising and ceasing. The Buddha said that in this human life, we are constantly in suffering because of the impermanence of arising and ceasing. Not only is life fragile and impermanent, but everything in the universe is subject to unforeseeable disasters and changes. I remember how, right after its grand opening, the Tzu Chi Hospital experienced an earthquake that jolted patients off their beds. Over the course of the next ten days, there were hundreds of earthquakes in total, big and small. Everyone was tense and frightened—sometimes people would be startled by a big truck passing. This is due to a lack of calm and focus, which comes with afflictions of arising and ceasing. Another example is the flooding in mainland China: non-stop torrential rains caused the water level of the Yangtze River to exceed the alert level. Floods and landslides buried houses and killed countless people. This is an example of a natural disaster. (To be continued in the next issue)