The world of Tzu Chi July 2020 (Vol.124)

TZU CHI 124 47 REMINDERS UNDER THE SALA TREES way.” Improper buying and selling results in committing wrongdoings. Therefore, we must always remember to “not obtain money through improper means”. Third, do not engage in trading. Nowadays, people’s standard of living is generally high; therefore, there are various import and export businesses. However, trade will often lead to afflictions. It has been said that “the business world is like a battle field”. If one wishes to engage in spiritual practice, it is best to reduce business worries, or at least be cautious of “excessive profit”. However, fair trade does not violate the precepts. Some people say, “As a Buddhist, you cannot peddle, sell or trade. Isn’t that very passive?” Actually, if lay people trade with honesty, then there is no violation of the precepts. Fourth, do not take possession of land or houses. Spiritual practitioners need to be content and joyful. They should not pay particular attention to living in a comfortable environment; a peaceful and stable home is good enough. How can we have a peaceful and stable home? With peace of mind, we will have peace and stability. If our mind is not settled, then, even if we live in a palace, we will not be at peace. I remember the little wooden cabin in which we used to live – five people slept on two tatami mats inside. We all farmed the fields during the day and studied at night. Weren’t we happy? Even having tofu with a meal was a treat; after pan frying a small piece of tofu preserved with salt, we could eat it with two bowls of rice; we considered this a tasty meal. Although our living situation was very simple, we were free from afflictions. Now the Jing Si Abode has more people and more land, but we now need to keep all this space clean and tidy. Does everyone feel we are more firm and stable than before? Perhaps some people think, “We have so much land now that we need to take care of it; it is really troublesome!” Because this is the birthplace of Tzu Chi, we have changed the land where we used to farm crops into lawns for events. If we can work together to take care of the lawn and keep the environment clean, and at the same time also continue to cleanse our own minds, then we will not increase our afflictions. Although this precept says not to buy land or houses, we did it for the sake of Tzu Chi’s missions. Therefore, it does not count as violating this precept. Fifth, do not raise or keep dependents. As the number of family members grow, oftentimes the number of mistakes tends to increase as well. Within a monastic community, where people live together with the same mindset and the same mission, they will encourage each other on the Path. If people have no real will to engage in spiritual practice but force themselves to do it in order to escape worldly matters, this is a very painful matter which will cause a lot of trouble within the group of