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

TZU CHI 124 49 * This article is extracted from the book “Reminders under the Sala Trees – A Commentary on the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings”. Ninth, do not accumulate wealth. The wish to accumulate wealth tends to bring greed. Many Tzu Chi commissioners say, “It seems that the richer people are, the harder it is to solicit donations from them.” This is because oftentimes, if a person has a hundred thousand, he wants a million or ten million. With that mindset, of course people do not wish to give of their wealth! We should not pay too much attention to how much money we have. When we simply give of our money and strength, slowly but steadily, then no matter how much is donated, we will feel very joyful. “Stay as far away from all these as one would a fire pit.” In summary, we must be vigilant and take precautions to avoid what has been mentioned above. It is like keeping away from a fire pit: if we are watchful and alert, we will not inadvertently make more mistakes. Tenth, do not cut grass or trees, and do not till or dig the soil. Sometimes we work until our backs are covered in sweat and our clothing becomes dishevelled. However, this is necessary in order to maintain our spiritual training ground. We just need to try not to lose the dignity of our demeanour while we work. Furthermore, when we work in the field to cut grass and trees, we may hurt small sentient beings. For example, we may hurt earthworms when we are digging. If we need to burn a stack of hay, inevitably there will be small creatures inside. Therefore, we should be extra thoughtful and first tousle the haystack a bit, so these little creatures can leave and escape disaster. By doing so, we will not make more mistakes. If we do not deal with these things carefully, we will easily commit wrongs. We need to be earnest in preventing this. If, due to our living situation, we have no choice but to break some precepts, we must clearly recognize the reasons for doing so. If we are doing something out of self-interest, we should avoid doing it; if it is for public interest, then we need to be very careful as we do it. For example, in order to maintain a stable life in the monastic community, Zen Master Baizhang had to make adjustments based on local customs. Therefore, we must not be attached to the text of the precepts, but thoroughly understand the principles behind them—then, we will not have afflictions. Also, during the Buddha’s life, there were times when he had to make exceptions. So, we should not give rise to afflictions from being too rigid in our adherence to the precepts. (To be continued in the next issue) REMINDERS UNDER THE SALA TREES