The world of Tzu Chi August 2020 (Vol.125)

02 2020 • 08 seeing the Jing Si aphorisms inscribed on the rice sacks, which were visible after the rice had been depleted. They even pinned the aphorisms up on the wall as words of wisdom to follow in life. The villagers responded to the call for kindness by saving a handful of rice each day. The accumulated rice banks weighed almost 3,000 kg when the volunteers collected them every month, enough to feed the elderly and the weak in the village. Over the years, no family had had their livelihood affected by the monthly contribution of rice; the initiative even encouraged the villagers to commit to kind deeds. The seeds of charity, once planted in the heart, should be nurtured to flourish. I hope they will carry on in the spirit of kindness. There was a villager with impaired mobility who earns a meagre income as a fortune- teller, while his wife works odd jobs. Upon learning that he could help others with a handful of rice daily, he told his wife that for every decent meal they have, they should donate a handful of rice to help others who are poorer than them, just like how Tzu Chi had helped them in difficult times. The villager suffers from weakness of the limbs and was only capable of scooping up a little rice with his hand. When he told the volunteers that his palm was too weak to scoop up more rice, the volunteers expressed their gratitude and replied: “The strength of your palm joins others in the great sea of merits. The significance of your handful of rice is as great as a holy mountain!” The villagers’ insistence on saving a handful of rice daily to help others in need, coupled with their thriftiness, diligence, fortitude and resilience, is profoundly moving. In a modern society rich with material wealth and driven by consumerism, goods are purchased as hastily as they are discarded. People are used to seeking greater heights and tend to neglect the darkest corners in the lowest ranks. If we pay attention beyond our immediate surroundings, we should be able to notice the countless underprivileged families in distant lands who are in dire need of help. Some of the poor scavenge through landfills for a living, foraging for basic necessities and food. It is difficult to position ourselves in their shoes. “When people are suffering and in pain, we also genuinely feel their suffering and pain.” Whenever and wherever there is suffering, we should try to combine resources with others to support the suffering in order to ensure peace and stability in society. The concept of “consoling others with an empathetic touch” is widely applied among the Tzu Chi community – one approaches, sympathizes with and comforts a suffering individual with a reassuring touch. “When others are injured, I feel the pain too; when others suffer, I feel sorrowful too” – those with the heart of a bodhisattva empathize deeply with the physical and emotional pain of others. If only everyone is able to hone an empathetic and compassionate heart, the poor and the ill in society will be able to transform their lives with the help of kind-hearted souls and even extend help to others. Please be mindful, always. aster’s Teaching * Compiled from a collection of speeches delivered by Master Cheng Yen from June 1 to 12, 2020.