The world of Tzu Chi December 2020(Vol.129)

53 TZU CHI 129 * Extracted from Tzu Chi Singapore website. What is the truth? What is actual Dharma? What is the reality in this world? For example, I am sitting here on the stage, people sitting in the front rows can see me clearly, while those sitting at the back cannot. But they can see me clearly from the television screen. In this case, do people see the “real me” on stage clearer or the “virtual me” on the television clearer? Which one is the reality? It is difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion in this world. The reality is what you can see and hear clearly. Reality is also things that you can comprehend and practise in life. How to let go of worldly desires? Worldly desires are troubling to the mind, however, having desire is part of being human. The Chinese character for desire ( 欲 ) carries the meaning of hope and prospect, while the traditional Chinese character for desire ( 慾 ) has the character for “desire” on top of the character for “mind” ( 心 ), which depicts the adverse effects of desire on the mind, and that is us becoming alienated from our true self. If we could get rid of greed and desire, we would be able to go back to our pure innate nature. Buddha has desire too. Before Nirvana, Buddha gave up his wealth, status and country for his desire to become enlightened. After attaining Enlightenment, Buddha had another desire, which is to help people. Many people have accepted and joined Tzu Chi for the same reason. No one is exempted from the natural law of the life cycle as well as the sufferings brought by greed and dissatisfaction. In Tzu Chi, people learn to understand life and liberate themselves from the sufferings caused by desire and pain connected to life and death. From there, they learn to value life more and give back to the society with their ability. Serene Reflection Question & Answer By Dharma Master Cheng Yen