The world of Tzu Chi Sep-Oct 2022 (Vol.143)

01 TZU CHI 143 By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Teresa Chang aster’s Teaching Without action, nothing will happen. If, after learning the Buddha’s teachings, we do not live them out, then we are getting nowhere. Let us take it upon ourselves to work for Buddhism and all living beings. Let us see it as our responsibility to improve the welfare of mankind. Working for All Living Beings N o one can avoid suffering living in this world. Even unbelievably wealthy people have their share of suffering. A perfect, worry-free life does not exist. Even so, we all have the ability to alleviate suffering. We cannot possibly help all living beings in this world, but we can all do our part. When we see others suffer or hear about someone’s plight, if the circumstances allow, we should give them a hand. If we cannot do it alone, we can call on others to help. Working this way, with combined strength, we will be able to reach people in need wherever they are. We live in a world of great disparity. People in wealthy countries can afford to pursue all sorts of enjoyments, whereas those in poor ones lack even the basics. This is a situation that can be remedied, though. If people who are better off can reduce their desires and be content with less, we could free up many resources to help the poor. For example, there is no need to eat until we are one hundred percent full. We could eat until just 80 percent full and use the money we save from the remaining 20 percent to help the disadvantaged. Simply by eating slightly less, we can reduce the number of hungry people in the world. In addition to hunger, some people are gravely ill because they cannot afford medical treatment. Tzu Chi is working with the International Buddhist Society (IBS) to build medical facilities in Lumbini, Nepal, to help local poor people meet their medical needs. In July, our volunteers from Malaysia and Singapore travelled to Nepal to check on the construction of some facilities we were helping to build for IBS’s free clinic. They also checked on the operation of a dialysis centre we helped build for the free clinic. Our volunteers visited the countryside to check on local people’s living conditions during their trip, too. A couple of months earlier, during a similar visit to the country, Dr. Tang