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One Good Thought Every Day
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| (Translated by Mike Lee, Northern
CA) |
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In 1966, when Master Cheng Yen had just established
the Tzu Chi Foundation, she cut thirty pieces of bamboo and gave
one to each of her followers to use as "piggy banks." She encouraged
them to put aside fifty cents every day when they picked up their
grocery baskets to go shopping. The devotees were all perplexed.
Why not make it simple and just pay fifteen dollars at the end
of each month? The Master said: "There is nothing odd. Every day
when you go out, I want you to think about helping others. By
saving fifty cents each day, you nurture a sense of thriftiness,
and at the same time you cultivate a heart for caring about others
and helping others. With these two stored in this bank, the power
within will be great."
Editor's Note: [As I've always understood this
story, the point of saving fifty cents each day was that they
would have a good thought of helping other people each day. If
they put in fifteen dollars once a month, then they would only
have that good thought once a month. The point was to continually
cultivate them.]
