| Freedom
Means to Respect, Not to Dominate |
 |
Speech by Master Cheng Yen
Object: Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members,
Tzu Chi commissioners and employees
Translator: Sonyuan Lin/Han Chuang, Boston, MA |
|
Taiwanese people nowadays want freedom. Very
often they criticize and blame others, protest on the streets,
or even twist public opinion for their own purposes.
Actually, society has already given us a great
degree of freedom. Everybody needs others to respect his rights.
I respect your courage to advocate reform in our society, but
you should respect my freedom as well. Although I have set clear
rules for Tzu Chi, those rules and requirements have been our
indispensable spirit and principles ever since Tzu Chi was founded.
What I ask for is a harmonious society. I hope that every family
will be happy and everyone peaceful and safe. These have always
been the goals of Tzu Chi. Our society is short of nothing but
harmony. I respect your right to speak if you have something to
say. Likewise, I hope you will respect my freedom to work in silence.
Your voice is for justice, but my work is for Great Love. Therefore,
we should respect each other.
There is an old saying: "You can a capture
a general, but not the will of a soldier." A commander can
be replaced, but a person's principles and determination cannot.
Therefore, be forgiving to others and be firm with yourself. My
commitment to Tzu Chi is Great Love. I am a nun, and I have taken
on the mission of the Buddha. When I became a nun I left my own
family, but I am responsible for the "family business"
of the Buddha. In my heart I will cling to his teachings forever.
