Understand the True Meaning of Life Through the Precepts
(Translated by Lei Sheu, Pittsurgh, PA)
Today at the Abode
of Still Thoughts, overseas Tzu Chi people performed a ceremony
of walking around the Buddha. In addition, 219 members were
accepted as disciples of Master Cheng Yen. During the ceremony,
the Master said that the important thing for good disciples
is not only to follow the Buddha's precepts, but also to use
their wisdom in their daily lives to benefit others.
Over 700 overseas
Tzu Chi members followed one by one in the steps of resident
nuns, circling a statue of the Buddha and chanting Amitabha.
With every step they took, their minds became more settled and
their commitment to following the Buddha's path of charity was
reinforced. The Master said that everything Tzu Chi does is
for helping people, relieving people, and saving people from
suffering. Those were also the reasons that brought the Buddha
into the human world.
Master Cheng Yen encouraged
her 219 new overseas disciples to follow the Ten Tzu Chi Precepts
and be willing to give without asking for anything in return.
She said that only in this way could one become truly enlightened.
"To attain great kindness without regret, great compassion
without complaint, or great joy without worry," the Master
said, "it is essential to have one thing. What's that?
It is great charity. You must give unselfishly, without attachments
or doubts." She also emphasizes that besides understanding
the precepts of Buddhism, it is very important that we implement
them. "We can truly understand the meaning of life only
when we bring Buddhism into our daily life. This is the model
for spiritual cultivation that Tzu Chi has been following for
the last thirty-five years."
