Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

The Buddha says, "Life is impermanent." Not only is life impermanent, but everything else in the world is also impermanent! If we do not do what we can today, things may change tomorrow and get out of control.

Even though everyone seems to have infinite "todays" or “presents”, no one can foresee if one can still do tomorrow what one desires. Although it is said that "Life exists between each breath," being able to breathe is not enough in life. What we also need is a healthy body and a sharp mind.

However, it is hard to guarantee that we will always have good health and a sharp mind. We do not know how the mind will change in the next instant. Therefore, we should make the best use of our clear minds and sound vitalities now, even if they only last for a second. In order to make the best use of our mind, we need to train our mundane hearts to become saint-like and like the heart of Buddha. Remaining unaffected by the external environment takes continuous learning, training and refinement in our interactions with people.

For example, when other people reprimand us, the reprimand is essentially only words. When people encourage or compliment us, those too are only words. We do not need to feel joyous when complimented, nor do we need to feel frustrated when reprimanded. If we can treat other people’s scolding as helpful criticism and encouragement, should we not feel happy and gratefully accept them? Moreover, we should even thank the person for pointing out our flaws!

Ordinary people often believe themselves to be clever, and feel that if they do not react to or dispute over what others say, others will regard them as silly. Often times, ordinary people are impeded by their own "cleverness", and as a result, their hearts are filled with endless worry. Thus, we need to work on cleaning the pollution in our hearts.

Life is impermanent. I hope we can all challenge our negative habits and change our environment by changing our perceptions. By treating insults as constructive criticism and sarcastic comments as encouragement, we bring clarity and peace to our hearts. This is cultivation of the mind.

*Extract from the Master's teachings at 02/16/2003