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The pleasant weather in Spring warms the heart of everyone. If the scenery within our hearts is constantly like a spring day, it is indeed a great blessing. Hence, we should never give others the cold shoulder but rather care for and be grateful to one another. If we can do this, then even hearts that are as cold and hard as icebergs will eventually be melted by the warmth of our love.
We must constantly give thanks to all living beings on Earth, for allowing us to experience better quality of life with each passing day. Some people may say, “I only need to thank my parents, because they provide for all of my living needs and support my education.”
While thanking our parents is a natural thing to do, but, besides our own parents, we must also bear a grateful heart towards everyone, because our lives are similarly dependent on the services rendered by people from various walks of life.
For example, it is the constant pursuit of knowledge by academics and the sharing of their knowledge that open up our own limited knowledge. And our daily necessities, be it rice, salt or other foods, are all made possible only because of the toil of the farmers. As for businessmen involved in trade, they not only provide us with an abundance of material comforts, but also contribute to the prosperity of our nation. Thus, we ought to constantly give thanks, be mindful of our blessings, and not waste even a single grain of rice or a drop of oil.
When Tzu Chi volunteers arrived in mainland China for disaster relief work, they witnessed many disaster survivors wearing clothes that were torn and tattered, yet they still looked happy in them. In contrast, when we look at the people around us, we will notice that many of them are very particular about fashion. Clothes that are bought this year are often discarded or stowed away the following year, when they fall out of fashion. Thus, in many of our donations drives, many of the donated clothing items are in fact new clothes. If we learn to curb our craving for material wants, we can devote much more energy into works of charity and love.
As the Chinese saying goes, “We are all brothers on this land, no matter whether we are related by flesh and blood or not.” We should regard this world as one big family by seeing everyone as our siblings, relatives or friends. It is not necessarily limited to blood relations only, that we may regard as kin. We must open our hearts to embrace every person, be thankful to all, and help and support one another. If we can achieve this, our lives will truly be radiant like the springtime sun, which brings warmth to people’s hearts.
Extracted from “Chen Jin Guang Sheng” 《尘尽光生》
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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