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Once, when I visited Pingtung in Southern Taiwan, a teacher from Da Tong Primary School brought a child to me. The child gave me a composition book and an envelope with the words “From all the students of Class 5A” written on its cover and NTD 15,000 (est. SD660) inside. The child respectfully said to me: "Grandmaster, this composition book is for you to read and this money is a donation for Tzu Chi Hospital to buy beds."
I asked him, "Is the money donated by all the students in your class?"
He whispered to me, "No. It is actually the combined savings of my younger brother, a few classmates, and me, plus the money we earned from working."
"Then why did you write 'From all the students of Class 5A'?"
"Grandmaster, although the money comes from just the few of us, wouldn't it be better to make it a good deed ‘done’ by the whole class?"
The composition book with the words "Thank you, Grandmaster!" written on its cover page actually contained letters to me from the students in Class 5A.
One of the students wrote:
"Dear Grandmaster,
Thank you for giving each of us a red packet. Although there are only NTD30 inside, what matters more is the incomparable love and care you show us. I will keep this red packet forever as memory. We saw the words 'Buddha’s Mind, Master’s Mission' printed on the cover of the red packet, and started discussing what they mean. Our teacher knew that we didn’t quite understand the meaning of the words. So she explained to us that the phrase 'Buddha’s Mind' is to remind us to help and love others with the heart of a Buddha and Bodhisattva, while 'Master’s Mission' reminds us to embrace your Four Missions (for Tzu Chi)—Charity, Medicine, Education and Humanistic Culture—as our own."
"Grandmaster, I can't wait to grow up so that I can follow your footsteps to contribute to the society and help fill it with love. And, we have done something good these few days. A student from Class 2A was severely injured after being knocked down by a gravel truck. He came from a poor family, so we donated our pocket money to help him pay for his medical expenses. We managed to raise NTD 6,000 in just a few days' time. We’ve done a pretty good job, haven’t we? Teacher Yew is even greater—he did not forget to help others in need even though his own son was being hospitalised due to a car accident. His spirit is truly admirable!"
Another letter ended with this short account:
"A few days ago, I saw several children bullying a little dog on the road. Those children threw stones at it, grabbed its tail, and even rode on its back! I felt so sorry for that poor little dog! Why are people nowadays getting more and more cruel? They are so uncivilized!"
Another child wrote:
"Master, there is one thing that I don’t understand: Why do people open hook-fishing farms? These fishes have hooks in their mouths, and they are so pitiful! Imagine how painful and scary it would be if people were treated the same way! Why isn’t our government banning the operation of hook-fishing farms?"
There was another letter that was even more thought-provoking. The child who wrote it took the Four Tzu Chi Missions as his own and hoped that every Taiwanese would become a well-mannered and loving person. He further said, "Master, the adults are weird! No one has made it mandatory to gamble during the Lunar New Year, but why do the adults still gamble? They also say that children are not allowed to smoke, drink alcohol or chew betel nuts. But when the adults gamble, we will see them smoking, consuming alcohol and chewing betel nuts.
So I thought: If children are forbidden to do those things, then why are the adults allowed to do them? Adults are humans, too! They are not made of steel, and will fall sick, too. Therefore, I have decided that after I grow up and have my own family, I will not only teach my children to obey the 3 No’s- No smoking, No drinking, No betel nuts, but will also abide by them myself."
The above are the thoughts shared by children aged 11 to 12. These children have such an innocent and pure heart! I have repeatedly reminded everyone that parents are the role models of their children, and their lifestyles greatly influence the character development of the latter. Hence, during the children’s growing up years, the parents must educate their kids by setting good examples for them. If they do so, the children will less likely go astray, and they will not regret in the future for not having taught their kids well.
Extracted from “Sheng Huo De Zhi Hui”《生活的智慧》
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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