The Buddha says:

Nothing in life lasts forever. Everything in this world comes into being, exists, decays and vanishes. The human mind also goes through cycles of beginning, existence, change and ending.

If we can clearly see through the natural human cycles of birth, aging, illness and death, then we will no longer quarrel over every little thing. With nothing to argue about, we will of course concentrate more on our spiritual path. The ups and downs of daily life will no longer affect us.

Master Cheng Yen, I came to know you too late. The Tzu Chi Hospital is already completed and the new university campus is almost finished. How can I be of service to you anymore?

The road is still quite long and the work of Tzu Chi can never be finished. There are still many things to do. So long as you are destined to join in this work, it is never too late.

Translated by E E Ho and W.L. Rathje; drawings by Tsai Chih-chung; coloring by May E. Gu