As I prepared a talk on the Diamond Sutra, I found a new interpretation of the necessary mindset of volunteers who serve at our Tzu Chi hospitals. I shared my findings with our volunteers at the construction site of the new Tzu Chi Hsintien Hospital on April 28, and they responded favorably.

In Chapter Four, the Buddha said to Subhuti, one of his ten disciples, "Moreover, a bodhisattva who engages in charity should not be supported by a dharma... For, Subhuti, the bodhisattva should do charity with a mindset that is attached to no marks of oneself, other people, any living creatures or life. And why is this? Because the amount of merit which that bodhisattva, who does charity without being attached to any marks, receives is beyond calculation."

When one gives something to someone else, one should have no thought of oneself as the giver, of the gift itself, or the recipient of the gift--an idea known to all Buddhists as the Three-fold Void. When a bodhisattva, a person who has attained enlightenment, gives alms to the needy, he should not cling to any dharma (a Sanskrit term for all the philosophies of the world, including the teachings of the Buddha). Nor should he cling to the notion of acknowledgement (marks) manifested in flattery, fame and any other personal benefit while he is doing good deeds. In sum, when we are doing charity, we should do it without any ego and without any expectations whatsoever. The bodhisattva is here bidden by the Buddha to forget all about himself and the rewards that he might receive from the meritorious deeds he accomplishes.

Some Buddhist students might wonder why the Buddha, in the Diamond Sutra, only asks us to practice charity without clinging to any acknowledgement or gain. What about the other five important elements contained in the Six Perfections of keeping the precepts, tolerating insults, diligence, Ch'an concentration and wisdom?

Actually, the virtue of charity includes those other five elements. In Buddhism, the notion of charity can be divided into three categories: the giving of fortune, the giving of the Buddha's teachings, and the giving of courage that leads to the cessation of fear.

When a loving Buddhist practices charitable giving, he is fully aware of the meaning of charity as he shares his fortune with the poor or the needy. When he wants to promote the teachings of the Buddha, he certainly needs to practice the three elements of diligence, Ch'an concentration and wisdom. As a result, he can expound the Buddha's philosophy clearly and introduce the Buddha's teachings wisely according to the intellectual faculty of his audience.

When Tzu Chi volunteers want to assist the medical staff in calming the fear and anxiety of hospital patients, they definitely need to practice the charity of the third category--the giving of courage--by developing the two elements of "keeping the precepts and tolerating insults."

By abiding by the precepts of no stealing, no abusive language, etc., Tzu Chi volunteers certainly render good service to patients at our Tzu Chi hospitals. The good virtue of tolerating insults is especially important for our hospital volunteers. It is hard to imagine healthy people touring a hospital with great spirit and joy. People normally go to a hospital when they are afflicted with illness, or to visit a friend or relative who has fallen sick. Consequently, they easily flare up and lash out at others. Tzu Chi volunteers should bear the precept of tolerating insults in mind and be tolerant of any foul language or irrational remarks uttered by patients. When the medical staff is too busy to offer mental health counseling, the kind volunteers can soothe the psychological anxieties and worries of the patients and their family members.

Above all, our volunteers should do all this without expecting anything in return. Once finished with their assignments, they need to forget all the perspiration or even tears that they have shed. By doing so, they will naturally obtain infinite merits, as stated in the Diamond Sutra.