Do Good Deeds and Expect No Remuneration

By Lin Hsiu-hsia

I was born into a family where parents and children, older and younger siblings, all cared for one another. Yet good fortune never lasts long. When I was in the first year of junior high school, my older sister contracted kidney disease. Exorbitant medical expenses nearly wrecked my family's finances. Nevertheless, my mother insisted that I finish my college education. To defray the medical expenses for my older sister and the tuition fees for my younger brother and me, my older brother and his wife had to borrow money. Despite all these difficulties, my sister-in-law still treated me as her own sister. With deep gratitude, I vowed to spread this cherished love later on.

However, worldly fame and fortune began to corrupt me after my marriage. All I could usually see was that the husband of a colleague had both fame and fortune, one friend had more houses than another, and the houses they got were getting bigger and bigger. Furthermore, as a teacher witnessing the deterioration of campus morality over the years, I felt an indescribable sense of disappointment. The disturbances in society made me restless. But what could I, a person with little influence, do?

Fortunately, there was a turning point for me. One day when I went shopping at the market, I was accosted by Brother Weng Cheng-ting at a stall in the bustling market. He talked to me about Tzu Chi. A couple of months later, I went to a meeting reviewing Tzu Chi's Visit-the-Poor program. During the meeting, Brother Chang Chi-hsin proposed that each participant contribute some money to compensate that same Brother Weng for providing transportation for the past year. Brother Weng stood up and said: "The reason I bought a ninepassenger van was to do good deeds without expecting any remuneration."

The reason for a person who didn't even own his home to buy a van was just to do good deeds! This enlightening remark struck me like a bolt of lightning. Even a common peddler would seek to give back to society! As for me, my fiveyear college scholarship had stemmed from the sweat and blood of the general public. How much had I given back? Thinking of this, I was in tears.

I have participated in many Visit-the-Poor programs. When I saw the imploring, appreciative expressions on the faces of suffering people, I felt they might be compared to my own, waiting for my older brother to bring me the tuition money years ago. Then I realized the magnanimity of the principle of "great mercy even to strangers and great compassion for all." Yes, there is no one in the universe that I would not love.

To Forgive Others is to Help Oneself

By Chang Mei-lien

Sighing, my mother related a true sad story that occurred in the neighborhood recently. It testifies to the validity of Master Cheng Yen's aphorism "To forgive others is to help oneself."

Mr. Wang, our neighbor, was renovating his old house. He had a brawl with his neighbor, Mr. Li, over the boundary line between their houses. Each insisted on his own point of view and accused the other of encroaching on his own property rights. One man was ill-tempered and the other narrowminded. Both were over 50 years of age. Remarkably, both men had strokes at the same time, brought on by the force of their quarrel. Mr. Wang was half paralyzed while Mr. Li was confined to the hospital.

Master Cheng Yen has often admonished, "To forgive others is to help oneself." When you forgive others, your worries will disappear. The Master's remark is a dose of good medicine which has served me well. Once I had a big quarrel with my husband. In the past, I would have been upset and restless for the whole night. This time I resolved to try the good medicine prescribed by the Master. I kept on telling myself: "Forgive him, thoroughly forgive him!" As a result, I slept soundly all the way till down. At the break of the next day, it was all clear and there was no vestige of any storm. I was really delighted because I had won the battle against myself.

There Is No One in the Whole World That I Don't Love

By Lin Hsiu-hua

I am a young, ill-tempered mother-in-law. When a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law come from different families but live under the same roof, troubles and disputes are ine-vitable.

My daughter-in-law is quick-tempered and gets angry easily. When she hears something unpleasant, she slams her door shut with a bang. Sometimes, I also get angry. However, I shouldn't get angry because of my heart trouble. My heart beats so fast that my limbs become paralyzed. Once we had a dispute and she again slammed the door shut. I lost my temper and my limbs shook. I closed my door and ignored her too.

Then I remembered what Master Cheng Yen told us: "There is no one in the whole world that I don't love." As a Tzu Chi commissioner, why couldn't I love and change my only daughter-in-law? Otherwise, how could I continue to be a Tzu Chi commissioner?

At this point, I changed my mind and knocked on her door. "Ah-mei, is there something on your mind? If so, we can talk about it together. It's better to talk about it than to hide it in your heart. Since we live together, we should understand and get along with each other."

After talking a few times, her attitude softened and we got along better with each other. We began to know each other's temperament. Now I understand her and she respects me. Therefore, this remark "There is no one in the whole world that I don't love" is the one that benefits me most. I'll share my experience with everyone.

Work Willingly and Receive the Results Joyfully

By Yu Mei

In my forty years of life, I didn't realize until now the meaning of Master Cheng Yen's saying, "Work willingly and receive the results joyfully."

Before I got married, my parents wanted me to learn how to do household chores. I did them very reluctantly. Occasionally, when I was in good spirits, I would sing with all my heart while doing the chores. At first, I didn't know that that was "working willingly and receiving the results joyfully."

Later, I was married into a loving family. My husband's family all doted on me. Since I was the oldest daughter-in-law and my first child was a son, the whole family was tremendously happy. When my son was five years old, his greatgrandpa took him shopping. There was a car accident. To protect his great-grandson, the old man fell to the ground, thus fracturing his leg. He had an operation and stayed in the hospital for more than two months. Even now, my husband and I still feel guilty about the accident because greatgrandpa, at 92, is in good health except for that leg injury. However, he has no complaints whatsoever. He "works willingly and receives the results joyfully."

Early this year, Auntie Lin traveled from Taipei to Keelung to sell steamed buns and donate the profits to Tzu Chi. She rented a stall at Jenai Market and let us Tzu Chi members from Keelung cultivate this field of blessings. All of us took time out of our busy schedules to work as volunteers. At first, most of us didn't know how to make buns, but we all became bun experts. Our buns became more and more tasty and our business flourished. In the meantime, chubby Auntie became much more slender because she had to commute every day between Taipei and Keelung. She would get up at six o'clock in the morning and rush to Keelung to make buns. She thouhgt that if she could sell one more bun, she could contribute a little more to Tzu Chi and do mre good, so it was worth the effort. After closing the stall in the evening, she would rush back to Taipei. After a day's hard work, she would fall fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. That was her way of "working willingly and receiving the results joyfully."

Since I embarked on the Tzu Chi Path of the Bodhisattvas, I have begun to realize more and more the essence of the term "work willingly and receive the results joyfully." I will take this saying as my motto and practice it all the time.

If You Cannot Change Others, Change Yourself

By Hsu Yu-ching

If you cannot change others, change yourself. This was the magic advice given to me by Sister Lo Li-yueh after I joined Tzu Chi. It has really helped me.

My husband didn't know what his family responsibility was. Addicted to gambling, he was always out somewhere. He never held a regular job. He didn't care about his family or his widowed mother. His son and daughter might only see him once in several months. We have been married for more than a decade, yet he has never shown any progress with the passage of time. On the contrary, he has gone from bad to worse.

I recall more than 10 years ago, about half a month before we were formally engaged, I learned that he was addicted to gambling. I calmly proposed to have the engagement canceled. He pleaded and vowed that he would stop gambling, and he asked a friend to be a witness to show his determination. Meanwhile, my mother also persuaded me to forgive him, saying that a man needed some kind of recreation and that he would have no time to gamble after he got married and had family responsibilities.

Then I had a second thought. If I could turn him into a filial son, like in the story of the return of the prodigal son, that would be my reward as a wife and a daughter-in-law. I decided to try my best to encourage my husband to become a good citizen and not to indulge himself in gambling, so that my mother-in-law could enjoy a comfortable life in her old age.

But things did not turn out that way. When our first child was born, I expected that my husband, as a father, would behave himself. Yet, more than 10 years have elapsed and my dream has never come true. On the contrary, he has gone from bad to worse. He has indulged himself in all sorts of evil practices-eating, drinking, fornicating and gambling.

He would often demand to sell our house, or he would search all the cabinets and boxes for cash. Even our children's piggy banks were not spared. The whole burden of running the family fell on my shoulders. I had to play the dual role of stern father and loving mother.

I struggled in agony and despair. I left no stone unturned to help my husband change his bad habits, hoping he could use his healthy limbs to do some profitable work or engage in more proper forms of recreation. But all my efforts ended in failure. Sometimes, I would do some soul-searching. Was I not trying hard enough or was I not putting enough effort into leading him on the right track? Why was it that my husband had indulged himself in gambling for 30 of his 50 years and had not yet awakened?

One day I found a Tzu Chi monthly magazine at the counter of a bank. Story after story touched my heart. The more I read, the calmer I became. I wanted very much to join this organization, so I jotted down the telephone number of the Taipei chapter of Tzu Chi. After I got home, I called and asked if there were some Tzu Chi members in my area that I might get in touch with.

When Sister Lo came to my house to collect my contribution, she gave me some advice: "If you cannot change your husband, change yourself and you will live a happier, more fulfilling life."

After being with Tzu Chi for more than two years, what I have seen is the epitome of truth, goodness and beauty. I have realized that happiness is not somewhere outside of oneself, but is in one's own mind. Although my husband remains the same as before, I myself have changed a lot. I am no longer attached to petty concerns.

Life is impermanent, so one shouldn't be too obstinate. When one faces life with this in mind, one will not care too much about trifles. One will feel happy and comfortable. Looking at things from another angle, since I have such a lovely pair of children, I should be grateful to my husband. Without him, I wouldn't have had these lovely children. Now I have the confidence to teach them to be good citizens. I no longer live in despair. I am grateful to Sister Lo for giving me that advice. I am even more greatful to Master Cheng Yen for opening the fertile field of Tzu Chi for us to cultivate.

When Justice is on Your Side, Bear Yourself With Humility

By Yun Ju

I remember I once went shopping wearing casual clothes. I saw a pair of formal shoes and asked the salesgirl to show them to me. The salesgirl, after looking me over from top to bottom, said that the shoes were very expensive, and she asked if I could afford them. At this, I exploded and began to scold her, from her lack of business spirit to her bad manners to her snobbish mentality. I berated her for more than ten minutes until she apologized again and again. However, I was still furious. I rushed home and telephoned my friends and relatives to tell them about how I had been humiliated and insulted. I didn't calm down for many, many days.

After joining Tzu Chi, I often heard Master Cheng Yen say: "If you are in the right, be calm; if justice is on your side, speak softly and bear yourself with humility." Have no conflict with others and you will have peace of mind. With the spirit of Tzu Chi, you will be magnanimous, compassionate and tolerant. You will not be hurt if you don't care about worldly success or failure. I was deeply touched. I felt I had reached the point where "there seems to be no path amid the convergence of mountains and waters, yet another village emerges with weeping willows and beautiful blossoms." How enlightening are the Master's sayings!