You are busy every day, but have you ever wondered why you are so busy? For status, money, accomplishment or recognition?

Chasing after material goods can satisfy our vanity, but not the hollowness in our minds. When we run into problems or blind spots in our views of reality, many of us simply become indifferent towards our lives. Like mirrors covered with dust, we cannot see ourselves clearly.

However, some people stop and think about what they really want.

In March 1995, Ho Teng-yao, former secretary general of the ROC Council for Industrial and Commercial Development and Tzu Chi honorary board member, suggested to Master Cheng Yen the idea of a camp for honorary board members. The Master agreed to the idea and named it the Still Thoughts Camp. Two months later, the camp was held for the first time.

The entrepreneurs who attended were considered to have been "born with silver spoons in their mouths" because they were the second generation of the major business tycoons in Taiwan. All of them were busy with their jobs. Immersed in the Tzu Chi spirit for two days and one night, they were able to rethink the meaning and value of life.

"Master Te Tzu told us that when Master Cheng Yen had just established the Tzu Chi Foundation, they didn't even have the money to take the bus. When they didn't have cattle to till the fields, they themselves had to pull the plow. Even under such harsh conditions, they were still able to carry out their charity work. I really admire them."

"Establishing the hospital, from acquiring the land to finding doctors, was as difficult as running a business."

"Tzu Chi was based on housewives who donated fifty cents a day. But actually, social responsibility shouldn't rest only on women, but on all people."

With such deep insights, these entrepreneurs started to rethink their social responsibility. They not only took time out to donate their money and strength to the missions, but they also brought the Tzu Chi spirit to their businesses.

"I didn't believe that there were still so many suffering people who needed our help," said Ho Min-chang, president of National Technical Equipment Co. "When I went to visit these poor people, I discovered that we shouldn't simply say that we wanted to help children and the elderly-we have to actually do it."

"After going to Cambodia and seeing the plight of those people, I feel that participating in the Tzu Chi missions is far more important," said Wu Tung-hsien of the Shinkung Group. He felt that these were experiences of human life and spiritual growth that he had never had before.

"Someone asked me why I didn't simply donate money, and why I should also run the risk of participating in a relief program to Cambodia," said Ho Po-wen of the Tungho Steel Group. He had been hesitant for a while about joining the relief program. When he came back, he knew that he had to appreciate his good fortune.

"Nowadays, everyone is making things so complicated, so our society is getting worse," noted Wang Ling-yi of the China Rebar Group. "As Tzu Chi members, we must do something to purify society." He and his employees encourage each other with Master Cheng Yen's sayings, such as "Simplicity is the right way" and "Just do it." "When you simplify something, it becomes easy to do."

Because of the success of the first camp, Ho Teng-yao wanted to share the experience with his good friends, so he invited some seventy members from the Council for Industrial and Commercial Development, their families and some media employees to join the second Still Thoughts Camp. Members from the first camp returned as team leaders and assistants. Wang Ling-yi, who had served as both team leader and assistant, remarked, "Each position has a different duty. It's like climbing stairs. After you take the first step, you have to keep going." He each camp like an empty box, hoping to bring some treasure back home.

Mass Media: Observing the Reality of Life

More and more people come to the camp: businessmen, script editors, doctors, reporters, construction workers, etc.

Anyone who works on TV programs is very good at creating atmospheres to influence audiences' feelings, but because of their work, they themselves become so numb that they do not know what it means to be touched. "Our shows can make people laugh out loud and make them cry, but the shows are all fake," said Lee Kang, TV show host and movie scriptwriter. "Tzu Chi people's smiles are so natural, not like some other people whose reactions are so cold."

"I used to have a very stern face and speak to other people very harshly. I didn't know how to comfort or help other people. After this two-day experience, I can't stop crying." Cho Chien-mei, deputy director for China Television Company, said that Tzu Chi taught her to be soft and gentle.

"Now that I have stepped into Tzu Chi, I can't come out." Tang Yi-pai, another director from the same TV company, said that when she saw Tzu Chi members devoting themselves so completely, her own latent goodness was also activated and she started to help make TV programs for Tzu Chi.

Great Doctors: Curing Illness and People

"Some patients come back to thank us after they are discharged from the hospital. Just like the Master said, we doctors should actually thank them because it was they who gave their lives for us to learn and to get more experience." Dr. Lin Chi-chang from the Tri-Service General Hospital indicated that he had learned to be humble.

After the camp, many doctors began reconsidering their roles and hoped to become conscientious doctors who could treat patients from their hearts .

"A doctor's opinion can determine a person's life. From now on, I will work more on my expertise, so that patients can be well protected." Dr. Kao Jui-ho of Tzu Chi Hospital hoped that he would learn to regard patients as if they were his own relatives.

After the camp, Dr. Li Wei-che went with Tzu Chi members to offshore isles to carry out free clinics. "Actually, patients don't ask for much. When a doctor treats them well and gives them care and a smile, they trust him more." At the beginning of this year, he and his wife were both certified as Tzu Chi commissioners by Master Cheng Yen.

Media Workers: Using the Media Properly

More and more people come out of the Still Thoughts camps and join the Tzu Chi missions because they are touched by Master Cheng Yen's great love. They then contribute their skills and spread the seeds of goodness to people around them.

"How many people died in the fire?" Chia Hsien-te, deputy director of a TV news department, admitted that whenever he heard about a disaster, his first reaction was, "Is it eye-catching news?" He was very concerned about the number of people who died in the disaster. However, he forgot that each statistic represented the end of a valuable life or a tragedy for a family.

With severe competition among media companies, a common problem for media workers is that they must exaggerate news or report on mere rumors for the sake of getting exclusive reports and high ratings. Master Cheng Yen once said that everyone was responsible for social safety. She hoped that workers in mass communications would respect media ethics and report any news from a humane perspective.

Professor Liu Hsin-pai of the World College of Journalism and Communications said, "The good deeds of Tzu Chi members are like stones thrown into water: they create ripples." He felt that the media had a great influence over society, so he invited members of the National Press Council to join the camp.

Architects: Creating Witness to History

"What is the significance of learning architecture? Why don't we build something useful that will last a lifetime?" Chiang Chi-chao asks employees of his construction company to help in the construction of the Tzu Chi Talin Hospital, from checking the blueprints to supervising the work. Chiang praises his employees for their good work.

The Great Assistants Behind Their Backs

Songwriter Wang Chien-hsun has written many melodies. Wang Shang-wen, deputy editor-in-chief of the Commercial Times, reports on Tzu Chi's activities once a week. A reporter regularly volunteers at the Tzu Chi Culture Center... Countless people have gone to the camp and decided to join Tzu Chi.

The participants' reactions tell us whether the camp is successful. The efforts of the support staff cannot be overlooked either.

Most of the support staff at the camp are the wives of the entrepreneurs. Normally, these wives do not have to do odd jobs to increase family income, but at the camp, they have to do everything, so they learn to do any kind of hard work.

Couples commonly go to the camp together. For example, Wang Ling-yi and his wife, Kuo Chi-ling, have been married for seventeen years. In the past, they tended to have different viewpoints on many things, but now they know how to agree with each other. Kuo is very satisfied with her husband's transformation. "Now I know what it means for a couple to be in love and what is called 'married life,'" Wang said. "I feel that my wife and I are in love again."

Ho Po-wen and his whole family also went to the camp. They hit the streets to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Herb. Hsu Hsiu-hua feels that her husband, Hung Min-chang, has changed his temper and that he is closer and dearer to his employees.

In the future, the camp will target people in different professions. It hopes to call on more people to work for the purification of society.

ELIMINATING CONFUSION
Still Thoughts Camp (2)
Still Thoughts Camp participants ask
Master Cheng Yen for guidance.

My friends focus on chanting Amitabha Buddha's name. They told me to be a vegetarian, to recite Amitabha Buddha's name, and to read a sutra on the Buddha so that I could go to the Western Pure Land when I die. Is that correct? (Chu Hsiao-mei from Hong Kong)

Some Buddhists say so, but I think it is rather late to go to the Pure Land when you die. Actually, we can go there now, because the Pure Land is in this world. All that you see or hear are Buddhist teachings.

Recitation is a way for spiritual formation. Not all Buddhists have to do it, because it all depends on one's wisdom and personality. However, recitation can help us to eliminate bad thoughts and to nurture good thoughts.

What I am asking you to do is to bring out your buddha-nature with recitation. I often say, "Regard Sakyamuni Buddha's compassion as your own compassion;" that is, I want all of us to nurture our mind as Buddha's compassionate mind. If we can regard helping people as worshipping a statue and purifying people's minds as reciting a buddha's name, then we will become buddhas.

My grandfather, father and brother all had accidents and they all received head injuries. Someone told me that these accidents happened because of bad fengshui [Chinese geomancy]. He even told me to ask for guidance from the deities. I am a Buddhist, so I don't believe in all this, but I am still confused. Could the Master tell me what to do? (Huang Chin-chung, doctor of Chinese medicine)

Life is impermanent! Our lives cannot circumvent the law of cause and effect. When a car accident happens, the vehicle comes at that precise moment, not a second earlier or later, and the accident happens. This is the power of karma. Things happen because of karma. They have nothing to do with fengshui.

Karma is caused by our thoughts and conduct. So if we can maintain good thoughts and conduct, we will not create bad causes and receive bad effects.

Buddha once said, "Mind alone creates everything." Don't be afraid and don't feel confused. In the past, we did not know that our causes and effects could be altered by our current deeds. If our future is not determined, we follow our karma. Fengshui is nothing compared to our mind, so don't be superstitious. If we have the correct faith and goals in life, no evils will come near us.

In sum, if you have any doubts, demons will come to distract you. If you want a peaceful mind, you must do more good for other people. Once you have a peaceful and righteous mind, nothing evil can haunt you.

Doctors have many chances to create blessings. If they can treat patients with the compassionate heart of a living buddha, they can control their own future.

A beauty salon caught fire and the victims were young, unmarried hairdressers. The family of one hairdresser knows me and the manager of the salon is my good friend. The victim's family asked me to demand that the manager pay more compensation. They felt that it was not easy to raise a child, and they wondered why the manager only gave them less than NT$2 million [US$74,000] in compensation. (Chang Shan-ming, general manager of a construction company)

How much does a life cost? To me, a billion dollars are not enough because life cannot be measured. No one should ask for compensation for a life. They should sincerely create blessings for others.

If that family had created the incident, how would they want the victims to treat them? If all of us can see things from other people's viewpoints, this society will be more peaceful.

I know Buddhism requires everyone to work on their mind and their conduct. However, Tzu Chi also requests its members to wear the same uniform. Why? (Yuan Chih-yeh, general manger of Ta Chung Communications)

Spiritual formation comes from our mind, but the concept of "mind" is rather abstract. Our appearance reflects our mind, so Tzu Chi also asks its members to maintain a good appearance. Furthermore, when everyone dresses the same, there are no distinctions between high and low among our members.

I also ask the students and the instructors of the medical college and the nursing college to wear uniforms, so that they can focus on their work and not waste time on their clothing. Even some big companies ask their employees to wear uniforms so that they can display a consistently neat appearance.

How do you get Tzu Chi members to maintain such high standards in everything they do? (Lee Kuo-hsiang, deputy board director of a cosmetic company)

This is like in a company: if you want your employees to maintain high standards, you must see things from their viewpoint and pay attention to them more. If you care about them, they will support you.

Tzu Chi members work very hard but also very happily. Whenever I say to them, "Well done," they always say, "We are happy and grateful." This is the meaning of "Work willingly and accept the results happily."

When employees work willingly and cheerfully, then no matter how hard they work, they will always be happy.

Tzu Chi's activities in charity, medicine, education, culture, and broadcasting have received positive responses. How did the Master find or coordinate these resources? In this process, what was your most unforgettable memory? (Chen Shu-chen, TV reporter)

All of us have our goals, and mine is "Be committed to Buddhism and to all living beings." I left home, shaved my head and became a nun more than thirty years ago. I have always wanted to be involved in society to serve all living beings.

When you have a goal in life, you must also know how to take care of your mind and build up sincerity, integrity, trust, and honesty. When the karmic conditions are right, you can show forth your compassion, kindness, joy and unselfish giving.

I never try to look for the right conditions. I just do my job mindfully. Sincerity, integrity, trust and honesty are the guides of my life, and compassion, kindness, joy and unselfish giving are my goals. I have always worked hard for the Tzu Chi missions, and I always will. I always grasp every opportunity. Whenever I come across any difficulty, I must be patient and resolute. Modern society needs an organization like Tzu Chi to relieve people from physical and mental suffering.

For example, the police are the protectors of society, but the current social chaos is putting a heavy load on them. When they are under great pressure at work, they are overwrought when they get home, which makes things hard on their families. With so much pressure at work and at home, there have even been cases of policemen committing suicide.

We always do our best. When we are asked to do something, we will do it. We must seize the moment and hang on to the good thoughts that we have now.

I hear that most donations of money and time are given to Buddhist organizations. Does this make a negative impression on people? (Hu Yu-hao, researcher for the China Times Weekly)

Someone said that when social resources are sucked up by Tzu Chi, other small charity groups will be in trouble. Tzu Chi was also a small charity group thirty years ago, and who came to help us? We had to depend on ourselves and work toward our objectives step by step.

When we accumulate donations bit by bit, we will be strong. The most important thing is where we are using these resources and whether we are doing the work. Tzu Chi helps many other groups. We even help Catholics or other Christians if they are in trouble.

Donating money all depends on personal conditions. Some say, "I trust Tzu Chi, so I'll donate money to it." Others say, "If it weren't for Tzu Chi, I would still be fooling around and being useless." Tzu Chi has changed the lives of many people, and so they are willing to save up their money and donate it to our work. They may not be Buddhists, but I bring them into Buddhism by way of our charity work.

Sometimes when I hear someone criticizing Tzu Chi, I feel very down-hearted. However, I don't regret it a bit. I just make sure that every little bit of the money is used properly. Tzu Chi is not rich, but we Tzu Chi people are determined to help the needy. I keep thinking of ways to activate people's altruism and make the best use of their money.

Tzu Chi has engaged in promoting education and culture with the aim of overlooking bad deeds and praising good deeds. However, local news reports still focus on bad news. Tzu Chi has a lot of influence in society. Can you use that influence to push for the passage of certain laws? (Chen Chen-yao, general manager of an electric wire and cable company)

The recent kidnapping and murder of Pai Hsiao-yen [daughter of a famous Taiwanese TV entertainer] upset me very much, and many people wonder whether Taiwan can ever be purified.

I don't think Taiwan is so very bad. It's just that since the lifting of martial law, many news reports have focused too much on the negative aspects of society and not so much on the positive side. Sometimes, we have to look at the bright side. Otherwise, we won't be able to sleep at night.