Spreading the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings requires  people. The sutras say, “People spread the Dharma; the Dharma is  not something to be used for people to bring glory to themselves.”  This means that good people should do good deeds, and good deeds  require good people to do them. We also need kind-hearted people  to carry on the teachings, spreading loving-kindness universally— this is to transmit the Dharma. 

The annual celebration of the Buddha’s birthday is approaching. In  the past, Buddhists traditionally celebrated the Buddha’s birthday by  placing a statue of Prince Siddhartha in the center of a basin of water.  They would use a ladle to scoop water, pouring it over the Buddha  statue’s head or shoulders. However, the Buddha’s true nature is the  pure Dharma body, so why would ordinary beings need to pour water  on a statue? I believe the Buddha is formless, and we should express the  understanding that “everyone inherently possesses Buddha nature.” 

Ordinary beings insist on the importance of “form” because they  need to use “form” to transmit and explain the Dharma. Therefore,  sound, color, form, and action are needed. These allow the Buddha’s  teachings to be shared among the public, so that everyone can chant  in unison with one voice. Every hand gesture, footstep, bow, and turn  is performed in perfect harmony. 

Form must be an expression of sincere goodness and beauty. In Taiwan,  for the past few years, we have held the Buddha Day Ceremony in  the plaza outside Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. We gather people in  an orderly and solemn manner to help everyone understand Taiwan’s  respect for the Buddha’s teachings. Many monastics are invited to  the Buddha bathing ceremony. I see them quietly listening to the  organizing team’s explanations on how to follow the route and maintain  orderliness. This truly embodies the concept that “form is emptiness,  and emptiness is form.” I am truly grateful. 

The Buddha’s teachings are meant to be applied in this world. I hope  everyone will sincerely make daily offerings to the Buddha with a  reverent heart. The Buddha came to this world to teach us how to  have compassion, to understand the principles, and to show us how to  become genuine bodhisattvas. Each year on this day, I hope the whole  world will sincerely honor its significance. This day represents the  Buddha’s birthday and Mother’s Day. Additionally, Tzu Chi volunteers  worldwide gather for Global Tzu Chi Day, making it a “Three-in-One  Celebration”. 

During last year’s Tzu Chi anniversary (the twenty-fourth day of the  third lunar month), I saw a long procession of Tzu Chi volunteers.  The procession was magnificent, walking step by step from the foot  of the mountain up to the Dharma platform on Vulture Peak. As they  chanted the Sutra of Infinite Meanings on Vulture Peak, the scene kept  resonating in my mind. It was as if my memory had returned to more  than 2,500 years ago, when bodhisattvas were also on Vulture Peak.  How can we put the spirit of the Buddha’s teachings into practice? We  can do it simply by walking the path and putting the true Dharma into  practice in this world. 

I transcribed this sutra character by character, first engraving it on steel  plates, then writing it with pencil, and finally with a brush. This spiritual  journey has now returned to the Buddha’s homeland—Nepal. On the  twenty fourth day of each lunar month, monastics and volunteers  chant at Maya Devi Temple. 

In the plaza in front of the temple, volunteers recite the Sutra of Infinite  Meanings. The sound of the chanting, like the sound of ocean tide, is  very dignified. This is how people can transmit the Dharma. To educate  sentient beings, the Buddha expounded the Dharma in this world.  Which language should be used? Unifying the rhythm and making it  harmonious is also a method. I look forward to utilizing the text and  rhythms of Sanskrit chants for practice together in every cultivation  ground. May each person engrave it in their hearts so that solemn  melodies will arise in their minds at all times. 

The Lotus Sutra is an explanation of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings,  and the Sutra of Infinite Meanings is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.  Using various methods, we guide everyone to enter the gateway of  the Lotus Sutra, absorbing the Buddha’s teachings into their hearts.  This allows Buddha nature to resonate with subtle sounds, awakening  the spirit through beautiful melodies. 

Let us begin accumulating sincerity in our hearts now, pervading the  Dharma realm every day. I hope that on the Buddha’s birthday, the  sounds of the Dharma will flow through every household, and the  chanting of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings will be heard in every street  and alley.