At the turn of the new year, I offer my blessings to everyone with a heart of reverence. During the secular new year and festive seasons, everyone joyfully extends blessings to one another. My hope is that every day will feel like the new year—that we will carry its spirit in our hearts. I hope that whenever we see someone, we will greet them and offer them our blessings. If this becomes a habit, our goodwill will enable us to form good connections with others, and the blessings we send out will return to us—this can benefit everyone.

All the bodhisattvas before me are colleagues working in Tzu Chi’s Four Missions—charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture. I am grateful that year after year, these bodhisattvas have served the public in my place. I am especially grateful for the doctors and nurses who “safeguard life, safeguard health, and safeguard love.”

Seeing several very long-serving colleagues become certified volunteers, I asked, “Why did it take so long?” They went one step further beyond being “someone from Tzu Chi,” becoming, in name and in reality, “a Tzu Chi volunteer.” They give of themselves with sincere hearts. This is

what I long for most. It is said, “With each passing day, we draw closer to death.” I have been saying that I am getting old, with not much time left—so, please do not wait too long [to join the ranks of Tzu Chi Volunteers].

I often tell everyone, “Death is a natural part of life. You must let go, and you must be diligent and do more than your share.” Whatever I say to others, I also say to myself. I should do more for my parents, because I have two sets of parents. One set is the parents who gave birth to me; the other set is my adoptive parents. My adoptive father and birth father were biological brothers. Because my adoptive father had been married for many years without any children, I was given to him in adoption—a bond of double kinship.

I have often said, “We must repay the kindness of our parents—those who gave us our bodies and nurtured our lives.” Now, there is one more debt of gratitude to repay: the kindness of the Buddha—the kindness that nurtures our wisdom-life. Had the Buddha not come into this world to reveal the truth of all things, I would not have known where life comes from and where it goes, nor would I have understood the value of human life.

Therefore, now, we speak of “Fourfold Kindness.” These are repaying the kindness of the Buddha, of our parents, of our teachers, and of all living beings. I hope that as everyone in Tzu Chi continues to be diligent in their professional and mission-related work, they will also deepen their understanding of the Buddha-Dharma.

There is much suffering in this world, yet thankfully, there is no shortage of people who care. With Tzu Chi present in the world, there is always a measure of balance—but that balance must be earned through effort. For instance, think of the way people in the old days carried heavy loads on a shoulder pole: both sides had to be balanced. If one side was heavier and the other lighter, the pole would tip on one’s shoulder, making it hard to walk and impossible to stay steady; that is, unless one hand pressed down on the lighter side while the other held up the heavier side.

Is it easier to press one side down, or to have both sides balanced from the start? Balance, of course. Whether it is one hundred pounds on one shoulder, or fifty on each side, or thirty on one side, with the other hand pulling the remaining twenty, all of it is hard work. If the load on a shoulder pole is uneven and one tries to walk quickly, one will absolutely sway and will be unable to move fast.

However, if one person carries fifty pounds on each side—two balanced loads on one pole, they will walk faster than someone carrying nothing at all. That is because a person with no load walks at a leisurely pace, while the person carrying the load feels the weight and moves briskly to reach the destination quickly. This, too, is wisdom.

To learn the Buddha’s teachings is to learn wisdom. It does not mean that, as a Buddhist practitioner, you no longer need to carry life’s burdens; rather, learning from the Buddha teaches us how to walk the path and find our balance. If the road has not yet been smoothed, then we must call on everyone to pave it together, making it ever more level. By the same token, whenever we hear reports of poverty and suffering, whether at home or abroad, there is at least some karmic affinity and the opportunity to help, wherever there are Tzu Chi volunteers. This is

why Tzu Chi must continue to grow and expand its reach—there will be more people, wider roads, and a better journey.

The Buddha-Dharma runs very deep. I hope that everyone, within their own field of expertise, will come to trust in the Dharma. If one truly engages with it and comes to understand the Dharma’s insight and vision, it touches every profession and surpasses them all. While most people speak of “knowledge.” I prefer to speak of “wisdom.” Wisdom is not merely a matter of saying, “I understand, I get it”—it is a thorough, penetrating comprehension. The principles of matter, life, and the mind—”the three principles and four characteristics”—are all encompassed within Buddhist practice.

Love is the hope of the world, and the power of love must be guided by wisdom. Whether monastics or laypeople, together, we make great vows and do good in this world. The world needs many kinds of endeavors, and the most essential are our “Four”—charity, medicine,

education, and humanistic culture.

Charity is essential and comes from the single aspiration to relieve suffering and bring joy. Medicine is essential because our bodies and our lives depend on medical care for protection. Education is essential because the world must have education for society to be harmonious

and for the world to flourish. Humanistic culture is essential because “when one hand moves, a thousand hands move with it.” Doesn’t this unity and harmony come from humanistic culture?

I am grateful that everyone is united in making vows, giving of themselves in this world, and walking the Tzu Chi path. The Tzu Chi path runs through the world, and it requires each and every one of us—you and I and others—to come together with one heart.