We Turn from the Darkness to the Light on the Great Bodhisattva Path

As time progresses, more people are listening to the Buddha Dharma,  and more people understand Tzu Chi’s direction. We also continue  to gather people who share the same aspiration and are willing to  practice the Bodhisattva Path. 

We need everyone in the world to do good deeds, transcend religious  boundaries, and help the suffering. The love of humanity in Christianity,  compassion in Buddhism, and great love that we often speak of in  Tzu Chi, are all forms of love. A broad and profound great love is the  direction a Bodhisattva should practice. 

I feel joyful as I listen to your aspirations and vows to spread love to  the world! However, it is easy to form aspirations and make vows;  maintaining them is challenging. It is even more difficult to uphold our  vows when facing difficulties. To do that is truly worthy of merit. The  world is full of afflictions, ignorance, and obstacles. Without upholding  your faith and love, the power of your vows will undoubtedly be quickly  extinguished. 

I hope you do not form this aspiration only when you see me, but that  you start each day with a vow to “talk about Tzu Chi when meeting  and talking to people, to form good aspirations and practice great love  always.” Each of these small acts represents a thought, and all reverent  thoughts bring infinite merits. 

“Taking refuge” is when ordinary beings head toward a pure, broad path  of great love. “Taking refuge” means “turning toward.” The Chinese  character for “taking refuge” comprises the characters of “white” and  “reverse.” “Reverse” represents turning away from darkness, and  “white” symbolizes directing the mind toward brightness. We want to  “turn our minds from the darkness to the light.” 

“Darkness” refers to a past when our minds were defiled, filled with  greed and desires. Every thought would center on benefiting ourselves  and pursuing personal interests, and we would rarely consider benefiting  the world or caring for others. This is what ordinary beings are like,  characterized by selfishness, limited love, loving only themselves, and  disregarding others. 

To seek refuge, we must open the door to our hearts and shine a light  upon the world. We light a bright lamp at the bottom of our hearts,  then open the door to enable everyone to light the candles of their  hearts and go forth. Each additional lighted candle adds a bit more  brightness. When all candles in a room are lit, we turn darkness into  light. 

The Buddha came to the world to guide people toward seeing the  vastness and beautiful scenes of the world. The Bodhisattva Path is  this beautiful scene. Bodhisattvas welcome sentient beings with open  arms, dispersing their ignorance and discursive thoughts and providing  them with a bright and broad path. 

Bodhisattvas do not only seek self-attainment; they must also  transform others. We should look up to the Buddha, realize that life is  impermanent, and promptly head toward the right path. We must sail  toward the other shore, a bright, peaceful, and pure land. Yet, ferrying  only ourselves is not the best use of time and direction; why not guide  more people onto this ship of compassion? 

For almost sixty years, Tzu Chi has witnessed countless suffering but has  also brought in many Living Bodhisattvas. They often share on stage  about their past lives of confusion and ignorance, and how the Tzu Chi  volunteers they encountered guided them in the right direction. Not  only have they found liberation in body and mind, but they have also  led others to walk the Bodhisattva Path.  

For almost sixty years, Tzu Chi has witnessed countless suffering but has  also brought in many Living Bodhisattvas. They often share on stage  about their past lives of confusion and ignorance, and how the Tzu Chi  volunteers they encountered guided them in the right direction. Not  only have they found liberation in body and mind, but they have also  led others to walk the Bodhisattva Path. 

Now that all of you have settled the direction of your mind and decided  to take refuge—to turn from the darkness to the light—you must  completely let go of past grievances. Not only should you let go of all  your grudges against others, but you must extend your hands to guide  them onto the Bodhisattva Path and help them “return to the light.” 

The worldly Dharma is nothing extraordinary. We must seek to  understand worldly matters and cleanse ourselves of afflictions and  ignorance. A fresh future starts with cherishing our own wisdom life.  We must not entangle ourselves again with ignorance and afflictions.  By incorporating each new person’s strengths, causes and conditions,  we can even more broadly and expansively bring purity to people’s  hearts. 

Only by doing can we attain blessings. We must take action on this  broad and open path to benefit the world. We must take the first step  forward, for a journey of a thousand miles begins with our first step.  We may be ordinary beings, but we can become enlightened and attain  Buddhahood in the future, and in between lies the crucial Bodhisattva  Path. To learn to become Bodhisattvas, as long as we are willing to take  the first step, we will certainly be able to travel thousands of miles.