Simplicity is Wisdom

During a six day volunteer training session, Master Cheng Yen had barely
enough time to answer questions from general visitors. She was nonetheless
able to provide words of advice to the participants.

One volunteer, who was afflicted with a chronic disease, was anxious that
she would not be able to keep up with the pace of other volunteers. The
Master soothed her distress by saying, “Illness is inevitable. If you dwell
on the mentality of “I cannot catch up,” you will suffer both physical and
mental anguish. Rather, you should simply leave the problem of your
physical illness to your physician, and focus on volunteer work that is not
labor-intensive to ease your mind.”

In response to another woman’s question on how to gain wisdom, Master Cheng
Yen’s instruction was to keep a simple mind. “We should always keep an open
and optimistic mind, and constantly discipline ourselves to avoid negative
thoughts. It is ineffective to overload ourselves with unachievable ideas,
neither is it helpful to complicate the situation. We should simply focus
on what we can do and do it mindfully. Simplicity is wisdom.”

When a physician’s wife expressed her distress about the tension between
her and her husband, the Master urged her to broaden her heart and to bring
her husband to Tzu Chi events. “Do not waste energy over disagreements. If
we cannot expand our hearts and accommodate others, then others will not
have an opportunity to reflect upon themselves and reform. You should
lessen your frustration and guide him with wisdom.”

In response to a man’s concern over the possibility of war, the Master
maintained that “Love” is the only remedy to appease war and conflict among
human beings. Where there is love and mercy, there is harmony. Only with
unconditional kindness and compassion can world peace become possible. Tzu
Chi volunteers have been relentlessly spreading seeds of love with a firm
belief that all human beings are equal.

The future of the world depends on the tug of war between conflicts and
harmony. “The karmic influences between people or countries are interwoven.
More goodness in the world will lead to peace. If everyone is selfish and
quarrelsome, negative karma is created, which leads to wars and conflicts.”

To liberate the world from disasters is a responsibility everyone shares. “
We must help guide more people into doing good deeds. But more importantly,
we must start with ourselves. Only after we have practiced it ourselves can
we influence others by example.