Since day one, Tzu Chi has remained consistent in its principles for more than forty years. Inwardly, we cultivate sincerity, integrity, faith, and steadfastness, and outwardly, we practice loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. The Jing Si Dharma lineage is the teachings underlying our spiritual practice. This spiritual practice is not about going to a temple to worship or hold rituals. Instead, we take the Dharma to heart, and from our hearts, we exercise love to pave a path for helping others. This is the path of Tzu Chi.
“The Jing Si Dharma lineage is a path of diligent practice.” When we walk into our spiritual home and enter the Jing Si Dharma lineage, we must practice sincerity. Our minds must be reverent, and we must be sincere in how we treat others. Along with sincerity, we also need integrity. This means that our hearts, conduct, thinking, and actions must all be proper. These are all part of the Eightfold Noble Path that we must practice.
As for faith, it is the source of the Way, mother of merits. We must all have faith in the Jing Si Dharma lineage. Our spiritual practice must return to that of the Buddha’s era. To accomplish this, we must begin by opening the door and paving the path in our hearts. We must all have faith.
Spiritual practice truly begins with cultivating our minds, not seeking after things. Seeking causes suffering, so we must not pursue our desires endlessly. Not only must we cease our endless pursuits, we must also give of ourselves to others without seeking anything in return. In fact, because suffering sentient beings inspire love in our hearts and strengthen our Bodhisattva aspirations, we must be grateful.
We must have sincerity, integrity, faith, and steadfastness; we must be steadfast and grounded in our spiritual practice. This does not come from praying, but from actions. This is what makes the Jing Si Dharma lineage a path of diligent practice.
Our minds are our spiritual training ground. When we open the door to our hearts, we use sincerity, integrity, faith, and steadfastness to pave a path of love. Using love to pave the path, we go among people and apply the Dharma to transform them. This is how we transform others with the Dharma. What Dharma do we use? The Dharma of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We must have great loving-kindness without regrets, great compassion without resentment, great joy without worries, and great equanimity without expectations. With this love in our hearts, we can go among people and transform the world.