The Lotus Sutra: Returning to Our Pure Nature

 Within each of us, there is the infinite capacity for compassion. The Buddha-nature of unconditional love is attainable by all, as expounded in the Lotus Sutra by Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. This is the essence of the Bodhisattva Way, as practised by Tzu Chi volunteers, spreading Great Love to the world by helping the poor and relieving suffering without expecting anything in return.

 

In response to the multi-faceted needs of contemporary society, Master Cheng Yen has been preaching the Dharma, blending the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the Jing Si Dharma lineage. Likewise, the musical adaptation of the Lotus Sutra will not only accentuate the spirit of the Sutra, but also connect it with Tzu Chi’s work around the world. This is done through songs, sign language and choreographed movements, paired with vivid images of Tzu Chi’s footprints in the past 56 years, under the Master’s leadership.

Through the musical adaptation, the audience will witness how Buddha’s teachings are practised in daily life, and that everyone can be a living bodhisattva, reaching out to the needy with compassion.

◎ Sailing the sea of wisdom

 

In preparation for the musical adaptation, book study sessions were held to cultivate the spirit of the Sutra.

 

Against the fluctuating Covid-19 landscape in the past two years, Taiwanese Tzu Chi volunteer Lv Ci Yue saw the importance of calming anxious hearts with the Dharma. Therefore, she introduced localized book study sessions, where small groups of volunteers and public members would gather at respective localities to study Master Cheng Yen’s teachings and commentary on the Lotus Sutra. The small group size also allowed every participant to share their experiences and insights, making the sessions more fruitful. Ci Yue emphasized, “While sharing, you must relate your life experiences with the Dharma.”

Each group, comprising 10 to 15 participants, was named a “Dharma boat” and was led by three leaders, who were tasked to organize an indoor and an outdoor book study session each month, and to promote vegetarianism through the food served.

On May 11 this year, over 4,700 people from Tzu Chi KL & Selangor and its sub-chapters, embarked on the journey of Dharma learning on 440 Dharma boats. The first book study session was themed “The Benefactors in My Life”. Some groups had the session online, while others met up physically at Tzu Chi community centres, recycling centres and other venues to cultivate the spirit of the Sutra together.

 

Woo Swee Lee, assistant school lead of Da Ai kindergarten in Kepong, had only wanted to be a participant initially. However, remembering how she was inspired while participating in the “Dharma as Water” musical adaptation back in 2015, she soon agreed to be a group leader. Unexpectedly, her father fell ill at this time, and she was overwhelmed with the stress of having to juggle commitments for her family and career, and as a leader.

 

Thankfully, her father managed to receive timely treatment, and the relieved Swee Lee attributed this affinity to her commitment. She also felt grateful for the opportunity to participate in the musical adaptation, and she can pray for her father when the musical adaptation is staged during the seventh lunar month prayers and blessing ceremony. With a shift in mindset, her worries and stress gradually dissipated.

At Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, Lee Yen Tong, a student of Tzu Chi International School Kuala Lumpur (TCISKL), and her mother, Tan Foong Yee, participated in the online book-study session. Earlier, Yen Tong had been upset over some issues at school. When she heard a volunteer sharing that “the benefactors in our lives are not necessarily those who help us, but they may also be those who test us”, she decided to reframe her mind and view her challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Her mother encouraged her to “always be grateful and you will meet a benefactor wherever you go”.

Besides understanding the Sutra teachings, the participants also learned sign language movements. It was solemn and harmonious as the participants moved with the tempo, and their bodies and minds fully focused on the present.

 

◎ Overcoming challenges as One

 

Training for seed volunteers began as early as late April this year. These volunteers taught the participants the sign language movements at respective communities. Taiwanese volunteer Lin Chia Hua, who lived in Malaysia, and a former planner for musical adaptations staged by Tzu Chi KL & Selangor, offered her guidance via the Internet. Despite being in Taiwan currently, Chia Hua maintained close contacts with the seed volunteers, ensuring that their movements were in sync and that they were able to convey the essence of the Sutra adaptation accurately.

In the evening of June 21, Chia Hua conducted the second session of sign language teaching for about 1,300 participants of the “Dharma Sea” zone. She reminded the participants to perform certain movements with greater strength, and praised them for their positive attitude in learning. She also encouraged them to invite their relatives and friends to board the Dharma boats and learn the Dharma together.

Earlier, when Chia Hua approached volunteer Lim Chiow Yong to be the training instructor, the latter was hesitant as she was not very confident, and wondered, “Can I decline it?” However, after some contemplation, she decided to take on the hefty role, as she did not want to have regrets like those who could not make it to the 2015 “Dharma as Water” musical adaptation due to a strike of impermanence.

Undoubtedly, the undertaking came with challenges. Firstly, the team had to revise the performance plan several times as the local venue layout was different from that of Taiwan. Next, there were issues arising from a lack of standardization for the planning map, process flows, administrative handling, and so on. Thankfully, mutual understanding was achieved after several discussions, and everything went on track to make the training for the 440 seed volunteers a success.

Language posed a problem to some seed volunteers who are not well versed in Mandarin. Nonetheless, they were undeterred and kept good faith that “with strong will comes the strength”. One example was volunteer Alicia Chew, who does not read Chinese characters. In order to enhance her understanding of the Sutra verses, she used online translation application to translate the verses into English. It was challenging and stressful, but she was rewarded with spiritual joy and decided to share the teachings she has learned with volunteers from the English-speaking group.

Another seed volunteer, Chong Choy Lin from Kuantan, Pahang, was a little worried as the usual practice venue was less than ideal, and she found it quite challenging having to remember and perform movements for several songs. On May 29, she led 46 volunteers on a more than three hours’ trip to KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall, for the seed volunteers’ training. She was pleased to see her team members learning attentively, and were able to perform the movements well and in good synchronization. She felt that although the power of one person could be weak, the team worked as one, moving in one direction together.

◎ Seizing the opportunity

 

Middle-aged Chong Yoong Ying signed up as a seed volunteer together with her daughters. With a day job, she had to manage her schedules to make time for the training and rehearsal sessions. Her daughters helped to guide and familiarize her with the Sutra verses and to memorize the movements.

Her persistence came from the positive changes she has observed in herself. Looking back with teary eyes, she said, “In the past, I would hold grudges when I was scolded by others, but now, I have learned to change my behavior and restrain my temper instead. I have also learned to not hear it when others say unpleasant words. I hope to bring all my family members to join Tzu Chi.”

Volunteer Dong Min, a mainland Chinese citizen married to a Malaysian, joined Tzu Chi in 2020. She was impressed by the spectacular scenes of the 2015 “Dharma as Water” musical adaptation, but regretted that she did not have the chance to participate and could only watch the recorded footages. Her earnestness to participate in a sutra adaptation performance finally came true this year.

She confessed that she was still unable to fully observe the ten precepts of Tzu Chi. She hoped that her participation in the musical adaptation could help strengthen her resolve to observe vegetarianism and revive her aspiration to cultivate diligently. She expressed regrets for her unintentional mistakes and all those she had hurt in the past.

She said, “The forward and backward hand movements in synchronization with the ‘Sutra Opening Verses’ reminded me of how I had repeatedly made advancement and then retreated on the path of spiritual cultivation. I was astonished when I immersed myself in the musical adaptation and related my feelings.” Dong Min looks forward to rid her unwholesome habits and desires, thereby becoming a better person. 

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With cleansed hearts and renewed vigour, the volunteers practised mindfully, with the Dharma in their hearts while performing the body movements. Their shared goal was to immerse themselves in the light of the Dharma, to inspire others to learn the Dharma diligently, and to promote the spirit of living bodhisattvas in the world.

It was certainly an uplifting sight as the pristine petals of the blissful lotus continue to unfold and blossom.