Illuminations: Words of Insight from Dharma Master Cheng Yen Vol. 1: On Living and Dying

De: Shih Cheng Yen, Jing Si Sangha Editorial Team

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

This book series contains thousands of Master Cheng Yen’s teachings or responses to questions on all sorts of matters. The earliest teaching documented in this series was given in 1980, when then president, Mr. Chiang Ching-kuo, visited the Jing Si Abode in Hualien. During this visit, Master Cheng Yen shared about the groups Tzu Chi Merit Association helped, the kinds of help provided, and its operating process. The most recent teaching was given in April 2021, after a Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration derailed in and caused serious casualties. Master Cheng Yen expressed her empathy and compassion to the volunteers who went to the accident site right after the incident to provide help. The historical materials span as long as forty-one years and across two centuries.

Volume One covers topics on living and dying. Life and death are natural phenomena. When we look at them with a broader perspective, we will be able to let them go. As such, we can be unhindered and unattached. Though life is limited, wisdom life lasts forever. Thus, for Buddhist practitioners, life and death can be taken more lightly; it is more important to nourish our wisdom life. We must eradicate the defilement in our minds and return to our innocent, pure, intrinsic nature.