The Life-Saving Enterprise: A Message from Practitioner Zhang Rongfa

The True Value of a Life Well-Lived

It is far better to endure the hardships of youth than to suffer the bitterness of old age. In this life, one should not be overly extravagant, for if you squander your resources, your children may eventually turn their backs on you. Furthermore, one should never be stingy with others. Being miserly only serves to narrow your own path in life. Do not become a slave to wealth, for that stingy nature is often written clearly upon one's face. If you spend your entire life hoarding riches only to pass them on to your children, they may not feel any gratitude toward you. Instead, they might simply take it for granted and spend it all away. When you look back, you will realise that such a life was truly not worth the effort.

However, you must first ensure that your own conduct is upright. If you act with integrity, there is nothing to fear, no matter what challenges come your way. The great storms and heavy rains of life are nothing to lament. The bright path ahead is one that you must walk for yourself. My principle in life has always been to treat every employee as if they were a member of my own family. Whenever the company prospered, I believed that everyone should share in that success. I have always been deeply grateful to the employees who worked alongside me for so many years, from their youth through to their own family lives and into their twilight years. Some of them I could call by name, while others I could not, but we navigated the many crises of the Evergreen Group together.

The Connection of Karmic Affinity

People are brought together by Causal Conditions; when the affinity is there, we are together, and when it is not, we should not force it. Speaking of affinity, my connection with the Buddha is quite extraordinary. It was only after I passed away that I encountered the Buddha and was rescued by His infinite compassion. To my children, I have cultivated you since you were young, and you have never lacked for anything in your lives. However, when I was young and striving to build my career, I often neglected you. You watched my every move and learned from my actions. Although I have left you a vast enterprise, I often overlooked your inner feelings. Many of the things you wished to say, you kept hidden in your hearts, just as your mother did. I truly apologise for the suffering I caused you during those years.

A Father’s Final Plea

Now, I wish to hand over to you a different kind of enterprise—a life-saving mission. I hope that you can assist the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to build the Amituofo Village. This project is intended to provide the elderly with a true home, offering them hope for their lives rather than simply waiting for the end. My own foundation, the Zhang Rongfa Foundation, is unable to achieve this specific goal, and I truly hope that you can contribute this to society. Everyone will grow old one day, and we should provide them with a peaceful place to reside.

A Path to the Western Pure Land

In this village, the elderly will be taught to chant Namo Amituofo, listen to the sutras, and perform prostrations. Through this, their physical and mental health can be revitalised. Ultimately, they will be able to chant Namo Amituofo and return to the Western Pure Land. The Western Pure Land is where I reside now. I also hope that you will consider purchasing a unit there. The time is approaching when you should properly learn to practise the Buddha’s teachings, for illness will inevitably arrive one day. During my lifetime, I did not have the Causal Conditions to encounter the Buddha’s teachings, but now I know that I must introduce these teachings to my children. I hope that, in the end, our entire family can be reunited. I know that as you have grown up, you have each built your own bright future, but this life-saving mission is a task far more important than any individual success. I hope that you can listen to your father’s counseling.

Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo