By Tun Xin
It
was tea harvesting time in my home area of Formosa, I joined my father at
the family tea plantation up in the mountains to help with the harvesting
work. Around noon, a woman worker, thinking that I had not brought my lunch,
offered to share her vegetarian lunch box with me. Actually, I had brought
my own lunch box. Because she was not on a pure vegetarian diet, my father
did not wait for me to reply and declared proudly, "Oh! She won't take
yours! She keeps a much stricter vegetarian diet than you do!"
I
couldn't help but burst into laughter. I still remember the family revolution
my sister and I stirred up in the early days when we wanted to pursue spiritual
practice and become a vegetarian, but now, my parents have changed completely.
Although they are still uninterested in spiritual practice, and even utter
a few scornful words to agitate us now and then, I can feel how much they
love us. Their earlier misunderstanding was caused by our rigid attitude,
for which we should really practice introspection.
Every
time we are home to celebrate the Lunar New Year or other festivals, our
parents express concern that we might be undernourished and suggest ordering
a vegetarian feast for the entire family. When we lovingly prepare some
simple vegetarian dishes for them, they always savor the food heartily and
even remind us not to eat heavily processed vegetarian foods. Mother is
especially lovely; although we never force anyone to eat vegetarian meals,
she always keeps a vegetarian diet along with us during the few days we
are home.
We
often share with her interesting and heartwarming stories about life in
our group, and about how we work to beautify the Hsihu Center, and I can
feel a gradual change in her. She now shows greater interest in the art
of living and aestheticism. She makes an effort to plant flowers and grass
near her house to create a welcoming atmosphere. She also saves her big
and delicious fruit for the people who have brought her gifts. When we sometimes
tease her and ask her to become a vegetarian like we are, she responds with
an innocent, childlike smile.
Observing
our parents sacrificing wholeheartedly for us, their children, without asking
for anything in return, I ask myself again and again: "Can I do the
same on my spiritual path, making the same sacrifices and contributions?"
Worldly position, fame, wealth, and tangible things - I can offer none of
these to repay my parents. I can only urge myself to be really sincere in
spiritual practice and make good use of this precious human body to serve
the multitude as a meaningful extension of my parents' sacrifice.
