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As 2022 comes to an end, first, thank you for your support and for joining us in serving the
Dharma and sentient beings. May you and your family and others become more mature and capable amid the great upheaval of the world with the pandemic and war. As we look toward 2023, I would like to make three brief remarks:
First, please be pragmatic in your work and learn and train a wider range of academic and
technical skills to serve the community. My advice and encouragement to those of you who have not done so, are:
I. Start this project as soon as possible or even immediately.
II. To improve as soon as possible the ability to anticipate and respond to the difficult days ahead.
III. To learn and raise the level of spirituality and thinking so that we can better cope with the short-term and long-term shocks and stresses of an open society.
IV. The most important value of life is to never lose the advantage of moving forward in a highly competitive environment.
Second, you cannot lie flat in your spiritual practice. The careful planning and active actions for the setting and implementation of ideal beliefs:
1. To devote yourself to the practice and cultivation of Dharma, to perpetuate the Buddha's wisdom, and to attain the Dharma body and the fruit of the path.
2. To do more to introduce Buddhism to the society and to guide beginners.
These two points are the practical things for self-benefit and benefiting others, let's do something about it! No more excuses and laziness.
Third, to sum up the first and second, pragmatic people living in the real world must take the interests of their own lives as the starting point and strengthen their strengths to face the imbalance and huge changes in the social relations and stand in an invincible position. For those who believe in Buddhism, their goals need to be great, and their purpose must be clear to move forward in a steady and determined manner.
Finally, in the new year, I pray that the Three Jewels will bless you with good health, good life, and safe travels.
In the Dharma,
Venerable Jì Rú
Abbot
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