Inner Strength Can Increase Grit

Generally speaking, as a student learning to acquire knowledge, one needs the strength of persistence and diligence. As a teacher to lead students to knowledge, one needs the strength of determination, otherwise one may want to give up when encountering difficulty. Similarly, being a monk as myself, I do need such inner strength, because without it, my determination would be shaken by circumstances. As for each of you present here, in order to be well educated, you may need to finish your studies from middle school up to college level, and even a Master’s or Doctoral program. So you have to rely on your inner strength to go through the whole process.

Without such inner strength, one will find it extremely hard to live in this world. You may take inspiration from those who are disabled. I have been inspired to be stronger by the way that they live with great strength and courage.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard about this story. During the earthquake of May 12th, 2008, there was a teacher called Liao Zhi in Deyang who used to teach dancing classes. During the earthquake, she was buried in the ruins together with her baby and mother-in-law, both of whom died beside her. When she was finally rescued, it turned out that her legs had to be amputated as they were too badly injured, in order that she could live.

At that moment, her husband left her, because he could not accept the reality of having lost his closest family members. As it turned out, her husband did not accompany her to hospital where she was left to authorize the surgery to amputate her legs. She was then fitted with two prosthetics. When I heard the whole story, I was amazed at her strength and toughness and wondered what a marvelous person she must be. So what became of her later on? She returned to the dancing stage with her strong will and continues to perform on stage with her prosthetic legs.

In our lives, when we encounter trial and tribulations, how can we face them bravely? This is an essential question that deserves our reflection. No matter what you are engaged in, whether studying or anything else, I hope you can develop a powerful strength from within, which will support your entire life, lift your spirits, and banish the blues. Otherwise, we can hardly succeed in doing anything. As I mentioned earlier, such strength is the spiritual strength that everyone should possess. With a lack of spiritual strength, you can hardly overcome any difficulties you may encounter.