The True Meaning Of Life
Before I was a part of the Maitreya Great Tao family, I felt my life was meaningless. I was unsure of the purpose of living. From when I was young, I had already realized that life was temporary. I would listen to my parents and other elderly seniors talk about life only to discover that life does not last! I may have a wonderful family, a loving husband, beautiful children; I could be rich and famous but one day I would have to let everything go when I die. I would not sleep during my teenage years, pondering this question about life. I wondered why the Creator would create us humans, and give us life, only for us to have to eventually lose everything one day.
I was a quiet girl and I did not have a lot of confidence. I was not a very nice person either. If people did not talk to me, I would simply ignore them. I was a very boring girl who did not have many friends because of my bad attitude. However, my elder brother had attained Maitreya Great Tao and he had hoped for me to attain the Tao as well. Eventually I decided that when I die, I didn’t want to be alone, I want to be with my brother! So I had agreed to attain the Tao.
Since I was a girl of many questions, I did not like blindly following rules. After I attained the Tao, I continued asking questions. Why do we need to cultivate? What is so good about Maitreya Great Tao? Why should we go to the temple? Although I was a shy girl, I enjoyed reading. So I borrowed many books from the temple to read. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about the true meaning of life. From reading books and listening to Tao teachings, I eventually found the answer to the purpose of living! I became a vegetarian a year after I attained Tao.
Before becoming acquainted with Maitreya, I was uninspired, with no goals. I was shy with no friends. Now I realize my life is full of joy and bliss. When I first started cultivating, my father would grab the books I had borrowed from the temple and threw them. He thought I wanted to become a nun! But now, years later, he allows my brother and I to assist the temple. From our every day actions, he can see that his children are well. It is apparent that his children are respectful of the elderly, are filial, and from our everyday actions, he can tell we are different from others. My father sees the difference in us and therefore he no longer restricts us from assisting the temple. I am so grateful to Maitreya for allowing me to realize my purpose in life. I now have the confidence, and I know my path ahead is bright and full of hope. I have changed my attitude, as I realize to encourage others to follow Maitreya, a good attitude is needed. I know my future will be content, as long as we happily cultivate. I know the true meaning of life is to spread love and hope to everyone in this world! To show my gratitude towards Maitreya, I am determined to spread Maitreya’s teachings to more people, so that everyone will recognize the love of Maitreya. My sincere unwavering heart will forever be dedicated to Maitreya and his noble vow!
Shi Xian- Indonesia