Q: Why do we feel a sense of helplessness or burnout when we work or carry out daily tasks?
A: Because there is “No Taste”.
Q: How can we develop a “Taste” for life?
A: Venerable Yang Yin said to me once: "One must chant until the flavor of our chant comes out." From his teaching, I learned and found the answer. Chanting mantra is an act of chanting one’s mind; one must use mindfulness to chant. In doing so, the mind is the Buddha nature, the Buddha nature is the mind; maintaining a good control over chanting mantra is maintaining control over one’s mind. Once one realizes its essence, then [the flavor or] the taste of the recitation come out.
Likewise, dealing with people and events are the same too; one treats the others from heart and then the others will also treat you from heart. The “Taste” develops amongst people and is called "concern"; once we treat each other with "concern", the caring feeling is permeated with the “Taste”. With the “Taste”, one’s life strengthens. Dealing with events and occurrences of one’s life also requires mindfulness. For example, when one cooks with a kind intention, food prepared with mindfulness is very tasty. We all enjoy tasty food . Cooking is not a materialistic act, when one’s intent is not materialistic, then a flow of spirit and friendship interacts [freely]. As a result, one’s existence would be affirmed by oneself, as well as, the others and also praised by many people. Then, one will not feel fatigue. Since people are affectionatee by nature; affection rises from the heart. Being able to control of one’s own heart and dealing with the others with sincerity and hospitality, then life has a "Taste”. The next level is that once one possesses such a “Taste” and has not attachment [or clinging to it]; only then one's life force is more durable.
If, cooking just to handle cooking half-heartedly, meeting the others just to meet them; everything will be materialistic [and just to get by]. If one is not enthusiastic about one's life, then how can one not burnout? Moreover, if one is attached to "Romantic Love", one is confined by an egotistic existence, how can one effectively fulfilled the interests of more people?
Ｑ：生活或工作為何會產生出無力感或倦怠感？
Ａ：因為沒有味道。
Ｑ：如何有味道？
Ａ：從前演音老和尚對我說：「念佛要念出味道。」我從他敎我的念佛方法中找到了答案，念佛即是念心，用心去念佛，心即是佛，佛也即是心，把佛號掌控好，就是把心掌控好，掌握到了，念佛的味道便生出來了。一切人與事的處理也是這樣，用心待人，人也用心待你，人與人的味道便會生出，這叫「關心」，有了「關心」就有味道，有了味道，生命才有力量。做事也是要用心，例如炒菜時要用心，用心炒的菜就很入味，入味的菜大家吃得歡喜，歡喜〜炒菜就不被物質化，不被物化就有心靈與友情的流動，如此，自己便會被自他肯定甚至讚美，如此，便不會倦怠，人是有情，有情由心所生，掌控好自己的心，用誠心接待任何人事，生命才有味道，有味道了還不執著便是更上層樓，生命的持續力更能久遠。
如果，炒菜只是應付炒菜，待人只是應付待人，一切都將物質化了，人沒有了情感，怎能不倦怠呢？若又執著「情愛」，自私被小我束縛，如何能利益更多的人呢？
