Wishing Everyone a Blessed New Year
 
Today, I would like to talk about the phrase "Take Hardship as Nourishment.“
In October 2013, I attended a lecture by Venerable Master Hsing Yun for the first time. The phrase that left the deepest impression on me was "Take hardship as nourishment." As the saying goes, "Without enduring the cold to the bone, how can the plum blossom’s fragrance be so sweet?"
Hardship is an essential process on the path to success. If one wishes to achieve something, they must dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, working diligently and persevering through difficulties. Hardship serves as a catalyst for progress in life. Without intense study, dedicated learning, rigorous practice, and the endurance of challenges, success cannot be attained.

However, learning to take hardship as nourishment requires both training and experience. Fundamentally, it involves practicing patience, transforming adversity, and continuously striving for improvement—using these challenges as nourishment for our cultivation.
First, the importance of patience is frequently mentioned in Buddhist scriptures. For example, in the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters, it is stated:
"A Śramaṇa asked the Buddha, 'Who possesses the greatest strength? Who is the wisest?‘The Buddha replied, 'One who practices patience has the greatest strength. Because they do not harbor evil thoughts, they remain peaceful and strong. A patient person harbors no malice and is therefore respected by others…'"

True inner strength does not come from physical power alone but from the ability to remain free of malicious thoughts, cultivating a deep and unwavering inner peace. Thus, those who practice patience do not create negative karma and naturally earn the respect of others.
After cultivating patience, if one can take it a step further and transform adversity, they are not only strong but also wise. As stated in the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings:
"One who practices patience can be called a truly strong person. However, if they cannot joyfully endure harsh words as if drinking sweet nectar, they cannot be considered a wise person who has entered the path."This means that patience alone is not enough; one must also learn to endure with joy, embracing hardships as if they were sweet nectar. This is the true ability to transform suffering into happiness.

Achieving "transforming suffering into happiness" involves changing mistaken beliefs and bad habits. As Venerable Master Hsing Yun stated in his teaching "Transforming Suffering into Happiness":
"If one desires a fulfilling life, they must have the courage to change bad habits and incorrect perceptions—transforming suffering into joy, emptiness into reality, and impermanence into eternity."
This transformation is essentially a shift in both mindset and behavior. Only those who can accomplish this can truly be considered to possess the wisdom of entering the path.Once one has joyfully embraced the practice of transforming suffering into happiness, it is essential to continuously refine and uphold correct views and actions. Only through persistent effort can hardship truly become nourishment for spiritual cultivation, strengthening one's unwavering faith.

From this, we can see that Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s teaching of "taking hardship as nourishment" aligns perfectly with the wisdom found in Buddhist scriptures. Hardships and challenges are necessary for growth and achievement.
I hope that the faculty and students of our Buddhist institute will take this as encouragement—facing difficulties with courage, advancing diligently on the path of learning and practice, and ultimately realizing great wisdom and compassion.