[Jiayi] In winter, the climate of southern Formosa is dry, so it is most suitable for outdoor activities. Therefore, to further improve the relationships around fellow practitioners in Jiayi and to enhance their family harmony, they took the opportunity of a recent public holiday to have a barbecue at a nearby river and valley.

To make sure both their spiritual and physical bodies were satisfied, they scheduled a meditation session from seven in the morning 'til noon, then after lunch they would go to the Lay Tan and Ren Yi Tan reservoirs for a year end clean-up.

A large number of fellow practitioners eagerly participated. Each one selected a suitable spot, and sat on the big rocks in the valley. It was a unique experience to meditate in the countryside. Those who brought children had to supervise them and act as guards. They had to carefully set up fires for the children to barbecue food.

The valley was very large, and there was a flowing stream that enhanced the serene forest. Intoxicated in the bliss of meditation, fellow practitioners were not aware that it was time for their "stomachs to meditate Everyone built rock stoves and in no time hot soup and fragrant barbecue shiskabobs were ready. There was also roasted sweet corn, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and many other delicious foods, flooding the whole valley with a tempting aroma. The laughter of contentment, the noise of children playing, the murmuring stream and the heartwarming scene of happy families all contributed to creating a paradise on Earth.

In less than an hour, everyone was completely full and in high spirits. After a brief rest, they cleaned up the place and then set off to pick up the garbage in the reservoirs.

The Lan Tan Reservoir is one of the eight most scenic spots of Jiayi City. The beautiful location attracts numerous tourists, who unfortunately, also account for the profusion of litter. To restore the place to its original state, in the last few years fellow practitioners had come often to clean it up. Everyone put on their gloves, got the tongs, and began. Like magnets, in a short while, they collected all the garbage and restored the whole environment to its original beauty. Then they proceeded to Ren Yi Tan Reservoir -- the second stop on their cleaning schedule.

Many little fellow practitioners participated in this activity imitating the adults using tongs to pick up garbage left by tourists. Seeing what was going on, a tourist took the opportunity to teach his children a lesson: "They are working so hard to pick up the garbage; we must not litter anymore. We also heard another tourist saying, "Not long ago, another group also came to clean the place. We are happy to find that we have inspired more people to care about environmental protection. We hope that more people will become environmentally conscious, so that the planet will always stay fresh and lovely.

Some fellow practitioners participated for the first time but they had deep revelations. They observed that the main dam appeared to be clean, but in the gaps between the rocks, there was plenty of garbage. Similarly, in our spiritual practice, if we are not careful in our introspection, it is difficult to discover our underlying faults and to erase them. Some practitioners felt that picking up the garbage was just like cleaning up their own faults, so they really enjoyed doing it. On the way home, everyone was so happy for having participated in a meaningful "year end clean-up of themselves, both spiritually and physically, during their holiday.