080411 Caring for Fellow Members and Extending Love to People in Need

Date: April 11, 2008 (Friday)
Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan

Time indeed passes by very quickly. During the 16 days of my trip around Taiwan, all that I saw truly filled me with gratitude. All the Tzu Chi volunteers I saw throughout this trip truly all give of themselves with Great Love, serving others like living bodhisattvas. Toward fellow volunteers, they show love & harmony and they work in unity and joint effort. to care for people in need. Seeing that, I truly hold great respect for them. Our hospitals in Yuli and Guanshan have been caring for the local people with love. When we stopped at our hospital in Yuli, I saw that the patients at our outpatient clinic, all had smiles on their faces. I am very grateful that our hospital in Yuli has an early morning outpatient service that starts at 6 a.m. because it is more convenient for the locals. They prefer to come very early to see the doctors, so that after their visit, they can still go back to work in the fields. Seeing all this, I feel very grateful from the bottom of my heart. To have a hospital in such a small rural area safeguarding people’s hearth with love is truly worthwhile.

If we don’t have farmers growing the crops, where would we get our food from? All these farmers working in the countryside truly contribute greatly to our society. Lately, we often hear of food shortage in may countries around the world. In fact, we really must care for these farmers. For society to function, we must have people of all professions, be it white collar workers, farmers, laborers and merchants. Only with a balance of people working in all these sectors will there be peace and harmony in society. Without farmers, how can we have food and without food, how can laborers have the strength to work? Only with laborers will our society be provided with the things we need for our daily living. Only when we have food to eat things to use, houses to live, etc can there be such a thing as business and trade and can all that is needed be available. Only then can we provide a good education for our children. And, only with education, can we speak of culture and civilization. That is why we really must have a good balance of all these sectors. People nowadays always say it’s important to get a high degree of education. But if we do not have laborers, there will no one to build classrooms or houses for people to live in, and roads for people to travel on. That is why we need white-collar workers, laborers, businessmen, and also farmers and why we are very willing to provide medical care to the people in this farming area.

Next, I went to our Jing Shi Hall in Taidong. Though it is very small and also very simple with our Tzu Chi volunteers’ mindfulness, it was turned into a dignified gathering place. Our office in Taidong was built using the materials from the dismantled temporary building that was set up outside the emergency room at our hospital in Hualien to conduct temperature check ups for people during the SARS outbreak. So, it was built with recycled materials. Though it is so simple our volunteers make the best use of it by holding many classes such as flower arrangement and tea ceremony. What is even more moving to see is the classes they hold for children. Our volunteers work to guide and educate children from a young age on with the accompaniment of our Great Love moms. By doing so, we allow these young children to also use the benefit from the good environment we provide. Of course , there are also recycling volunteers in Taidong. They are truly adorable. Be they elderly, middle-aged or young, they all cherish resources very much and dedicate themselves mindfully to doing recycling. They have done a great job. After leaving Taidong, we headed for the township of Taimali, it is also very touching to see the dedication of our Tzu Chi volunteers in Tiamli. You must understand that Tzu Chi volunteers in Taimali live high up in the mountains. They all live a very simple and frugal life and are all very diligent and self-disciplined. Despite their frugal way of living, they still allocate a portion of their time to do recycling work. In Taimali, they now also have certified Tzu Chen members and commissioners. Though Taimali is a very remote area with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Tzu Chi’s seeds of love have been spread there, and they’re sprouting.

Next, we went to Pingdong, Tzi Chi volunteers from Hengchun and the offshore island of Xiaoliuqiu, all gathered together in Pingdong to meet with me. Seeing how they carried themselves and how warm they were. They truly are living bodhisattvas) extending love to all those in need. I was very moved by their sharings this time. All I saw and hear showed the harmony and love there is between fellow volunteers. Like anyone else, there’ll be times when Tzu Chi volunteers get sick too, or age and pass away, as that is the law of nature. This is all inevitable. Some are very elderly with children living out of town, so who is there to take care of them? At times like this, Tzu Chi volunteers living nearby will look after these volunteers, just as if they were really family. There are many examples of our volunteers caring for one another like that, like members of a big family. Hearing what they shared with me, my mind was truly set at ease.

Of course, I also heard how they carried out Tzu Chi’s work together in unity and concerted efforts. The kind of strength this gives them. Indeed to truly care for people around the world who are not related to us requires the love and joint effort of counties people working together in unity. Moreover, every one of our volunteers works harmoniously together and is thankful for one another’s effort. Seeing that, I truly feel that Tzu Chi volunteers are very broad in heart and dedicate themselves with gratitude, respect and love. Truly, no words can adequately describe the all-embracing love they show. This is the beset gift they can offer me. Seeing them work in such harmony and with such broadness of heart. I am truly very comforted. From them, we can see the hope of society. Even though I see before me the hope of the society and how these living bodhisattvas are tirelessly extending their all embracing love to others, my heart is still very heavy, because many countries around the world are facing the crisis of food shortage. Those in need of care and support are increasing day by day. I truly very anxious. So, I need to remind everyone, every day to remain vigilant about this. So, only by taking in the Dharma will we have the capacity to help transform others and relieve the suffering of people around the world.