20141225援建教堂‧環保淨心Bringing Peace to People`s Hearts and Caring for Our Earth
What we see is the Santo Nino Church in Tacloban, Philippines. When Typhoon Haiyan struck last November, the church had suffered severe damages. At the time, as we hoped that the church could be repaired and reopened soon, we told them to collect as much donations as possible and we would help to make up for the rest.
So, the priest of the church worked very hard to collect donations. But nearly two months ago, he came to the Abode with our volunteers. He told me that he had done his best, but they were still short of funds.
I asked him when he expected the church to be reopened, and he said that he hoped they could have their holy mass there on Christmas Eve. Hearing that, I told our volunteers in the Philippines that we should do our best to help so they could have their holy mass in time on Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, the church was reopened. It is very dignified. And they held a holy mass there yesterday. With many people’s love, the locals were able to have the holy mass, receive blessings from their priests, and gain peace from their religious faith.
Indeed, religions can bring peace to people’s hearts. When we have correct religious faiths, we won’t lead an undisciplined life. So, having correct religious faiths is truly very important as they can bring peace to people’s hearts and stability to society.
In the aftermath of a disaster, people especially need to reflect and repent. If they have a religious place, they can go there to reflect upon themselves, repent for what they’ve done wrong, and pray with pious sincerity for a better future. This is very important.
We also see our recycling volunteer, Mr. Huang, in Tainan. In the past, he would drink until 3 or 4 a.m. every day before going home. Now, he gets up at 4 a.m., goes out before dawn, and drives around to collect glass bottles.
He’s changed completely--- He used to drink and throw liquor bottles everywhere. But now, he collects the bottles that others litter. Every day, he and other volunteers collect around 1,500 kg of glass bottles. So, every month, they can collect 45 tons of glass bottles as nobody collects them. He said that he used to find alcohol sweet and enjoy it very much. He couldn’t live a day without alcohol and meat
But now that he is collecting liquor bottles, he finds alcohol smelly and sour and totally different from what he thought it to be. Now, he is sober every day and gives of himself every day for the wellbeing of his community, our society, and the Earth.
He serves unconditionally, but has gained much joy in return. In the past, he often quarreled with his wife and his children were not close with him. Now, everyone praises a lot about him.
Indeed, living in this world, we’d rather be a person who can be counted on than someone who is criticized often. It’s up to us what kind of a person we’d like to become. So, we must be very mindful. Only when we take in the Dharma and practice it in our daily living are we leading a true life.
We also see our recycling work in Pingdong. I told our volunteers there that they are the first to have encouraged people to clean their recyclables. The mayor is very supportive of recycling. At first, many district and borough heads were worried that Tzu Chi’s recycling work might affect waste pickers. But, that had never happened. Our volunteers also taught people how to sort recyclables and everyone is very supportive.
So, due to our effort to promote recycling the amount of recyclables has increased and the waste pickers have also benefited. And everyone rinses their recyclables now. The amount of recyclables collected by Tzu Chi volunteers is only a bit more than 10% of what our recycling trucks haul away. That’s the figure we’ve got.
In the past, some people were concerned that Tzu Chi’s recycling effort might affect waste pickers.From the statistics over the past nine months, we can say that there’s no such a thing.
The purpose of Tzu Chi’s recycling work is different from that of waste pickers. Waste pickers don’t collect glass bottles but only PET bottles and paper because these can be sold for more money. But Tzu Chi volunteers collect recyclables because they cherish resources and care for the Earth.
By promoting recycling in the community, we may also come across people in need and help them. This is a side benefit to promoting recycling through interacting more with people.
So, I am very grateful to all the district and borough heads for their support. In all, to inspire people to take up recycling, all it takes is to let them understand why recycling is important. When they understand that recycling is good for people and the environment, they’ll do it. Our volunteers in Pingdong have done a great job promoting recycling. It is very moving indeed.
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