20150807歷史殷鑑示警鐘 Guarding Against Typhoon Soudelor with a Heart of Sincere Piety
A few days ago, Typhoon Soudelor brought severe devastation to the island of Saipan. So, we mustn’t take it lightly but should guard against it very cautiously. Moreover, we must be very sincere and pious from the bottom of our hearts so our sincere piety can reach all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and heavenly beings above. We should also pray that proper conditions will arise for the typhoon to weaken a little bit so everyone can be safe.
rains, I am very worried, not to mention strong winds, which make me even more concerned. Over the last few days, I’ve been very worried about the direction, speed, strength, etc of the typhoon. But how strong the typhoon will be is actually decided by many conditions that interplay with one another. Likewise, how we humans will be is also decided by many factors. For example, we sow good seeds, we’ll reap good fruits, if we do good, we’ll be rewarded with good consequences.
This is the law of karma. So, it all depends on our minds. I hope that the people in Taiwan can all harbor a calm and peaceful mind and give rise to a heart of sincere piety. Today is August 7. On this day 1959, Taiwan was hit by severe floods caused by heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Ellen. In fact, Ellen didn’t make landfall in Taiwan, but the tropical depression it induced had brought heavy rains, wreaking widespread devastation in many parts of Taiwan.
Thirteen counties in central and southern Taiwan were hit by flooding with Zhanghua County being the worst affected. It was said that over 300,000 people were affected. Seeing such a serious disaster, the government of Taiwan issued a ban on slaughter for eight days. By doing so, the government hoped that everyone could give rise to love and sincere piety and pray together for Taiwan.
Back then, many overseas Chinese came back to Taiwan to do what they could to help. It took the affected areas three years to gradually recover from the disaster. The typhoon didn’t even make landfall in Taiwan, but the tropical depression it induced had brought three days of torrential rains, causing such a devastating disaster in Taiwan. Back then, many of Taiwan’s houses were built with mud bricks or bamboo poles and that’s why so many houses were destroyed by the floods.
The disaster occurred a long time ago but seeing the images now, we’re still alarmed. It truly makes us feel that the power of Nature is really great. So, for the typhoon this time, we must heighten our vigilance and be on guard. I’m very worried every day. So, I hope Tzu Chi volunteers and our staff can quickly take precautions so the impact of the typhoon can be reduced. The typhoon will cover the entire Taiwan, so we mustn’t take it lightly.
Yesterday, we saw that our hospital staff have started taking precautionary measures against the typhoon. They checked the gutters, pipes, and drainages to see if they were clogged by leaves, etc. They also placed sandless sandbags in the doorways which will inflate by absorbing rainwater. We also see Tzu Chi volunteers in Taipei helped repair the house of a brother and his sister.
Their roof would leak when it rained and could be blown away by the typhoon. So, Tzu Chi volunteers climbed to the roof to repair it. They also helped to secure their windows and doors to make the house safer for them. Such is love. As their house has been repaired now, I hope they’ll be safe when the typhoon comes.
We also see a mother and her son in Kaohsiung. The mother is 90 years old and her son has injured his back. So, Tzu Chi volunteers went to see them and remind them of the coming typhoon. I’m truly very grateful to our volunteers. In fact, over the last couple of days, Tzu Chi volunteers across Taiwan have been visiting those in need to see if their houses are safe for them to stay and remind them to prepare for the typhoon.
They also asked their district and borough chiefs to look after them. This is how Tzu Chi volunteers care for the people in their communities. Wherever there are people in need, there are Tzu Chi volunteers. I earnestly hope that proper conditions will come together for Typhoon Soudel or to weaken and pass by Taiwan very quickly. We all need to stay on guard and pray sincerely.
I also hope everyone can heighten their vigilance and well secure their windows and doors. Please also remind your neighbors to do the same and make sure gutters are not blocked. This is what we can do at least. Let us pray for everyone to be safe with utmost sincerity. I’m truly very worried but worrying doesn’t help anything. Please be on guard and sincerely pious.
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