20181022共度無常運悲智Bringing Timely Aid to Train Crash Victims in Taiwan
Life is impermanent. In this world, a disaster may suddenly strike at any time. When a disaster strikes, everything on the scene can end up in chaos indeed. At 4:50 p.m. yesterday, Taiwan time, near Xinma Station, in Suao of Yilan County, a trail running at a high speed suddenly derailed with many its cars turned over.
At the sound of a crash, everything on the scene became chaotic. Many became injured, struggling for life in panic, and some had lost their lives. Also, it was very difficult to extricate them from the train.
I was continuously watching related news reports on TV, feeling very concerned and worried. I was eager to learn whether people on the train were safe and sound, and whether those survivors only got minor injuries.
The more I watched the news reports, the more I could not bear to imagine what the casualties would be. I’m grateful that our Tzu Chi volunteers learned of the disaster very soon and mobilized at once to provide aid.
As they’re all very experienced in relief work, they prepared all that was needed and set out on whatever should be done. Each and every one of them did so in an orderly manner.
Seeing that some who were moved from the train showed no sign of life, they quickly came together to chant Buddhist scriptures for them in order to calm and soothe their frightened soul.
They did so while waiting for the family members of the deceased to arrive. Be it the survivors, the deceased, or their family members, our volunteers brought timely care to them all.
Some injured were sent to hospital and our volunteers also quickly went there to care for them and provide aid. With time unceasingly passing by, it was getting dark very quickly, leaving the disaster scene in darkness and making the rescue work even more difficult.
Despite that, the rescue work was not suspended. Many rescue teams went there to help. To facilitate the rescue work, our volunteers prepared and provided hot food, snacks, and dinner in a timely manner.
I saw that they were truly very busy. It was a coincidence that more than 70 Tzu Chi volunteers had come to Hualien to help with our medical work. So, we didn’t have many volunteers in Suao of Yilan when the disaster occurred.
Despite that, as soon as the disaster occurred, our volunteers in other regions mobilized. Our volunteers in Taipei were also ready to bring aid there. Our volunteers on the scene said that they needed those experienced in helping with relief work in such an emergency.
Indeed, we needed those who had often dedicated themselves to relief work because they understand one another’s ability and can thereby coordinate very well in providing aid.
In such a time of emergency, it is truly important that those experienced come forth to help. I have been receiving related information from our Tzu Chi members and we’ve set up a liaison center here at our Abode so we can better keep in contact with our volunteers in Yilan and in Taipei.
Our volunteers in Taipei also mobilized very quickly. Experienced Tzu Cheng members and Tzu Chi commissioners have come together and traveled to Yilan to help.
It was also a coincidence that some of our volunteers and Dharma masters at the Abode took the next train. At the time, six of our Dharma masters were coming back from Taipei.
They didn’t take the train that derailed. The train they took happened to be the next one. As the train stopped in Luodong due to the accident ahead, our Dharma masters got off the train and directly went to care for those affected.
These six Dharma masters of ours began to help with relief work yesterday afternoon, and during the nighttime, I still saw them working to care for those affected.
With long-term dedication, Tzu Chi members are very experienced in relief work. Yet, we never expect to see such experience have a chance to be put into practice. However, as life is impermanent, we must understand life’s true principles in order to go amongst people to serve.
As I mentioned in my Dharma talk at dawn, we must have clear views towards our past lives, this life, and our future lives instead of harboring deluded thoughts. We must mindfully work to understand that be it afflictions, ignorance, or deluded thoughts, we might give rise to many of them before we know it.
When an incident occurs, we must look at ways to handle it with a calm and still mind instead of giving rise to afflictions. This is very important. What’s most important in learning the Dharma is to take life’s true principles to heart at all times so that when we encounter an incident, we won’t become flustered, not knowing what to do.
As life is filled with suffering, may you continue to listen to my Dharma talks diligently and take life’s true principles to heart so you can face everything in life with correct views.
During the nighttime yesterday, some locals of Hualien returned as they only had minor injuries. More than ten of them have come to our hospital in Hualien. They came back to Hualien themselves and they came to our hospital to receive a diagnosis and necessary treatment for their minor injuries.
Indeed, life is impermanent. May all the survivors recover soon. May we all bear life’s impermanence in mind. As we’ve learned the Dharma, we must often remind ourselves that life is permanent. In times of safety and peace, we must stay prudent and vigilant at all times
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