20190607同體大悲愛綿延Connecting Our Hearts Together
Fire disasters are truly terrifying. Last year, the fire in the town of Paradise in Northern California of the US was truly alarming; The fire covered a very large area, and burned for a very long time.
Around that time, I was about to go on tour. Before my tour began, I saw the news of a whole forest on fire. As I traveled to Northern Taiwan, I paid close attention to whether this forest of fire in Northern California was extinguished.
While in Taipei, I watched the news every day, and felt very worried about it. Heading south, I arrived in Taichung and still followed this news story closely. My tour took me to Southern Taiwan and back to Taipei, and the fire raged on, covering more areas.
The fire began to reach the residential areas; From the news, we knew the fire was so fast and widespread, people had scrambled to flee from it. Some people were fleeing and the fire quickly caught up with their cars as it traveled faster then the moving car.
In the matter of seconds, the fire had engulfed the car. Such a grand fire was truly terrifying, and it raged on for nearly a month. At that time, Tzu Chi volunteers began carrying out relief efforts.
They visited the affected neighborhoods and timely distributed blankets to the affectees because winter was approaching and the temperature was getting cold.
In addition to the blankets, volunteers also comforted the affectees and distributed cash aid. However, the fire was still burning, so our volunteers could not visit the more affectees as the government had ordered people to stay clear of the affected area.
After the fire was fully extinguished, some time had passed before volunteers visited the affectees in the shelters. Some affectees stayed with relatives or friends.
Our volunteers accompanied affectees and helped bring back their smile. For more than two months, the affectees had been feeling worried and anxious all the time.
They survived the fires, but lost all their possessions. Everything was gone. What they had been working hard for for the past several decades was destroyed by the wildfires.
With compassion, Tzu Chi volunteer went to them, gave them support and care with love, and let them know that there were still people in the world who cared about them like family.
Since the relief efforts, Tzu Chi volunteers have never stopped giving care. In fact, our volunteers have kept in touch with the affectees to make them understand that the spirit of Tzu Chi Is Great Love which is all-embracing and accommodating.
With this spirit, we treat everyone like our family, Including strangers. The affectees welcomed this concept. In May, we held a Buddha day ceremony. despite having moved away far from the area, some still came to attend the ceremony.
Many came and brought coin banks with them. Some couldn’t make it because of work. We expected around 40 people to show up, in the end, 88 people came.
Even it is hard for us, and financially we still struggle, we found It very important to put all changes we got into the little bamboo bank to bring it today to help others.
People brought coin banks with them, because they remembered that when they suffered hard time and Felt helpless it was these Tzu Chi volunteers who came to them and cared for them more than their own relatives.
They know that Tzu Chi Is a religious organization with sincere love, so, many people came and brought their coin banks for donation.
Seeing their touching stories and the continuation of Tzu Chi’s love to the people affected by last year’s fire, I am truly touched and very grateful.
The affectees were strangers, who were not related to our volunteers at all. Yet volunteers found a way to connect to those strangers and went to help them. Such is the spirit of great compassion. There are so many things that are heartrending.
So, I am very grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers. Everyone must cultivate diligently. If everyone opens their hearts, gives love, transcends religious differences and focuses on a common love, and passes this love on, our world will be full of peace and love.
This is doable as long as we connect our hearts together. We need to broaden our hearts to be like the cosmos. We need to pass on the Dharma.
We also saw Tzu Chi spiritual retreats. We are very grateful to have advanced technology connecting volunteers in different places together. Volunteers at the various places in Taiwan held spiritual retreats locally.
Volunteers overseas also did the same. Over 20,000 people participated in the spiritual retreats. If each volunteer influences one person, that will be 40 to 50 thousand people. If each of them further influences one person, That will be over 100,000 people.
All in all, we need to seize time. So many people sincerely prayed to the Buddhas and Budhisattvas. With their voices, everyone prayed sincerely. The advanced technology helped connect people’s hearts together.
Volunteers prayers have reached the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Their voices were so harmonious and in unison. Their hearts were more purified.
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