20191201善種成林蔭眾生 Grow a Forest from Seeds of Kindness to Provide Shade for All
Only after going to Sierra Leone did I fully comprehend the poverty and illnesses it faces. The country faces a problem of lacking physicians, now there are less than 300 physicians serving a population of over 7 million people. I calculated the ratio, which was one physician for every 30,000 people. Physicians are scare.
There are only 4 dialysis machines for the whole country, which were all donated by Israel. Israel would also send technicians to maintain the machines annually; however, since the Ebola outbreak, many technicians were afraid to go, so, during that time, many people passed away, but it was not only patients with Ebola that died but also patients who needed dialysis and died without getting the dialysis.
At the moment, because technicians have not visited, according to our latest data, 3 of the 4 machines are broken and not working, so, there are 7 million people and only one dialysis machine.
We visited an elementary school in the community, walked with a limp; walking was not easy for her. I asked the principal, “How far is her home from school?” The principal replied, “Beyond 2km.” I asked, “How does she get to school?” The principal answered, “By foot.” I said, “She hasn’t got a cane or a walker?” The principal said, “No, she walks to and from school in this manner.”
The principal then told me, the girl hadn’t eaten since the previous day, she had no energy and couldn’t come to school. Without a second, the principal carried her on his back and began walking. He told her that Tzu Chi volunteers are coming. So, he carried her to school.
This is a community where we held a distribution; the right-hand side of it stood a landfill, and many people replied on it to make a living. Take a look at this house, one family lives there and it is a truly simple house made with mud bricks. It has no rebar, and was built with bamboo. The slums there were usually built near where the river and ocean meet. When it rains heavily, water flows to the low-lying areas, then into the ocean; however, that is where the slums are. So actually, every year, they have to face floods.
We visited many institutes, and this one is called St. Paul’s School for the blind. The children there had been looking forward to Tzu Chi volunteers’ visit. The principal said that, “Our world is dark, because of your love, there is light.” We are the love of Tzu Chi, and this love shines in Sierra Leone.
The children there can’t see and our languages are different; actually, at that time, words were not needed, by holding their hands tightly, and sending warmth from our hands to their, the children would sit with you quietly, they would hold your hand tightly as well, and they would feel a sense of comfort.
Seeing Sierra Leone, people there are truly in suffering. My heart cannot take that they are suffering so. I realized that such suffering exists. We see the hardship in their life and how lacking their medical care is. Such is the condition they live in. Tzu Chi came across their medical care. Volunteers saw that they lacked medical beds. A Tzu Chi volunteer in Malaysia learned of this need and aspired to provide some beds.
I said that they do not know how to use the medicals beds were in Taiwan use now. We should make hand crank beds that they know how to use, beds that were used 50 or 60 years ago. So, I’m grateful to our entrepreneur volunteers, no matter which country they are from, they all want to help and provide the needed goods.
Children in Sierra Leone don’t have shoes. When we mentioned of the need, very quickly, volunteers from Malaysia and the Philippines shipped containers filled with shoes there. They responded very quickly and were very willing to give. Such is the kindness in people’s hearts.
The Buddha said that everyone has the Buddha nature. Buddha nature is kindness, which makes us full of compassion when seeing people in suffering. However, the Buddha also said that one cannot go against the law of Karma. People born there wouldn’t have chosen to be born in countries like that. Those born in a rich family also no choice in deciding which rich family want to be born n. We have no control where we are born.
Only when we have created blessings in our past lives will we have a good karmic affinity with a family that is wealthy. Even if we were born poor, depending on the karmic affinity we have we could still turn our life around and become wealthy. If we are wealthy, it is not the case that we will always be wealthy. It depends on whether we have brought blessings with us to this life.
If we did not bring blessings to this life, even if we were born in a wealthy family, impermanence might happen, which was beyond our control, and changed our circumstances.
Thus, it’s best that we seize the present moment, just like how we take a picture, in an instant, we capture a moment of the people and material things in that country in photos. They bear witness that we’ve been to Sierra Leone. This is the value of life, which I have been talking about for the past several days. Those who went to places in need to give of themselves have lived a meaningful life. Several decades later, when they reflect on their life, they will see the seeds of goodness they sowed.
The reason that a tiny seed can grow into a huge tree is its gene. Trees have their own DNA. Having the right conditions, along with soil, water, the sunlight, and the air such four elements are also needed for this tiny seed to sprout into a sapling, then grow into a big tree which produces flowers and fruits.
So, one seed can produce countless seeds. We should use our life to inspire countless others to serve like a tiny seed that grows into a big tree which produces countless seeds. To achieve this, we have to seize time to make our life a meaningful one. Tzu Chi volunteers have truly walked the path, served others, and done the Tzu Chi work.
Our world is beautiful because of Tzu Chi volunteers. Tzu Chi volunteers are beautiful, because they are pure in heart. They go amongst people to serve. When they see people in suffering, they would try all possible means to help them.
So, there are a lot of things to be grateful for. Time flies by, yet everything is achieved in seconds. Tzu Chi has served for 50-plus years. For its spirit to be passed on and continue infinitely relies on every volunteer here to work and take action together with consensus and understanding. This staff is only 24 years old and she has helped transform people’s lives, let alone us.
So, amongst us, there’s no one who does not have the power of love. Everybody has the power of love. I am grateful to volunteers though they’ve said little but they’ve done a lot. However, I have to remind people, “do not forget that year, do not forget those people, do not forget that aspiration.”
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