Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Six Practices: Ten Grounds Part 4-B(六行~十地行四下)
Every day in this world, various stories develop. Some people’s stories are very exciting. Although they are filled with peril, the outcomes are often positive. Those are the stories that people always remember. This story takes place in Turkey.
Yesterday we began talking about Mr. Hu Guang-zhong. He is a very devout Muslim, and he is also a very devoted Tzu Chi volunteer. The story begins because of a song. It is titled “Love Heals the World.” It was created after the 9-11 attacks in the United States, which left everyone fearful and restless. To help calm people, Tzu Chi volunteers promoted an event of global prayer with sincere hearts to inspire selfless Great Love in everyone. Thus, we promoted the “One Person, One Good Deed (1013 movement)” starting October 13th. On that day, the Da Ai TV Station broadcast the song globally. Everyone watched the program, and at that same time, participated in singing and praying. It was to initiate compassion and kind thoughts, and to calm people’s minds. Therefore, on October 13th, the event was promoted around the world.
Love heals the world. The event “One Person, One Good Deed” inspired kindness and benevolence in everyone, it purified minds and fostered harmony in the society.
Since it was a global event, the song was not only sung in Chinese. We had it translated into several languages. This allowed people to sing the song in different languages melodically, without it losing its original meaning. This was not an easy task. We had to find translators who knew the languages well. The languages included Spanish, Japanese, English, French, etc. We found translators for all languages except Arabic, which is spoken in the Middle East. We thought of an individual living in Turkey. He was a certified Tzu Chi commissioner. We contacted him and asked him to help with the translation.
He was very happy to translate the song into Arabic. After translating the words, he had to make them fit the rhythm and the melody as well. It was a very difficult task. So he thought of his schoolmate who lived in Palestine. He called this friend, whom he had known since college, and asked him to help edit and refine the translation. He told his schoolmate that on October 13th, everyone around the globe would be singing it. So his schoolmate was very joyous as well. They spent 45 minutes on the phone, discussing how each word and phrase should be translated to make the lyrics beautiful and fit with the music. So in addition to translating, they were also singing on the phone. They spent a total of 45 minutes to complete it.
The next day, Mr. Hu followed his normal routine. He left for work in a very a joyous mood, but after driving away, he did not return. His family waited until dark. This had never happened before. Everyone was very anxious and worried about him. It turns out, that morning on his way to work, four or five cars suddenly surrounded his vehicle. At first, when he saw so many black cars blocking his way, he thought he was in the midst of a robbery. He was very worried. When he got out of his car to check, the people got out to capture him, and pushed him into one of their cars. Once inside, his head was covered with a blanket.
After about half an hour, he was dragged into a small chamber and interrogated. They asked how long he had been in Turkey. He answered five years. They asked him why after five years, he still did not speak any Turkish. He answered that his clients all spoke English and Arabic, so he could understand Turkish but not speak it. The interrogator appeared shocked when he heard that Mr. Hu spoke Arabic. He shouted something, indicating that Mr. Hu was the one they were looking for. Then the interrogator asked him if he was a Muslim. That’s when Mr. Hu knew that he was in trouble. He firmly answered that he was Muslim. Afterwards, he was taken into another room. His blindfold was removed, and they forced him to change clothes. He was treated and interrogated like a prisoner.
At the time, he knew it was a complicated situation. Then he wondered if it was his phone call to Palestine that caused the problem. Perhaps because of that call, he had become a suspect. So he decided to answer according to what he was being asked. When he was asked, “How long has it been since you arrived in Turkey from Taiwan?”
He answered, “Five years.”
“You need to honestly tell us your background in Taiwan up until you came to Turkey. You should provide all the details of your life.”
So he dutifully depicted his family background in Taiwan, his adolescence, education, and how his family followed the Muslim traditions. When he studied abroad, he chose to go to Libya. Afterwards, he decided to do business in Turkey because of his religious beliefs.
Upon hearing this, the interrogator asked, “What type of business do you do?”
He answered that he was in the trading business. Then someone searched through his briefcase and found a piece of paper. They placed the paper in front of him and asked, “Does this paper contain secret codes?”
He answered, “It is not a code, It’s a song.”
They said, “How could it be a song? It is obviously some type of secret code.”
He answered, “The song is titled Love Heals the World, and the lyrics are in Arabic.”
The interrogator did not believe him and argued, “How can these be lyrics?”
“They are obviously codes. Otherwise, why would it say Starts’ still gleam in the sky the moon still remains silent is this referring to Muslims? Then it says there are ‘many’ whose hearts go out to beings, the Earth, etc. These lyrics must be secret codes. What are you trying to communicate?”
So he explained that in Taiwan, Tzu Chi was holding an event, “One Person, One Good Deed,” intended to calm people’s minds. It was a charity event. Then he began telling them about Tzu Chi. After listening, they were still doubtful, so they asked him to sing the song. He took the lyrics and began singing. The men also matched the song word for word to the lyrics, and were able to sing along based on the writing on the paper. It was beautiful. They were also moved by the lyrics and started to believe that it was indeed a song and not secret codes.
Later, Mr. Hu said to them, “you should believe what. I’ve said, I am a very ordinary businessman. You should now release me. I haven’t been home for a full day and night, which is a long time. My family and friends must be very worried. Please release me.” They answered, “Please wait a little while longer. The international secret service is investigating. After they confirm that you are no longer a suspect. We will be able to release you.”
This turned into an international case. This story is filled with suspense. Due to time limits, I cannot provide all the details of the interrogation and the interactions between them. Mr. Hu realized that since he had been deemed a terrorist involved in the 9-11 incident, he should first calm his mind. So during the conversation, he was sometimes lighthearted and sometimes humorous. The police and the secret service agents saw that he was at ease and calm. His grounded demeanor was very amiable. While they were interrogating him, their international source worked on ascertaining whether he was suspicious.
After a few hours of interrogation, he started to speak them about doing kind deeds. He shared with them how he became involved with Tzu Chi on August 17, 1999. After the big earthquake in Turkey, we sent relief assistance to Turkey and to Kosovo. Within a short timeframe, the team in Kosovo entered Turkey to provide care for the people there and to give to them with love. That is when Tzu Chi contacted him and he began his involvement with Tzu Chi. From what he understood, Tzu Chi had already contributed a lot internationally. After hearing this, the secret police become joyful. Upon receiving the result of the investigation, they were very touched because, first, he was not a suspect, and second, they had a chance to hear kind words. They were especially moved upon hearing how he cooperated with Tzu Chi to reconstruct houses for the disaster victims. So they all wanted to donate money. As such, he befriended a group of nameless men. They later let him change his clothes and sent him out.
He was truly fortunate to turn danger into safety. In such dangerous and intense situations, how should one cope? This requires Samadhi and wisdom. What Mr. Hu displayed was wisdom. We mentioned that the fourth stage of the Ten Grounds is Blazing Wisdom. And the apex of wisdom is complete enlightenment, the state of the Buddha’s perfect enlightenment.
The fourth Stage is the Stage of Blazing Wisdom. When the radiance of wisdom is at its absolute, one attains the Buddha’s complete enlightenment. When enlightenment is perfect, the light of wisdom will blaze like the great fire that can burn and destroy all views distorted by sentiments.
Everyone, in learning Buddhism, we should practice maintaining a calm mind. When we encounter any situation, we should not be startled. Since Mr. Hu’s demeanor was calm and humorous, he befriended those people during their interaction. I am grateful. We should be grateful at all times, in all places. Even the secret service agents had hearts that were moved to compassion. I am truly grateful to them. So we should always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
首頁 
