20141012扶老救難‧法寶無量The Treasure of Dharma
“What would be good for you? Let me see.
Is this too low? Try to stand up. This is good.
With this I can get up easily.”
“Grabbing it helps me get up. With this handle. I feel safer.”
“How does it feel? It’s nice. It’s good? Good.”
We see so many kindhearted people, bodhisattvas giving of their love to care for seniors who live alone and suffer in silence. In Taiwan, Tzu Chi provides various services to care for people in all corners of society. Taiwan has an aging population. Some live in the mountains. Many seniors now live alone by themselves without their children nearby to take care of them. many seniors also have restricted mobility due to their frail health.
Therefore, Tzu Chi initiated a home safety project to care for these seniors with monthly concerns in remote villages, mountains and local communities, Tzu Chi volunteers visit these seniors
And install safety handles and railings in and around their homes so that they can walk around safely without the risk of failing.
Though we have many seniors who need help in our society, there are actually many seniors who are serving other seniors. As long as they want to help others and be a bodhisattva, that is when we see elderly volunteers helping other elderly who are even younger than them. These volunteers have Dharma in their hearts so they always want to help others and are forever young at heart.
We are very happy to see them like this. There are many heartwarming news of this kind as Tzu Chi volunteers are helping people every day. However, impermanence can suddenly happen, such as the maritime accident two days ago. A research vessel off the coast of Penghu, Taiwan, slowly submerged in stormy waters and went completely under.
Rescue helicopters helped with searches for survivors. When Tzu Chi volunteers received the news late in the afternoon, they responded immediately and provided aid throughout the night. The first thing they prepared was fresh ginger tea and then hot meals and clothes to keep the survivors dry and warm.
In a crisis time like this, Tzu Chi responded at short notice with many volunteers going to help. More than 20 survivors were injured, and they quickly went to hospitals to visit them. Tzu Chi volunteers love and console these young survivors as if they were their own children. For survivors in more serious condition who are hospitalized, Tzu Chi volunteers not only offered them care but also stayed with them until their families arrived.
For the ones who were discharged by the hospitals to go home, we gave them a small cash gift with a letter of well-wishes to help them recover faster from their trauma. This is an example of the power of love which brings warmth to people’s hearts.
I am also very happy to see that Tzu Chi is celebrating twenty-five years in the U.S. For this anniversary, volunteers from all over the U.S. have gathered together at the Tzu Chi USA headquarters for a series of meaningful events. All four Tzu Chi’s missions have been established in the U.S. Actually, Tzu Chi in the U.S. began with offering free clinics and charity services. Then they continued with education and culture missions. They are very mindful in building these missions. They live in the U.S., so far away from Taiwan.
But, this group of disciples are determined to start Tzu Chi there. All I gave them was an instruction to be self-reliant. Stephen once commented that unlike other Dharma masters. I did not provide money or staffing to start Tzu Chi in the U.S. I just told them to be self-reliant.
“I had been living in the U.S. for more than 20 years. Sister Cixi Cai introduced me to the Foundation at a dinner. She was very kind and gave me a booklet a few days later, “The World of Tzu Chi” Upon reading the booklet. I discovered that this Dharma Master was very different from the ones whom I had known previously. Firstly, she supports herself by her own labor. She wouldn’t eat if she didn’t work. Secondly, she had built a hospital.
That really impress me. Of course, after meeting Master Cheng Yen, I was filled with admiration and respect. I decided to follow her and be her disciple, and vowed that I would bring the Tzu Chi spirit and missions to the U.S. I thought, “Master, I have set such a big goal. Shouldn’t I get some monetary or manpower support?
Either one?” She only gave us the words, “Be self-sufficient and utilize local resources wisely.” I thought, “How could a Master be like that?” Of course, on reflection, I am extremely grateful.”
Welcome, Tzu Chi volunteers. We are really happy to see you. “We initially began to enter into the community and touch people’s hearts by hosting tea parties. I put in the same effort as I did to run my own business, in order to establish Tzu Chi in the U.S. for Master Cheng Yen. We would leave home early and return late. We would go wherever we were needed and we would go anywhere. Twenty five years, a quarter of a century and to be honest, it is just a start for me. Master said that if the land is not filled with love, Tzu Chi will not stop. We in the U.S., should make this vow as well.”
They live in a wealthy nation, so of course what o give them aren’t material things, but the treasure of Dharma. Applying the teachings, they can grow from one to countless. But, I tell them there’s still more to be done in the mission to inspire and transform people and ask them to continue to work hard on this. It’s understandable though because Tzu Chi’s roots are in Taiwan and for them to travel to Taiwan, the travel time, including layover time, can span over 20 hours. The distance of travel is really very far, but despite the far distance, they feel very close to me in heart.
Seeing them now via videoconferencing, it seems like they’re in fact Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan, not the U.S. Firstly, it’s because their hearts are close to mine. Secondly, it’s because I don’t see many Caucasians among them. Really, their number of non-Chinese volunteers is really a bit too few because only by reaching local Americans can the Buddhist spirit and Dharma really reach the local community and take root.
It’s like seeds taking root --- only then can it grow big and strong and continuously produce more seeds. Now many years later, in the U.S., a big country, it is time to see many local volunteers acting as seeds or major forces to inspire the local society. Buddhism shares great insights if these teachings are not shared with the locals, that’d really be a great pity.
However, speaking these words, I am encouraging all of you in the U.S. I hope you can accept encouragement well and be the seeds to great forces of influence locally that are deeply rooted and thrive well. This is what I hope my disciples and every Tzu Chi volunteer will work hard toward. I see all of you are very sincere in listening to me. You look harmonious together. I am very grateful to your contribution.
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