20141128 援助難民‧善心萌芽Inspiring People to Give with Love
Living in peace and safely is not really a given. So, when we’re safe and well, we should be very grateful. In parts of Gaza strip, two days of heavy rains have led to flooding. See how people suffer when Nature’s elements become imbalanced. This is even more true for refugees. They live in shabby tents. In winter, when it gets windy or rains or snows, their already dire situations will become even more unbearable.
It saddens me to see them suffer this much and my hearts goes out to them. But what can we do to help them? However, as long as there are people with love, the plight of the suffering will be eased. On Nov 14 and 21, Tzu Chi volunteers in Jordan again gave out rice to those in need. Each family had received 20 kg of rice. See how happy they were. But, the rice can only tide them over for some time. What are they going to do after that?
From the news report, we see that their living conditions are not good and there are many flies. We can imagine how hard life is for them. But as I said, as long as there are people with love, their suffering will be relieved. What concerns me is whether we’ll take the chance to inspire love in them. If we do, I’m sure these children in Jordan will not suffer anymore. Even though people are suffering, we still need to inspire them to give.
Only then can their suffering end because only when their hearts are opened can they feel the joy that derives from their spiritual wealth within and further give of themselves to help others. Look at our Zulu volunteers in South Africa. They’re poor themselves, but they can still help many people. If we can inspire those we help in Jordan to give like this, there’ll be less people suffering there.
They may be materially poor, but they will be spiritual rich and can even help other people. Only then can their conditions be changed. If we don’t transform their minds first, they’ll forever feel that they’re needy. So, all we need to do is to change their mindset so they can become rich spiritually. This is not impossible. As long as we try, we can do it. Taiwan is the birthplace of Tzu Chi and where many of our aid programs first started. Take for example our tuition aid program, which is now being carried out in many countries around the world.
In 1982, we first set up a scholarship for medical students from poor families. Each student could receive NT$25,000 per semester. “When we first started our scholarship program, some people asked me: “Master, What do you expect from students receiving the scholarship? I replied, “Nothing. We expect nothing from them”. We give every student NT$25,000 per semester. Many people told me that of all the scholarship programs in Taiwan, Tzu Chi gave the largest grant.
So, they asked me, “You give them so much and you expect nothing from them? I replied, “All Tzu Chi hopes to do is to give and we asks nothing in return”. “This is the mindset of every Tzu Chi volunteer. If anything, all we ask is that every student who has received our scholarship can study hard which is the duty of a student. And after graduation, they can contribute what they’ve learned to society and benefits others with their knowledge and skills. So I hope they can study hard now and serve our society in the future.”
That was the speech I gave in Taipei in 1990 when we presented our scholarships to students in need. It’s been over 20 years. At first, we only provided scholarships to medical students. But later, we also include students in Buddhist studies and arts students. And now, we’re providing tuition aid to students in need in many countries. Many students are very grateful for our help and also know to give back.
Take a graduate student in Kaoshiung for example. He is a very good child. This year, he was admitted to the graduate medical programs of Kaohsiung Medical University and Tzu Chi University. To care for his ill mother, he chose to stay in Kaohsiung. While studying he also does part-time jobs to support his family. One professor of our Tzu Chi University often writes to encourage him and our Tzu Chi volunteers also regularly visit his family to bring them care.
He is also a recipient of our tuition aid. He is very kindhearted. It is said that filial piety is the foundation of all goodness. Seeing how he cares for his mother, I’m sure he’ll take good care of his patients in the future. So, we should do all we can to help needy students as a way to nurture talents for our society. This is what Tzu Chi volunteers do in many parts of the world. When these children graduate and contribute what they’ve learned to society, what we do for them now will be worth it.
This is what we’ve been doing for years. See how some students who have received our tuition aid come back to serve as our volunteers even after they’ve graduated. They have not forgotten how Tzu Chi has helped them and they want to give back. This is very touching. May we continue to nurture these seeds of love and may these seeds sprout and grow into big trees.
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