20200706仁者悲願行難行 Walking Forward Even When We Encounter Difficulties
Before the floods, you see here, where the rocks are? It used to be a corn field. Over there used to be rice fields; the rice fields are all gone now, it was all rice fields down there.
The flooding disaster in China has affected 26 provinces, and it is truly severe. Some Tzu Chi volunteers live nearby the flooding areas; though it is somewhat near, it is not near in comparison, as the distances between the two places can easily be over a hundred kilometers, and some disaster areas are in the mountains, where the distance is far and the roads are tough.
Nevertheless, these living bodhisattvas are not put off by such difficulties. Upon knowing a place was hit by the disaster, especially when the damage is severe, volunteers would make preparations so that when the water recedes, they will immediately survey the disaster situation.
We see them dressed in the Tzu Chi uniform, with their blue shirt, white pants, and white shoes, and walked on muddy roads; every step they took was a difficult step. Do you see that? As they took one step forward, they had to pull up the other leg from the mud. After viewing the footage for a while, I praised them; did they get mud on their white pants? No, they did not.
I said, I tell them that, for tasks like these, don’t wear white pants. They can wear the blue shirt with blue pants; it’d be easier to walk. For surveying disaster situations, volunteers walked very long distances, and it was truly tiring. The disaster areas are damaged very badly.
Things in the kitchen, crops like corn and potato, and the seeds were affected.
There were sounds of the floods in everywhere. I was so scared I lost my way. Where was I walking? I was dazed at the time, it was dark, and I couldn’t see my way.
Volunteers went through the disaster area on foot; after the survey, they carried out relief right away. Volunteers have prepared all the daily necessities for the affectees, such as rice, oil, salt, sugar, and other essential times. A total of 18 items were prepared, which was very adequate.
With sincere love, we feel people’s sufferings as our own. When people are suffering and in pain, we also genuinely feel their suffering and pain. When helping people in suffering and providing them necessities, we have to put ourselves in their shoes to give what they really need like we do for ourselves. Feeling for people’s sufferings as our own, we give of ourselves to serve others with empathy.
When distributing Jing Si foldable beds, eco-blankets, and other daily necessities, it would be difficult to carry out the efforts without a location that is even and spacious. Impacted by flood disaster, where can they find a location like that there? In the end, our volunteers carried out distribution by the roadside. This is truly not easy.
The local Tzu Chi volunteers quickly found a way to resolve this problem. The most important consideration for them was how easy it would be for affectees to receive the aids. They did not choose the site based on the convenience of the volunteers. They put the affectees’ need first, such as how easy it would be for them to receive the aids and how to get home.
Tzu Chi volunteers have been very thoughtful. In order to carry out this relief, they had to be very careful, thoughtful, thorough, and well-considered. Tzu Chi volunteers are determined to find ways to fulfill the mission. See, they worked all day till night. It was scorching hot and they distributed goods by the roadside. Seeing this, they are truly remarkable. They overcome many difficulties to accomplish this disaster relief mission.
Indeed, there are many disasters happening around the world. Fortunately, there are Tzu Chi volunteers who diligently and actively walk the Bodhisattva Path and serve amongst people. They are not bodhisattvas that are invisible or in name only. They are bodhisattvas who truly living among us in our world. They reach out to people in suffering, care for and comfort them, give of themselves to provide timely help.
I’m very, very grateful to this group of living bodhisattvas. This kind of gratitude keeps on supplying me with the needed life energy. This group of living bodhisattvas keeps on giving me this for me to harbor gratitude.
All in all, we see the severe floods in China. Warnings have been issued since June 2, and flood disasters occurred right after that one after another. Even now, floods are still happening, which has been over a month. Seeing the severity of the floods, it’s truly shocking. Indeed, humans tend to boast of their great ability. But, are humans truly powerful?
Some people even say that humans can conquer nature. Can we really? We are actually very tiny. We are smaller than a tiny ant facing Mount Sumeru. Compared to nature, humans are truly tiny and insignificant. We really need to respect and fear Mother Nature. We need to turn our mindset around, return to our innate nature, and believe in the mighty power of Mother Nature. Do not keep on boasting the great ability we humans have.
At this time, the most important thing now is for us to see suffering and to create blessings. Counting our blessings is not enough, we need to create blessing. Look at the people in suffering. Living bodhisattvas need to go to places of suffering to relieve people of their suffering.
When volunteers’ feet are stuck in the mud, they are still very willing to continue moving on. They just pull up their feet and still move forward very willingly. They have one goal in mind, which is to relieve people of their hardship and suffering. Such are living bodhisattvas. With their love, they want to help people out of their hardship and suffering.
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