20201108 衲履足跡愛相隨 The Journey of Love
It’s time for our annual Year-End Blessings Ceremonies. For my trip this time, I met Tzu Chi volunteers from the Greater Taipei Area. They were so harmonious. The long line of volunteers looked very orderly. I heard them all say the same words, I love Master. As I opened my mouth to reply them, they quickly added, we will love those whom Master loves. Before I said anything, just as I turned around and about to give them a reply, they all said that they will love those whom I love.
That’s right. They can say a thousand words to express their love for me, my reply to them is always this simple that you must love those whom I love. It’s simple, yet, the direction of our love is always to living beings in suffering. There’s a saying of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas reach out to living beings in suffering. That’s right. This large group of Tzu Chi bodhisattvas faces living beings in suffering.
Around the world we see many disasters. There is too much suffering to describe. Just in this year, how many disasters have occurred so far? Before the tour at the Abode, I had video conference meetings every day, in which I urged Tzu Chi volunteers around the world to raise their vigilance, be fully prepared, to protect themselves well, and to help people in need. This shows how Tzu Chi volunteers are taking on the responsibility.
Every day, I see Tzu Chi volunteers in many countries preparing aid to help people. Whenever I had time, I would think about them and say I’m grateful. I’m grateful to the event 50-plus years ago, which led to me the extraordinary thought of helping and saving people’s lives.
Now Tzu Chi is in its 55th year of service. The most senior volunteers in Taipei have been with Tzu Chi for over 40 years. There were three ladies, who were sworn sisters, and very pious Buddhists. They took refuge at the same time, and attended Dharma services in temples together. After a while, they met me, and the three of them focused on the same goal, which was to do Tzu Chi work with me.
At that time, I went around Taiwan. They drove me to make many home visits for surveying purposes. Looking back, that was truly the footprint of a monastic, as I had physically walked many households. On the footage we saw in Sanzhi of Taipei, there was a senior who was 101 years old. He lived by himself and had no one who could take care of him. Therefore, Tzu Chi volunteers took shifts to look after this elderly gentleman. Volunteers took care of his daily living and small matters like things he liked and did so in a thorough manner.
It was like what we did in Hualien. There was an elderly lady, our first care recipient, who I personally took care. We figured out how to care for her, and arranged for her neighbor to deliver her three meals every day, and hired a person to assist her and to clean for her. We took care of the cleaning and her meals until she passed away. She was our first care recipient.
Being old, sick, and lonely is truly miserable. We see the love of Tzu Chi volunteers; they take initiative to care for people, love them, and transform their life completely. Elderly people like this will one day pass away. At last, at the final resting place, everything would be arranged by Tzu Chi volunteers, who always had been there for the recipients.
Hence, I always express my gratitude to them. Sometimes, we hear Tzu Chi volunteers recount to work they did in the past. Though there weren’t many cases in the early days, each care recipient was seen and loved like our own family member or elder. Now, we often hear the term of long-term care. I’d like to say that Tzu Chi was already providing long-term care 50 years ago.
Many care recipients lived in houses that had low ceilings, so volunteers had to hunch their back to go inside. Among the houses was one in which volunteers couldn’t stand up they had to hunch their back when talking to the family in need. Seeing the way that people suffered, the feeling of compassion rose, then our hearts truly went out to them. So, Tzu Chi’s charity work took a step forward.
Over 50 years ago, we introduced the idea of saving NT$0.50 daily to help people. Through accumulating many small donations, we hoped to have the opportunity to help people in need. I gave rise to such a thought, in hope of recruiting more people and inspiring love in them; only love can eliminate disasters. This was how we passed on love to one another. Through small donations, we called on people’s loving hearts.
I never would have guessed that NT$0.50 can end up bringing love and care to more than 100 countries and regions now. We provide long-term help as well as emergency aid. Tzu Chi now has volunteers in more than 60 countries and regions. Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide would deliver relief work to nearby countries in need. With the Tzu Chi organization behind them, our volunteers have more opportunities to help people in need.