| Tzu
Chi Medicine Mission |
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In a small village, a man moans behind a half-closed door. In
front of his bed sits his expressionless wife, and a group of
laughing children run around. How much helplessness is revealed
in this scene? Such scenes were visible everywhere in the 1970s
when Master Cheng Yen traveled around southern Taiwan, visiting
the poor.
If the head of a household suddenly passes
away, the entire burden of the family is loaded on the wife's
shoulders, and the children cannot receive a decent education.
All sorts of social problems will surface in the future. The
Master realized that sickness created poverty and poverty
created sickness. Both were linked in a vicious cycle, which
left people no way out, especially in Hualien where medical
resources were inadequate. Any minor sickness could become
a major one, and there were incidents where patients died
on their way to a hospital. With the conviction that all lives
are equal, the Master wanted to attend to the sick in Eastern
Taiwan to eliminate the problem of poverty. Therefore in 1979,
hoping too extend the spirit and wisdom of Buddhism forever,
she called for the construction of a hospital. Starting from
nothing, she began to raise funds. There were periods of obstacles
and setbacks, but because of her untiring persistence, many
people were touched and gathered to form a stream of love.
From the first fund-raising in1979 to the opening of the hospital
in 1986, this was a memorable epoch.
Here is a complete history of how Tzu Chi
Medical Mission came about:
