| Beyond
retirement: A life-long Tzu Cheng member |
 |
Translated by Weishiong Chong
April 16, 2002
Chinese
Version
Companionship of love - Chen Chun Chang
and Chen Jian Quan
After running up to his quarters and back
in his Tzu Cheng uniform, Chen Chun Chang's forehead was beaded
with perspiration. His son, Chen Jian Quan, caught up with him
and accompanied him to the assembly area. During the Tzu Cheng
seminar, the father and son pair was always together: in classes,
during meals, and while transporting pavement blocks.
Chun Chang is 75 years old. During the 6-day
and 5-night seminar, he was always sharp and alert. He and his
son are seasoned Tzu Cheng members, commissioners, and Honorary
Board members from Southern California. Chun Chang was a driver
all his life. He calls himself a boor since he doesn't know
very many words. He came from a farming family. During his spare
time, he did freelance work. He once lost a fortune in a business
venture, and for several months the family could only afford
to eat one meal of rice and lard per day. Jian Quan, a dentist,
said that although life was hard, his compassionate father still
managed to take the family to donate money to orphanages, or
to buy coffins for poor bereaved families. When Tzu Xi, the
first Tzu Chi commissioner in Southern California and the current
Tzu Chi USA deputy executive director, first arrived in the
United States, she stayed at the Chens' home for a while.
Seeing that his young tenant was full of loving
kindness as she diligently helped with fundraising campaigns,
Chun Chang accepted her as his goddaughter. He often chauffeured
her to collect donations, visit the poor, and attend funerals
where she chanted Buddhist scriptures for the deceased. Gradually
he got to know Tzu Chi well. His son, Jian Quan, also joined
Tzu Chi after seeing his father's enthusiasm.
In 1983, when Jian Quan was still in Taiwan,
he started donating a fifth of his income to Tzu Chi. This patronage
continued until 1987, when he came to America for advanced studies.
In 1990, he took the Three Refuges under Master Cheng Yen and
was given the Buddhist name of Chi Yin.
Jian Quan is a volunteer dentist with the
Southern California Tzu Chi Free Clinic, as well as the Tzu
Cheng Faith Corps leader for Southern California. He said that
he never took notes in class before, but during the Tzu Cheng
Seminar he took lots of notes on the Tzu Cheng spirit so that
he could compile them into lecture notes for Tzu Cheng training
sessions in Southern California.
Though illiterate, Chun Chang is almost a
full-time volunteer with a full weekly schedule. He takes part
in environmental renewal, organizing Tzu Chi publications, housekeeping
of the Tzu Chi office, etc. Likewise, Jian Quan often puts aside
his clinic and family commitments for Tzu Chi duty. He once
extracted a hundred teeth in two days during a free clinic in
Honduras. Even though it is hard to forget how his tired hands
ached, Jian Quan maintains his vow to be a good doctor who saves
lives, instead of a famous doctor who accumulates wealth.
