By Wu Hsiao-ting
There
is a mural in the Still Thoughts Hall at the Tzu Chi headquarters
in Hualien that tries to depict the modern image of the Buddha.
When Yao Jen-lu, general manager of Tzu Chi TV, first saw it,
tears rolled down his face.
The painting presents the Buddha standing behind
the earth in the middle of the universe. He looks attentively
at the planet. In his left hand is a glass of water and in his
right hand a bodhi leaf, symbols of compassion and wisdom in Buddhism.
The fresco embodies the Buddha's wish to wash the earth clean
and to purify the souls of all human beings with great compassion
and wisdom.
It may be no more than an ordinary Buddhist
painting to most people, but it touched the deepest chord in Yao's
heart. He took it as a penetrating statement of the Tzu Chi spirit.
"When I was a young man, the most important
thing for me was world peace," said Yao with his steady,
peaceful voice. "People might have thought that I was simply
putting on a high moral tone, but I really meant it. Watching
TV and seeing how people killed each other in wars, I couldn't
help feeling keenly the cruelty of mankind. Why do people do such
things to each other?"
But at that time, as much as he wished it,
Yao couldn't find any way to fulfill his lofty dream. It was not
until he got in touch with Master Cheng Yen and Tzu Chi that he
came to realize that there might after all be a way, a method,
of making his dream come true. That method is shown in the painting.
"Compassion and wisdom can be combined into one word--love.
Or, to put it more specifically, great love. Love is the method
to relieve and eliminate the suffering in the world. It is as
simple as that, but we all know that it will take many lifetimes
and the efforts of a lot of people to make this dream come true."
A busy life
A successful architect, Yao once planned to
retire when he reached forty years of age. But now he has entered
the fifth decade of his life, and he works sixteen hours a day,
three hundred sixty five days a year--because of Tzu Chi. Besides
being a TV station general manager, he is also the manager of
the Tzu Chi Cultural Publishing Company. Furthermore, because
of his expertise in architecture, he is also responsible for several
Tzu Chi construction projects.
"Before
I joined Tzu Chi, I had planned to retire at an early age. At
that time, my ability as an architect was acknowledged and I had
branch offices in many countries. I thought that was enough for
me." He wanted to save some time for things he enjoyed doing,
like reading and traveling. "My greatest enjoyment in life
has been reading. What can be a greater delight than sitting under
the sun in the wintertime and reading until one falls asleep?
In the wintertime I can read, and then in the summertime I can
go traveling. How wonderful life would be!"
But since he joined Tzu Chi and found that
the most important dream of his life could indeed be fulfilled,
retirement and life's enjoyments have no longer been so important
to him. "Of course I still love reading. But now my time
is so limited that I can only read on trains or airplanes."
Yao's first direct contact with Tzu Chi happened
eight years ago when he and several other architects were invited
to design the Still Thoughts Hall. It took him five years to complete
the conference room in the hall, an incredibly long time for one
who placed such a high value on efficiency. Because of those five
years, he had the chance to spend time with the Master and see
what she was doing. Touched by her sincere efforts in helping
people, he made up his mind to follow in her footsteps and become
a lifetime Tzu Chi volunteer.
"Nonetheless, when I first joined Tzu
Chi, I wasn't that enthusiastic," Yao confessed. "I
just thought it was fun to be a volunteer. But then, after seeing
how all the other Tzu Chi people pitched in, I was moved and decided
to help as much as I could. Now I look upon my work in Tzu Chi
as a means of self-cultivation."
As the general manager of Tzu Chi TV, Yao has
numerous affairs to attend to every day. His ideas unavoidably
conflict with those of others. Especially when an architect takes
on the role of TV station general manager, his ways of doing things
will inevitably be challenged by some people.
"When working in a group, it is hard to
avoid differences of opinion. What is important is to maintain
a peaceful mind when a conflict arises. That's why I regard my
work in Tzu Chi as a means of self-cultivation. I'm trying to
find a balance between how to have my own opinions and yet at
the same time be as selfless as possible."
Yao expects himself to be like an ocean. To
him, problems or disturbances in life are like waves. If one is
as deep as an ocean, the waves that arise on the surface of the
ocean will not affect the calmness and serenity underneath. On
the other hand, if one is as shallow as a washbasin, a slight
shake will agitate the water in it. "To be like a deep, vast
ocean is the goal of every person who sets his heart on spiritual
cultivation. When you have a mind full of peace, you can see problems
more clearly and tackle it with wisdom."
An accomplished architect
and interior designer
Even though Yao's life is focused on Tzu Chi,
he still owns an interior design company and has to find time
to take care of his own business. Because his volunteer work at
Tzu Chi takes up most of his time, he can now only do design work
early in the morning or late at night. But he has no complaints
and even thinks that his work at Tzu Chi helps him take his professional
expertise to a higher realm.
"The Tzu Chi work expands my mind and
broadens my perspective of things." He was inspired by Master
Cheng Yen's teachings to respect every human being and living
creature. "Whenever I am engaged in a construction project,
instead of trying to show off my creativity and designing skills,
I think of the people who are going to live in the house and design
it for their best interests."
Majoring in architecture, Yao opened his first
interior design company even before he graduated from university.
He planned and supervised the design and execution of numerous
architectural interiors and buildings both at home and abroad.
In his partners' eyes, he is smart, sharp and attentive to detail.
"His mind works so fast," said one of his coworkers.
"He can complete in one day a job that would take others
five or six days." His business thrives as his ability wins
the trust and admiration of his clients.
Yao
mentioned an episode in his life that helped him build confidence
in his design work. When he was a sophomore in university, he
devised a model called "A Design without Design" and
submitted it to his teacher. He thought it very creative and was
sure his teacher would praise his work. Unexpectedly, the teacher
criticized it harshly. Yao sat at his desk looking at the model,
bewildered and a little disappointed. All of a sudden he heard
someone walking towards him from behind. It was Han Pao-teh, chairman
of the department and the teacher he admired the most. "Don't
you worry about your design, Yao Jen-lu," he said to him.
"They didn't understand it, that's all."
For a young designer, this was a great compliment,
especially when it came from someone whom he so looked up to.
It cheered him up and encouraged him to express his own views
and thoughts. "At that time, I had high expectations for
design work and was full of ideas. If it weren't for the encouragement
of Prof. Han, my dream might have been nipped in the bud."
Because of this episode, Yao was later ready
to make all kinds of experiments in his design work. "Maybe
that's why when I decided to step on the path of spiritual cultivation,
I was sure that this was what I wanted. Because I had tried out
every way and made every experiment, I believed that spiritual
cultivation was the only way left to find the meaning of life."
A delightful personality
Anyone who sees Yao can't help being attracted
by his warm smile and gentle manners. One would expect that such
a busy person would always be in a hurry, but on the contrary
he has a leisurely manner and is always polite and courteous.
A staff member at Tzu Chi TV talked about her
boss. "He is easy-going and has no bossy airs. When he wants
to ask you to do something, he comes to your desk instead of telling
you to come into his office. He thinks we are a family, and he
treats every one of us like his family members."
People may wonder how a man like him was brought
up.
Yao's parents were open-minded people who treated
their children with trust and love. Unlike traditional Chinese
parents, they seldom interfered with what their children wanted
to do. Yao remembers that when he was in high school, he was on
the rugby team and he often had to stay late at school for practice.
No matter how late it was when he got home, he would find his
mother waiting for him in the living room. She would not go to
bed until she saw him, but she never asked him why he came home
so late. "It meant a lot to me that my mother would do this.
It represented her love and trust for me. I could grow up happily
and comfortably because she never put any pressure on us."
In his father's eyes, Yao has always been thoughtful
and sympathetic. When he was a child, his parents told him that
his brother was in delicate health and asked him to be especially
nice to him. Yao, keeping their words in mind, never argued or
fought with his brother.
"Jen-lu is magnanimous and quite a natural
leader," said his father, Yao Wang-lin, who is a Tzu Chi
volunteer Japanese translator. "But he is also a little stubborn.
When he decides to do something, he doesn't give up until he has
reached his goal."
Tzu Chi TV
Many people questioned why Tzu Chi wanted to
establish its own TV station. Is it worthwhile to spend so much
money on such an expensive enterprise?
According to Yao, we are living in a time dominated
by the mass media. We must keep up with the times if we want to
find a way into people's hearts. "Tzu Chi's mission is to
save the planet, to purify society and awaken the love hidden
in every heart. If we want to influence people, we must find a
way to communicate our ideas to them. Now television is the most
predominant form of communication and the most important source
of information. It is the most efficient way to convey our ideas.
The Internet is important too--that should
be our next step."
In order to spread the ideas of great love
and respect for all life throughout the world, Tzu Chi TV is stepping
up its efforts to bring its programs to as many families as possible.
Now with the exception of Europe and Africa, the whole world can
receive broadcasts from the station.
Under Yao's leadership, Tzu Chi TV is producing
programs of highly acclaimed quality. He hopes that with the efforts
of all the staff and volunteers, the station will produce programs
that will be loved by both Tzu Chi members and others.
Although the heavy workload which Yao
has to face every day strongly taxes his strength, he still feels
happy because he feels that he is amply rewarded in spirit by
taking part in the work of the foundation. He is grateful to be
able to help Master Cheng Yen develop the Tzu Chi cultural mission.
In Yao, we can see that a person who has found the meaning of
life can live ever so happily and contentedly.
