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Dear volunteers and staff of Tzu Chi chapters
around the world:
Life is impermanent and the world is fragile.
On August 29, Hurricane Katrina caused the most
devastating disaster in the last 105 years of
US history. Fierce wind and rain pelted the Gulf
Coast like a ton of bricks, ravaging Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Alabama.
The city of New Orleans received the hardest
blow. When the levees collapsed, over eighty percent
of the city, including two airports, became submerged
in water. With gas leakages leading to outbreaks
of fire, power outages, a water shortage, the
collapse of infrastructure, and corpses floating
through its waterlogged streets, the city was
forced to shut down and declare a state of emergency.
The Governor of Mississippi even compared the
hurricane aftermath to Hiroshima after the atom
bomb. The unimaginable scale of the disaster has
paralyzed US emergency services. They are unable
to rescue the survivors even as the number of
casualties continues to climb.
Listening to all this, I feel an indescribable
sense of pain and sorrow. In the world we live
in, everything is interconnected. Any minor changes
to the environment can ripple out to affect the
whole. Where does a hurricane of such magnitude
come from? The role of global warming cannot be
denied, as scientific studies tell us. The disasters
nowadays are increasingly more severe, and in
the future, given human beings' wayward activities,
the disasters will become even more devastating.
The small acts here and there may seem minor,
but very quickly we find upon us a calamity that
tears apart families and destroys cities. As a
member of this global village, how can we remain
apart and take no action?
Tzu Chi members in the US have already mobilized.
Since the disaster area was closed off, they have
begun providing assistance to hurricane evacuees
who fled to Texas, especially to the elderly,
the disabled, and low-income families. They plan
to distribute US$100 emergency gift certificates
to the victims in lieu of cash and offer other
forms of assistance, so the evacuees can immediately
receive emotional and physical support. Furthermore,
TIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Association)
members across the U.S. are preparing to provide
medical assistance at the refugee centers, while
everyone else prepares to kick off a nationwide
fundraising drive. Tzu Chi members in Canada have
already brought together US$1 million for the
relief efforts.
I earnestly hope that all of you will bring forth
your love and further inspire others to share
the same compassion; that you will contribute
but also draw others to join this global fundraising
effort. At this time, we need to unite everyone
behind this campaign-to rally everyone's love
and inspire acts of kindness. The positive force
created from this goodness is the force of positive
karma. It is a force that can turn the tide of
negative karma.
Just as Hurricane Katrina was forming over the
Atlantic, Typhoon Talim was forming over the Pacific.
While Hurricane Katrina swept through three states
of the United States, Typhoon Talim landed in
Taiwan. Thankfully, the Central Mountain Range
helped to weaken the winds of the typhoon so that
Taiwan was able to escape heavy damages. Having
safely weathered the storm, we in Taiwan are filled
with gratitude, and are humbled to realize how
unconquerable the forces of nature truly are.
Indeed, those of us who are safe should reach
out to those who are suffering. The South Asia
disaster passed only eight months ago. Just when
we were finally beginning to see the victims settled
down, with the groundbreaking of the Tzu Chi communities
in Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia-suddenly another
catastrophic disaster struck. Deeply saddened
as we are, it is not enough just to feel sympathy.
We should take action to do what we can to offer
help.
Faced with such a horrific disaster, we must
all awaken to its lessons. We must come to realizations
and adjust our own hearts, to pray for and reach
out to disaster victims with a heart humbled,
sincere, and disciplined. At the same time, we
must recognize how human activities have a hand
in natural disasters, and do what we can to protect
our environment and be more eco-friendly in our
day to day living. While things may be safe and
well for us, we must always remain aware of potential
crisis and live in a way that can help prevent
them.
We must quickly do good---doing good isn't something
to be put off for another time. Doing good creates
positive karma and sows blessings-bringing about
good fortune and averting disaster. So, we should
encourage everyone to exercise their compassion
and carry out acts of kindness. Disasters, both
natural and man-made, are happening because there
is a lack of goodness and love in our world today.
Karma - the law of cause and effect - is a law
of nature. As unrelated as things may seem, a
cause and effect relationship nevertheless exists.
Everyone's actions, both positive and negative,
affect the state of the world. If people are moral
and ethical, then naturally the world will be
safe and peaceful. When there are disasters, it
is the concern of each and every one of us-we
all have a responsibility to help. I hope you
all will do your part in motivating those around
you to contribute to humanity in a positive way.
We all live under the same sky, on the same earth.
We should treat everyone in the world as part
of our family and embrace their suffering as our
own. Our mission now is to inspire everyone to
dedicate their love and wisdom to helping the
victims of the hurricane and easing their suffering.
Let us fully embrace this mission.
I sincerely hope that everyday you will think
good thoughts, speak kind words, and do good,
so we can help to purify people's hearts, bring
peace to society, and eliminate disaster from
the world. I'm grateful to you all, and I sincerely
wish you happiness and wisdom.
Shih Cheng Yen
Founder
Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
September 2, 2005
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