the Impermanence and Laments of
Life
By Sister Bao-Lin Shao, Commissioner,
New York Branch Office
When I was at Pier 94, I saw an elderly
Cantonese couple coming to Tzu Chi's booth for help. They
seem to be very distraught, because on the morning of September
11th, their son had taken the train from New Jersey to the
City and was changing route at the World Trade Center station
when the towers collapsed, killing him and thousands of others.
Because their English was poor, they
were unable to get assistance from Red Cross, so they came
to Tzu Chi for help. Looking at this grieving senior couple,
who lost their son in their waning years, my mind ached with
a pain like theirs, as I now realize the impermanence and
laments of life.
