What a world of suffering we live in! Look around at the
world today. Just about everyday, we see yet another calamity
happening in another part of the world. So many people
are suffering, and our hearts ache deeply. But through
the suffering we also witness true and genuine love. It
is because of the suffering that people's love and compassion
are awakened. So, it is suffering that opens our eyes
and our hearts to the truth.
Who in this world does not have suffering? That is why
the first teaching the Buddha expounded after reaching
enlightenment was the Four Noble Truths, showing us how
we may extinguish suffering.
Seeing how people experienced aging, sickness, and death
made the Buddha realize that suffering is inherent in
everyone's life. But this is only with regards to the
natural course of life. There is moreover the suffering
caused by worldly circumstances-the difference in social
classes, the difference between the poor and the rich,
and many other circumstances. Struck by these, the Buddha
was driven to understand the truth of suffering, and to
contemplate how people could be relieved from such suffering.
Upon attaining enlightenment, he expounded the Four Noble
Truths, showing us the way.
Yes, we live in a suffering world, but are we to let people
just continue living in suffering? Shouldn't we think
of ways to help them out of the suffering?
The Buddha talked about the Four Immeasurable Minds-loving-kindness,
compassion, joy, and giving without attachment-and these
could be the medicine for suffering beings. But these
can only be effective if we put them into practice.
Those in suffering need love and care, so we need to have
loving-kindness and compassion. So much suffering is created
in life-why don't we all love one another? Wouldn't that
be wonderful? Wouldn't everyone be happy then? That is
the mission of loving-kindness-to promote peace and harmony
between people, to inspire people to love one another
and give of themselves to help others out of the realization
that living on this planet, we are all connected to one
another as parts of a whole.
That is why, in response to the recent tsunami disaster
in South Asia, Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide mobilized
to raise funds on the streets to help tsunami victims.
I continually remind Tzu Chi volunteers that it isn't
about how much money we raise, but about bringing the
disaster to the attention and consciousness of people
who are safe and well and inspiring their kindness. When
a disaster has struck one part of the world, all of us
in this global village need to help. This is something
we need to realize and we need to have others realize
as well.
Compassion-seeing people suffering, we cannot bear for
them to suffer, and we feel their suffering as our very
own. It is because of this that we rushed to Sri Lanka
and Indonesia's Aceh Province to help. Otherwise, why
would we be there? With Sri Lanka so far away from Taiwan,
what does it have to do with us? How are they related
to us? Indeed, we are not connected to them in any direct
way. It is only because we cannot bear for them to suffer.
As soon as we heard news of this disaster, Tzu Chi's staff
and volunteers immediately formed a relief team. What
moves me even more is that doctors in Tzu Chi's hospitals
immediately started volunteering to go to the disaster
area. Everyone wanted to go. In the end, one of the Asst.
Superintendents who is an epidemiologist said, "There's
no one more suitable than me," because in the aftermath
of the disaster, what was most worrying was the possible
outbreak of infectious diseases.
At the time when our team went into the disaster area,
there were bodies lying about everywhere and the stench
was so strong that layers of mouth masks could not block
it. The doctors knew beforehand it would be like this,
yet they still wanted very much to be the ones chosen
to go there. Without great love, who would dare to go
there? So, I often say that these volunteers are living
bodhisattvas. Who but bodhisattvas would be able to carry
out such a deed?
Because of suffering, people's compassion was awakened,
inspiring them to go personally to the disaster areas
to help those in need. Those who could not go to the disaster
areas dedicated themselves to appeal for donations. All
around the world, volunteers were doing this. In some
places, it was snowing, but the volunteers nevertheless
stood out on the streets, as it snowed. They truly wanted
to help the people suffering in the disaster areas. So,
they did it all with a very willing heart. Their compassion
inspired them to make an altruistic resolution-which was
sacrificing their own comfort and leisure to help others.
They did so with such joy-even though after a day of holding
the donation boxes, their arms had become sore and stiff,
yet still, their hearts were full of joy.
Herein lies the Dharma. In their acts of giving, they
are living out the Four Immeasurable Minds of loving-kindness,
compassion, joy, and giving without attachment. Their
acts are motivated by love and compassion. In giving,
they experience great joy, and the willingness with which
they give of themselves speaks to their lack of attachment.
There are many stories from the tsunami disaster that
let us see what loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and
giving without attachment is about.
This time, teams of Tzu Chi volunteers went to Sri Lanka
and Indonesia's Aceh Province to provide aid. Besides
giving survivors emergency supplies, we treated their
wounds and provided free medical care. But we also tried
to help heal their hearts. With such a disaster that
suddenly took away so many lives, wrenching families
apart, tearing from people those dearest to them in
this world, we can just imagine the trauma, the grief,
the searing pain that survivors were feeling. Though
their lives were spared, yet they suffer all the more
because of it. So, they really need people to reach
out to them, to comfort them, support them, and help
see them through this painful time.
At the sites where our medical personnel provided free
medical care, the volunteers not only treated people's
physical ailments, but also tried through their exchanges
to heal the survivors' mental anguish. Take Superintendent
Lin Shinn-zong of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Center
for example. When he led the medical team to serve at
our medical station in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, he first
led everyone in singing to lighten everyone's minds
before they began seeing patients. With patients, he
would first express his care for them by holding their
hand, giving them a hug, or patting them on the back,
as he asked them about their family. It was only after
he had made such a connection with the patient that
he would begin to address the physical ailments. He
cared for everyone just as if they were his own family
members. The other medical personnel were just the same.
Through such interactions of love and care, a number
of disaster victims who had withdrawn into themselves,
started to come out of their own inner world again to
face reality. Some even began to serve as volunteers,
transforming their grief into strength to help others.
One such volunteer was a man named Abdullah. When his
neighbor brought him to our medical station, he had
neither eaten nor slept for six days and hadn't uttered
a word. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his wife
and child, whose bodies he had found locked in an embrace
after three days of frantic searching. Tzu Chi's volunteers
were very concerned about his health, and quickly sat
him down. A volunteer brought him warm water to drink,
and prepared hot instant noodles for him. Holding his
hand, the volunteer stayed with him, patting his back
to express sympathy and encouragement. After a very
long time like this, Abdullah finally spoke and began
telling the volunteer his story.
After that, Tzu Chi volunteers continued to visit Abdullah
regularly. On one visit, the volunteer said to him,
"I can understand what deep pain and grief you
must be feeling, having lost your loved ones. But when
our loved ones have passed away and there is nothing
to be done, the best thing we can do for them is to
transfer the love we feel for them to other people.
Would you be willing to offer the love and care you
have for your loved ones to other people, as a tribute
to them?"
With those words, Abdullah gradually opened himself.
He began to smile again, to talk to people again as
he used to, and even returned to his job as a security
guard at a factory, astonishing his boss, who had thought
he would never recover and return. Since then, Abdullah
has also volunteered at Tzu Chi's medical station to
offer his care to others.
Indeed, this is what we hope for. Besides helping the
people with their critical needs and working to give
them permanent homes where they can rebuild their lives,
we also hope that these survivors, having gone through
such a horrifying disaster, may turn this experience
into an impetus for new perspectives. So, we hope that
through Tzu Chi volunteers' care and support, they may
be able to not only stand up again but to open their
hearts to help others in need. In the past, they had
only devoted themselves to their family and loved only
their loved ones. It is our hope that having gone through
the disaster, they may come to realizations about life,
and open their arms widely to embrace others in suffering.
In this way, may the time they are given in life go
toward the planting of positive seeds of karma, and
through this, may the force of positive collective karma
in this world become stronger.
This relief effort for the South Asia disaster has
involved numerous challenges. For example, the volunteers
had to take a longer, roundabout route in difficult
road conditions to transport relief goods into the disaster
area. When Tzu Chi volunteers in Indonesia delivered
eleven truckloads of supplies to Meulaboh, Aceh Province,
they had to drive for more than 40 hours. Yet there
were no complaints. Rather, they felt that as long as
they could help lessen suffering, all their efforts,
no matter how taxing or painstaking, would all be worth
it.
In Tzu Chi, we have a special saying-when the work is
exhausting and taxing, instead of saying so (which is
"xin ku" in Mandarin), we instead say that
we are blessed ("xing fu" in Mandarin). Though
the volunteers may be drenched in sweat, they are nevertheless
full of joy because they have seized the opportunity
to contribute. This sentiment was expressed by every
group of volunteers who returned from the disaster areas
in South Asia.
This describes our volunteers from the U.S. very well.
They were undaunted by the 53-hour journey from the
U.S. to Sri Lanka via Germany and Singapore, and were
eager to have a chance to contribute. Volunteers in
disaster areas must endure harsh conditions and an exhausting
schedule, yet they still give themselves so joyfully
and seek nothing in return. Not only that, they even
feel grateful. Why? Because they realize that it is
only because they are fortunate, healthy, and well that
they have the ability to help others. Being grateful
for being so fortunate, they want to give back or contribute
by dedicating themselves to doing good. Giving with
gratitude, they devote themselves with willingness and
happily accept all that comes-difficulties and all.
These were just a few of the many touching stories,
and what led to all of these acts of genuine love was
the suffering of others. Just as the seeds we plant
can be seeds of suffering---seeds of negative karma---we
can also plant seeds of truth, goodness, and righteousness.
In such a world of suffering, we need people who emulate
bodhisattvas, who embrace all people with enlightened
and lasting love - people who broaden their love to
reach out to others, who choose not to enjoy ease and
comfort but instead to come out of their ivory towers
to be with those in suffering.
With the world as it is, with disasters happening everyday,
with man-made calamities occurring in countries all
across the globe, with the tide of impurity powerful
like the massive waves of the tsunami, there is truly
a need for people to serve as living bodhisattvas, who
through their genuine and enlightened love, touch, inspire,
and purify people's hearts. To heal the world, we must
begin by purifying the hearts of humanity. Let us all
work hard at this, for only when the hearts of humanity
become pure, can there be peace and harmony in society,
and only then may the world be free from disasters.
Compiled and
adapted from speeches given by Master Cheng Yen after
the South Asia tsunami, between December 2004 and March
2005.
Also published in the May/June
2005 issue of Dharma World magazine.
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