Dharma: 971110人間菩提英文版The Giving of the Disaster Survivors in Myanmar

The Giving of the Disaster Survivors in Myanmar

人間菩提--人人造福苦厄離

Since the day Tzu Chi began its Mission of Charity, the core spirit shared by all our volunteers has been love--- pure, selfless Great Love.

Over 42 years ago, we started our charity work with people saving 50 cents from their grocery money every day.

Though the donations were very small, we still hoped that everyone could give rise to a kind thought every single day.

(and take part in doing good)

Indeed, everyone is inherently good and kind.

But, only by giving of oneself to help others, can we truly be called good and kind.

Love is something we must express through action.

Only then is it true, genuine love.

Otherwise, everyone says:

"I'm a loving person,"

"and I have a kind heart"

If you have a kind heart, you must contribute your efforts.

If you have love in your heart, you should bring it forth by going to people's aid.

The love that we have in our heart is an intangible thing.

Physically extending aid is tangible and concrete.

Our inherent nature of kindness is intangible.

Only by physically extending aid can we truly benefit others.

For instance, on May 2, a tropical cyclone hit Myanmar, causing very severe devastation.

We're truly very grateful to our Tzu Chi volunteers in Malaysia and Thailand who, being nearby, went to Myanmar very quickly.

When they were there, they were very humble and treated all with. Gratitude, respect, and love. I had been very touched.

(by the way they humbled themselves)

I was very touched to see how our Tzu Chi volunteers from Malaysia were so united in their efforts.

Malaysia is very big, and we have Tzu Chi volunteers all across Malaysia.

Everyone dedicated themselves wholeheartedly and with great mindfulness.

In order to help Myanmar, Tzu Chi volunteers from all parts of Malaysia joined together in unity and worked closely to care for the victims.

Sharing the same aspiration to give and spread love.

They joined together to go to Myanmar.

Their love and unity were not only felt by the locals in Myanmar but also by the local authorities.

(That's why the Myanmar government) officially granted Tzu Chi permission.

(to distribute aid and hold free clinics there)

Wasn't it all because of the humble attitude and earnest love our volunteers showed to them in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone?

It is such selfless Great Love that has the power to move people the most.

I often say that love has paved our path.

Indeed, it was our love that paved a path for us.

We always take very step lightly for fear of hurting the land we set foot on.

(As we go to places in need to give aid) we must step very gently and lightly for fear of hurting the Earth further.

Wherever there is a natural disaster or wherever damage has been done.

Tzu Chi volunteers must take even greater care to give loving care and take soft, gentle steps on that land.

They must furthermore convey Tzu Chi's ideals of love through their own actions and through their love, pave a broad path.

(that enables us to conduct aid there)

Tzu Chi volunteers from many parts of Malaysia joined together to pave this path in Myanmar.

(Their efforts touched the local government who)later granted us permission to do aid work there.

This letter wasn't sent to the Malaysia or Thailand Tzu Chi chapters.

It was addressed to Taiwan Tzu Chi Foundation.

So, I was truly very moved.

As of today, Tzu Chi volunteers are still there providing aid in Myanmar.

We gave them rice seeds and also distributed fertilizers four times.

For around 100 days after the cyclone hit, we sent one aid team after another to go there with nine in total carrying on this relay of love.

Apart from giving farmers seeds and fertilizers, we also went to schools, families, and temples to care for and interact with the people there.

So, in these last few months,

(we've been sharing with them Tzu Chi's spirit) and thus have inspired many people's love.

We told them the story of how Tzu Chi started over 40 years ago so they all knew that saving a little each day.

For example, yesterday, I saw footage of a group of farmers expressing their gratitude in a sharing after they had collected the harvest.

There was also footage of farmers bringing back their coin banks to our volunteers.

They formed very long queues as they stood waiting in line with their coin banks.

Many people gathered around to count how much the donations amounted to.

Altogether, over 600,000 Kyat (US$47)were collected.

This actually only amounts to around 15,000 Taiwanese dollars.

But see how they had worked to accumulate all this money bit by bit every day.

All in all, hearing how they set aside.

1 Kyat or 10 Kyat every day and accrued such an amount, in order to donate it.

I was very happy.

Among them was a gentleman who shared with everyone that each day he would set aside 50 kyat.

Someone asked him:

"Won't this affect your living?"

He said, "50 kyat amounts to"

"the price of a bunch of water spinach"

"If our family just eats a little less,"

"we'd be able to save 50 kyat every day"

Many of them also shared that they heard me speak of an elderly man on our Da Ai TV program. Life Wisdom

Every day when his wife was going to cook, this elderly man would ask his wife to put away a handful of rice in a jar.

He said that by doing this, they only ate a little less every day but several days later,

they'd be able to save up many jars of rice and donate them to those in need.

How touching it is I shared this story with everyone on our TV program, Life Wisdom and our volunteers in Myanmar played it for people to watch in the gatherings they held.

So, everyone learned about this and began to do the same---

They save a handful of rice every day and keep the rice in clean jars.

So, that day, many people brought back the jars of rice they saved up pooled the rice together and gave it to their fellow villagers who do not have enough to eat.

So, the villagers saved up money to donate to Tzu Chi while the rice is for their fellow villagers who are more in need than they are.

Look at the wisdom they possess and how kind-hearted they are.

With the encouragement of Tzu Chi volunteers, the locals have become rich spiritually.

(as they know they too can help others)

All in all, there are many things to feel grateful for.

Many all of us be piously sincere and dedicate ourselves with love every day.

By doing so we can bring peace to this land so that the world can be free of disasters, and our society be filled with peace and harmony.

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援緬扶困跨國界
貧中之富行於善
粒米成籮無匱乏
人人造福苦厄離
2008-11-10 20:20:56