The Wu sisters had arrived in Toronto on July 1 and were taking summer English classes. Tina had just been accepted into the prestigious National Taiwan University in Taipei. According to one of her former classmates, Tina was gifted, beautiful and had always been the top student in class.

What is more shocking is that all the members of the Wu family are devout Buddhists who frequently drive to remote areas to help the poor. The girls’ father is a professor in Hsinchu, Taiwan's "Silicon Valley," and their mother is a commissioner of our Tzu Chi Foundation.

The grieving parents quickly flew to Toronto. Prof. Wu then issued a message through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, saying: "Thank you for all your concern... I believe that both of my daughters will forgive the persons who attacked them. Although Tina's body was destroyed, the brutality did not contaminate or destroy the purity of her soul. She always believed in compassion and had no enemies in her heart. I sincerely hope the killers will face their conscience and voluntarily report to the police."

Anyone who reads this message cannot help admiring the compassion and magnanimity demonstrated by Prof. and Mrs. Wu. My heart was even more deeply moved when I read in the paper that when the heartbroken parents went to inspect Tina's body in the evening of July 29, Prof. Wu whispered softly to his beloved daughter, "Please don't bear any grudge against the killers. It is better to forgive them. Please just leave peacefully." Mrs. Wu stood beside her husband and stared at Tina with tears glistening in her eyes.

Some friends of mine asked me why two daughters from such a kind family should have to suffer this tragedy. Especially when their mother is a commissioner of the Tzu Chi Foundation, an organization noted for doing good deeds. Wouldn't people who do good for other living beings be blessed and protected by the Buddha? I have to remind my friends about the story of Maudgalyayana, one of the ten major disciples of the Buddha. Although he was noted for his supernatural powers, he was stoned to death by a group of naked religious cultists. Other monks asked the Buddha why he couldn't defend himself when he had such great powers. The Buddha sighed, "Supernatural powers cannot be used to fight against karma."

We cannot but sigh and weep over this whole incident. Being Buddhists, the parents have shown the bodhisattvas' spirit of forgiveness and compassion with concrete actions of kindness and wisdom. Once they wisely let go of the hatred against the criminals that perhaps you and I would have brewed in our minds, they immediately transcended the agony and attachments of most common people and were transformed into living bodhisattvas. It was also wise of them to ask their daughters to forgive those who brutally attacked them. By so doing, they can be freed from the shadows of fear, animosity, indignation and distrust toward people around them. These nasty emotions might have haunted Theresa for the rest of her life, but now I believe she will be at ease.

We certainly condemn anyone who brought this kind of unbearable misfortune and suffering to these two nice young girls. Hopefully, the criminals will be able to bravely turn themselves in to the police after they read the saddened father's benevolent message. Even if they can avoid the punishment of the law for the time being, they can never get away from the worst punishment they will have to endure for the rest of their lives--compunction and guilt. Wherever they go, these invisible punishments will follow them like phantoms.

For further explanations, please read Master Cheng Yen's lecture in this issue.