After the earthquake of September 21 last year, I closed my business in the United States and returned to Taiwan so that I could devote myself to the reconstruction work. When Master Cheng Yen heard my decision, she said to me, "Don't regret it, don't quit."

I was in the United States when the devastating temblor struck last year. I immediately flew back to Taiwan and participated in the construction of Tzu Chi's prefabricated houses in Nantou, the epicenter of the quake. Later I asked Master Cheng Yen to permit me to close my business in the States and devote myself completely to Project Hope [the Tzu Chi plan to help rebuild schools damaged by the earthquake] in Taiwan. The Master kindly granted my request and admonished me to neither regret my decision nor quit.

I was in the construction business in Taiwan twenty years ago, but seeing the degeneration of the quality of construction in this country, I decided to go to the United States and learn the most scrupulous construction attitudes and techniques. I had a very difficult time acquiring the knowledge that I wanted to learn and it took me five years to obtain a general contractor's license, but then I was qualified to build houses all around the United States.

Doing something for Taiwan has always been my dream, and participating in Project Hope allows me to fulfill this dream. The Master's permission made me excited and also grateful. My sense of gratitude always encourages me to carry on. I will never quit, no matter how difficult the work is. I only have one wish and that is doing all I can to make Project Hope a success. I wear the Tzu Chi uniform every day and I'm proud to be a Tzu Chi member.

From November 1999 to April 2000, the Master attended every reconstruction meeting to examine the blueprint of each school. I also commuted constantly between Hualien, Taipei, Taichung and Nantou and attended every meeting, so I frequently saw the Master. She was always busy from early morning until late at night, and she examined every plan very carefully. I knew the Master was very tired, but she never showed it. Therefore, as her disciple, I also had to do the best I could.

I remember several times when I had to travel from Taipei to Hualien for meetings, I had to take the train instead of the plane to save money. On certain holidays, the coaches were fully packed and no seat was available. I had to stand for three hours to Hualien, and when the meetings were over I again had to stand all the way back to Taipei.

The Master was sensitive enough to fully understand the design philosophies of the architects by observing their models and blueprints. Then she would kindly point out to them the major considerations that each design should adopt--involving local features, making the schools environmentally friendly, providing for outdoor education, reusing water, recycling rainwater, etc. Many architects told me later that they were originally quite proud of their plans, but after meeting with the Master they were suddenly enlightened by the Master's tips. By applying her new way of

thinking, they made even better designs for the schools.

While examining the blueprints, the Master insisted on two major points: one was the use of steel reinforced concrete so that the buildings could firmly stand for a hundred, or even a thousand, years without falling apart. The other point was the use of pebbledash on the outer walls of the buildings. The color and texture are simple and plain, bringing tranquillity to the mind. As a result, each building of the school is like a silent teacher conveying the wisdom of the Buddha that will make the students feel at ease and eager to learn new things.

In early April 2000, Tzu Chi divided the Project Hope schools into three areas: the Taichung line, Puli line and Chichi line. I was responsible for the Puli line, which includes several dozen schools in Puli, Kuohsing and Tsaotun. Brother Chang Ming-kui was responsible for schools on the Chichi line, and Brother Lin Chun-chiao was responsible for the Taichung line.

From the end of April to the beginning of May, the three of us went back to the Tzu Chi construction department in Hualien and set up the Project Hope construction committee. We nicknamed ourselves "the Three Musketeers of Project Hope." With the help of secretaries Huang Fang-chi and Chang Yu-lien, as well as Vice President Lin Pi-yu and Director Lin Min-chao of the Tzu Chi Department of Construction, we finally started the process of pushing for the final versions of blueprints and of assigning the work to construction companies. We worked twelve hours a day, so we were busy but also happy and fulfilled.

As the construction of the schools began, I rented an apartment in Taichung and prepared myself for a long-term battle. My construction sites were in Nantou, Puli and Kuohsing, so I was exhausted every day from commuting between the work sites and the place where I was staying. There were many times that I didn get home until midnight, without having had any supper. The next day, I had to get up early to go to another construction site. Sometimes I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Finally, Sister Lin Mei-lan helped me out by finding a house near the Tzu Chi Puli liaison office as my temporary home during the construction period. Two other architects and I live in a space of 39.7 square meters [427 square feet]. It's small, but it's fully equipped with modern facilities. We are still happy with it.

Project Hope includes the reconstruction of fifty-five schools, of which thirty-two are under construction as of September 22, 2000. Seven schools in my Puli line are currently being built.

Each school has all sorts of problems. The prefabricated classrooms in Peishan Elementary School are located in the center of the school, so it is difficult to proceed with the construction work. Fushou, Tungkuang and Peikang schools are located in the mountains, so we are concerned with the possibility of mudslides and how to dig on hillsides. Peikang Elementary School needs a wall seven meters [23.1 ft] tall to prevent mudslides.

The rainfall this year has far exceeded the normal range. In Puli, for example, there is ordinary rain every three days and torrential rain every five days. We may have scorching sun in the morning that can fry our skin, but in the afternoon the clouds turn dark and thundershowers move in. For safety reasons, we always ask the workers to take a break when it rains.

We never slack off on the quality of our construction work, whether digging up soil for the foundation, reinforcing the concrete, fastening steel bars, etc. Tzu Chi created the first-ever four-tier quality control system. The first tier is the inspection done by the construction company, the second tier by representatives of the architects, the third tier by the staff of the Tzu Chi Department of Construction, and the fourth tier by Tzu Chi senior construction committee members and advisors. This tight quality control system allows Project Hope to achieve the highest quality.

The Master often says, "Be enlightened while doing it, do it while attaining enlightenment--just do it!" While doing my work with Tzu Chi, I have really come to understand what this means. Now I get up at the crack of dawn and visit each of the work sites. I help solve workers' problems and cheer them up. Sometimes I work with them to pour cement even late into the night, until the work is finished.

Vice President Lin Pi-yu also constantly tells me that while seeking the best quality and the fastest completion of the work, I should also get every participant of Project Hope involved with their hearts. I always set myself as an example on this point, and I always devote myself totally without slacking off. I constantly encourage the directors at each of the construction sites, the representatives of the architects, and construction companies to work together to make Project Hope a success.

I believe in the near future, each new school shining forth with truth, goodness and beauty in the disaster area will bloom like lotus flowers. And each one will bear the seed of hope that will last forever.