Those who have made commitments to become Tzu Chi commissioners or Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members must register for a training program. Only after they have truly understood the spirit and philosophy of Tzu Chi and put them into practice can they be certified as Tzu Chi commissioners or Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members.

During the past year, the world has been afflicted by numerous natural and man-made disasters. No matter where, whether in Taiwan or abroad, we could see Tzu Chi commissioners dressed in their "sky-blue-and-cloud-white" uniforms bringing relief to disaster victims. Motivated by Great Love and a sense of mission, they gave of themselves unselfishly.

In the international community, Tzu Chi people are called "blue angels." Christians call the kindest and most loving people "angels." As for us Buddhists, we refer to those who have a clear perception of the suffering of the world and who devote their lives to relieving the pain of others "bodhisattvas." So Tzu Chi commissioners are not only "blue angels," they are also real-life bodhisattvas.

Tzu Chi volunteers look at the misfortune and suffering in the world with eyes of compassion. They listen to cries for help with ears full of wisdom. Wherever there is suffering, they are sure to be there to give love and help. Because they cannot bear to see people living in misery, they always reach out to help as soon as they know they are needed.

Extending help to foreign communities

On January 13 last year, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck El Salvador and caused many people to lose their homes. On the following day, Tzu Chi volunteers from Taiwan and the United States stepped on the soil of El Salvador to deliver help. Since then a year has passed, and we have never ceased to show our love and care for the survivors.

During the past year, Tzu Chi people repeatedly went into the disaster areas in El Salvador to distribute relief goods and provide free clinics. They also built a community complete with houses, school, clinic and activity center for the victims. In addition to attending to the physical needs of survivors, Tzu Chi volunteers also soothe their hearts. The president of El Salvador is very grateful to us for what we have done. The first lady of the country even joined us several times in distributing relief supplies to survivors.

Last August, the first batch of 119 families moved into the Great Love houses we had constructed for them. The whole village soon became green everywhere, as people built low fences in front of their houses and grew flowers and vegetables there. The greenery filled the community with life. Following the example set by Tzu Chi people, the inhabitants of the Great Love houses also paid a lot of attention to environmental protection and resource recycling.

January 13 this year was the anniversary of the earthquake. When the second batch of 221 families moved into the Great Love houses on that day, El Salvador's president, vice president, high-ranking government officials, and all the foreign ambassadors stationed in the country were present at the opening ceremony.

To celebrate the occasion, Tzu Chi volunteers gave the families washbasins, pots, bowls, soap, towels, sugar, beans and rice as presents according to local custom. Every present was carefully wrapped to show our respect for the new villagers. The presents carried our blessings and embodied our hopes that all of them would be free of all disasters or misfortunes in the future and that they would live happily and in peace.

The mayor of the city in which the Great Love houses were constructed gave a speech at the opening ceremony: "The volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation came all the way from Taiwan to help us. Their unselfish spirit brought hope and a ray of light to our people who have lost everything."

A fifteen-year-old girl said that our volunteers had made it possible for them to own their own houses, which was like a miracle to them. "I will study hard and go to college in the future, so I can help those who are in a more difficult situation than we are."

The president of El Salvador once visited Taiwan and met with me at the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. Soon after he returned to his country, El Salvador was ravaged by the earthquake. The quick response of the Tzu Chi volunteers who immediately arrived at the disaster areas to offer assistance deeply touched him.

The president is a Catholic, but at the opening ceremony, he expressed his appreciation and blessings to Buddhism and Tzu Chi by uttering the Great Compassion Kuan Yin Bodhisattva's Six-Syllable Illumination Mantra: "Om Man Ni Pad Me Hum."

Tzu Chi volunteers in the United States contributed a great deal of time and money to our relief projects for El Salvador. They were the ones who did most of the work for the project. But they never said that they came from the United States; instead they always said that they worked for "Taiwan's Tzu Chi Foundation." Although they had done so much, they never claimed credit for themselves. I am really grateful to them.

In addition to El Salvador, we have also extended help to displaced Afghan refugees during the past few months. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, Tzu Chi people twice explored Afghanistan to deliver aid. When our volunteers stepped on that piece of land torn by war, their hearts ached because they saw how fragile life was there. The lives of the refugees were like withered leaves in winter--when the wind blew, they dropped to the ground one by one...

When people get hurt, I can feel their pain. When people suffer, I can feel their agony. When we saw the refugees in Afghanistan struggling to survive in the wind and snow, we could not help but want to give them a hand.

People who live in harmony bring blessings on themselves

I often said that there is no treasure in Taiwan except for love. In addition to spreading our love to every corner of the world, we should not forget to give love to our communities, neighborhoods, and families. Let's start from loving those around us, and then spread the idea of love to more people. When everyone is inspired with love and kindness, all disputes will be dissolved and our world will be free of animosity and rancor.

There is a large household in Taiwan in which three brothers live together. The wife of the oldest brother is a certified Tzu Chi commissioner, and the wives of the second and youngest brothers are trainee commissioners. The three sisters-in-law fill the family with love. They get along harmoniously together. If every family can be like theirs, how peaceful our society will be!

There is a Taiwanese saying that goes like this: "People who are united can turn scrap iron into gold." If we can all live in concord, blessings will descend upon us. One single person who is troubled or afflicted can make a whole family unhappy; one single person's mental deviation can cause inestimable damage to a whole society.

Therefore, I would like to remind all of you again: in addition to loving those who are afflicted by disasters or misfortunes, we should also try to get along harmoniously with those around us. "Agreement is difficult to reach when there are too many people arguing." Many disputes in the world arise from people's failure to accommodate each other--all the more reason why we should do the utmost to seek harmony.

After being certified as Tzu Chi commissioners or Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members, Tzu Chi people have to take the Buddha's compassion and my commitment as their own. They should turn disputes and grudges into lessons to learn from. They should also treat their families and other people with love. "Have one heart; work in harmony; love one another; cooperate as a team"--this is the motto for all Tzu Chi people.

In the cycle of reincarnation, it is difficult to be born as human beings, it is difficult to hear the Buddhist teachings, and it is difficult to walk on the Path of the Bodhisattvas. Today we are lucky enough to be born as human beings, to hear the teachings of Buddhism, and to walk together on the Path of the Bodhisattvas, so we should cherish our karmic relationships with one another. Let's praise and encourage one another, and don't circulate gossip or spread rumors.

There is a buddha in every heart. We should do our best to care for others and the earth with the compassion of the Buddha. Never cease to give love. When every family is filled with love, our world will be no different from the Pure Land.