The best way to manifest our gratitude is reach out to give. How can we take firmer strides on the Path of the Bodhisattvas in the new year? How can we inspire more people to dedicate their love to create a brighter and more harmonious society? Together, let's make a commitment to realize these goals with sincere hearts and lots of effort.

Reflecting back on all the projects we Tzu Chi people have done in 2002, I can tell that our volunteers seized every moment to internationalize our charity work, broaden our medical care, complete our education system, and intensify our cultural activities. Abiding by the motto of "Waste no time and do work carefully," they continuously and lovingly helped suffering beings both in Taiwan and abroad.

Afghanistan

Tzu Chi volunteers braved danger to personally deliver relief to displaced people in Afghanistan in January 2002. What caused such misery in that country? It was the human mind--the distracted thoughts of a few people brought much suffering to many innocent people.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York, causing a stunning death toll and heavy casualties and shattering countless families in split seconds. My heart ached when I saw the TV footage. Tzu Chi volunteers in the US shared my grief and immediately pitched in to help the victims. They entered Ground Zero to provide rescue workers with bottled water and hot corn soup; they stayed with bereaved families, comforted them, and gave them financial support. I am very grateful to them.

On October 8 of the same year, the US Air Force bombarded Afghanistan. Prior to that, prolonged civil wars and droughts had already displaced over five million people; the air raids added millions more. People abandoned their homes and strenuously walked over mountains and valleys, hoping to find a safe place to hide. However, many died from starvation or illness before reaching refuge.

In order to give care to the Afghans, our volunteers entered Afghanistan in November 2001 to gather firsthand information about the displaced people. In January 2002, we conquered difficulties and brought medicine, food, clothes, comforters, and cooking oil into Afghanistan.

By the time the relief materials finally arrived on site, it was getting late and snow was falling heavily. Because the Tzu Chi volunteers could not bear to see the inadequately clothed victims waiting for the distribution any longer, they immediately unloaded the relief materials from the trucks and distributed them to the needy, despite the difficulty of working in the dark and snow. There was a six-year-old boy who staggered through the snow carrying his three-year-old sister on his back. He kept falling and standing up again and again, but he managed to wobble forward. Why? Because he saw hope before him. The children were very brave and did not give up easily. What was their hope? It was the relief goods of clothes, shoes, food, and other things being handed out by Tzu Chi volunteers.

Man-made disasters had caused so much suffering. These little orphans of war were just as cute as any lovely children in the world. If they had been our own children, how much protection and love they would have gotten from us! But they needed to be tough and tenacious in order to stay alive in that war-torn nation.

Their survival very much depended on support and care from kindhearted people. Tzu Chi people have vowed to bring hope to all tormented people. In order to empower suffering victims to rise over their difficulties and walk on smoother paths, the Tzu Chi volunteers climbed high mountains and endured danger and hardships to accompany them with love.

Great Love Villages

In January 2002 as well, the construction of Tzu Chi's Great Love Village One was completed.

On January 13, 2001, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck El Salvador, killing at least 700, injuring 4,000, and damaging or destroying 270,000 dwellings. One year later, Tzu Chi volunteers had built 340 houses in the Great Love Village for survivors. In the inauguration ceremony of the Great Love Village, which was held on the first anniversary of the earthquake, the president of El Salvador said in his speech "Tzu Chi is hope for El Salvador."

The construction of the village provided our volunteers with a chance to set up a local Tzu Chi liaison office. The volunteers have been regularly helping the poor, carrying out free clinics, and participating in the construction of Village Two in Chanmico. Moreover, they have heightened the environmental awareness of Great Love Village residents by teaching them ways to protect the land for future generations.

Not long after the earthquake hit El Salvador, a more severe temblor devastated India, turning a whole city into rubble and killing or injuring over 200,000 people. Tzu Chi volunteers from Malaysia and Singapore immediately implored me to permit them to help India, just as I had permitted our volunteers in the United States to offer assistance to the earthquake victims in El Salvador.

Volunteers from Malaysia and Singapore went to India to inspect the disaster area, and they decided to cooperate with CARE France to build houses for the quake survivors. In October 2002, a total of 227 houses were completed. The poor victims, now having places to live, smiled brightly. In order to improve their livelihood, Tzu Chi volunteers set up a job-training center to teach local women skills they could use to earn a living.

Flooding

Torrential rains, which began assailing Indonesia in late January 2002, caused the Angke River to overflow. Due to the random dumping of garbage, the color of the river had long been ink black and it was thus known as the "black heart" of Jakarta. Residents in flimsy illegal houses along the river had lived with the garbage for decades, and now their houses were damaged by floods. The pain they suffered must have been beyond description.

The hearts of local Tzu Chi volunteers went out to them. The volunteers immediately entered the affected areas to distribute relief materials, do cleanup work, disinfect, and carry out free clinics. They also decided to tidy up the river by dredging silt and building houses for the victims. All these projects, including the construction of the Tzu Chi villages, began in May 2002. The local government trusted Tzu Chi and resolutely dismantled the illegal houses to restore the river to its original width. It also mobilized the police, the army, and the public to work with Tzu Chi volunteers in cleaning up the river.

By November, the stench and pollution of Angke River had decreased significantly. The governor of Jakarta held a dragon boat race on the river on November 4 in order to show the international community how clean the river had become.

I am very grateful for the Indonesian government's support, the public's confidence, and the kindness of local Chinese entrepreneurs. Everyone combined their efforts to make Jakarta beautiful and attractive by shedding its gloominess and filth. This shows that with united hearts, harmony, mutual love, and cooperation, no mission is impossible. This also helped to ameliorate the negative images of Chinese people in the minds of the Indonesians.

In the Philippines, typhoons hit Manila one after another in August 2002. Even before the floodwaters receded, Tzu Chi volunteers had already begun distributing relief materials to victims. Our volunteers were the first to offer help, and they carried out their relief program to the very last.

The Philippines is formed of many little islands. For many years the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) in the Philippines has worked and operated like a mobile hospital. TIMA members have visited many remote areas to implement relief distributions and free clinics. They have served over 100,000 people in the past seven years. In October 2002, bomb explosions in Manila and Zamboanga caused severe casualties. Tzu Chi volunteers promptly provided medicine and took care of the victims in hospitals.

Taiwan

In the past year, Tzu Chi volunteers around the world have striven to help the poor. Because of their timely care and help, many people have walked out from the dark valleys of their lives and regained confidence. Many children have been able to go back to schools to study and have thus recovered hope in life.

This is even more so in Taiwan. On September 21, 1999, an earthquake struck Taiwan and instantly ruined many families and schools. When they heard the cries for help, countless Tzu Chi volunteers devoted themselves to giving care, distributing relief goods, building Great Love houses, and raising funds for rebuilding schools.

Children's education cannot be delayed. In order to give students a stable environment to study in, I did not give much thought to how I would raise enough funds in the first place. I simply trusted my intention to be selfless and my belief that all people had love. I thus took up the heavy responsibility of rebuilding 50 schools in central Taiwan. The completion of the task took less than two years. On September 21, 2002, the 50 schools had a joint inauguration ceremony.

I still recall that many Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan worked hard for the reconstruction of the schools. Commissioners, Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members, community volunteers, and recycling volunteers were all engaged in doing the landscaping, such as laying interlocking paving bricks, planting trees, and laying turf. Overseas volunteers raised funds by soliciting donations, holding bazaars, and doing part-time jobs. Some Tzu Chi Collegiate Association members sent money they earned from washing cars to Taiwan's Project Hope. Words cannot express my gratitude for every bit and piece of our volunteers' contributions.

The groundbreaking ceremony of our sixth hospital in Taichung was held in April 2002. When it is completed, the Tzu Chi medical network will cover Taiwan from east (Hualien, Yuli, and Kuanshan) to west (Tantzu) and from north (Hsintien) to south-central (Dalin). These hospitals will certainly protect the lives of the sick in Taiwan. Furthermore, our members have created a special culture for the construction sites of the hospitals--volunteers promote a culture of not eating meat, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, and not chewing betel nuts. They have turned the construction sites into a spiritual cultivation ground where people interact with sincerity, respect, and love. By doing so, the quality of construction has been greatly elevated. According to the wives of many construction workers, their husbands have become more like "gentlemen" ever since they started working for Tzu Chi. And I can never finish telling all the touching stories that have happened in our hospitals.

On December 26, 2002, our Marrow Donor Registry successfully found the 500th matching pair. Taiwan is rich with love. Many kindhearted people generously share their wealth with people living in dark corners of society. They also serve as volunteers to help many needy people. They even donate their bone marrow to patients inflicted with blood diseases.

Good versus evil

Tzu Chi volunteers living in different parts of the world come from different families and cultural backgrounds. Like Kuan Yin Bodhisattva and Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, our volunteers harbor the same love and make the same vows to redeem all living beings from their suffering. That is why they are able to continue dedicating their love and efforts to Tzu Chi missions day after day, month after month, and year after year.

Those who can help others are truly blessed people. To be able to live in peace is also a blessing. Upholding a humanistic spirit, Tzu Chi people have extended helping hands from Taiwan to the world. The care recipients' gratitude to Tzu Chi is a blessing for Taiwan. All of us living on this blessed island must let the love in each of us converge into a vast ocean, which can then be given to everyone in the world without end. By doing so, we will be able to extend our strength further and to spread the seeds of goodness to every corner in the world. Let us imbue all places with Great Love--love others without asking for anything in return--and soothe all suffering people with our care.

If every one of us can endeavor to create a "life of blessing," then society will be peaceful. The more kind thoughts we gather for society, the more stable society will become; whereas the more bad thoughts we create, the more chaotic and turbulent it will become. If we want our society to be secure, everyone must treat one another kindly and lovingly. When we can love ourselves and the people around us, we can create a world where the cycle of gratitude and love will come full circle. We will be able to cultivate blessings for our society, which can then dissolve disasters.

Taiwan has 200,000 active Tzu Chi volunteers, who are indeed a demonstration of love. But it is not enough. In order for Taiwan to become a Pure Land full of bodhisattvas, everyone must speak good words, make good vows, and perform good deeds. We must encourage everyone in our communities to praise one another with good words instead of spreading gossip. When that day comes, all families will be happy, all communities prosperous, society harmonious, and the world free from disasters.