If you have love in your heart, you can extend the strength of a thousand hands;

If you have love in your heart, a thousand hands will come and help you.

Through their performance of "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin," the China Disabled People's Performance Art Troupe interpret their experience of life.

Deaf and mute people cannot hear the music, yet they perform harmoniously.
Marvelous music is produced by blind or crippled bodies.
An armless performer moves with the most graceful postures and rhythm.
Every note, every gesture, seems like a wordless sermon on the dharma.
"Music lets me see the whole universe.
With music, I can really perceive a different kind of light."
"I only have my two legs and no arms, but my life is happy."
"Sometimes it is a blessing not to be able to hear:
I can feel so many people helping me and encouraging me."
Making the impossible possible is the ultimate show of will.
Their art is no longer just art.
They show how perfection can be created out of imperfection.
They show the unlimited potential of a healthy mind.


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Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, better known as Guan Yin Bodhisattva, or simply Guan Yin, vows to alleviate the suffering of all living persons. Guan Yin embodies the Buddhist concept of "one thousand eyes to see the suffering in the world and one thousand hands to reach out and help." The one thousand eyes and hands belong to numerous like-minded people, active in society helping the less fortunate. The China Disabled Peoples Performance Art Troupe is comprised of such persons. Twenty-one dancers of this inspiring troupe have single-mindedly endured countless practice sessions and many demanding rehearsals for one goal: to perfect a portrait of the sacred, beloved Guan Yin. Such a goal would have been a daunting challenge for dancers of any caliber, but these dancers had an additional challenge: all of them are deaf. And yet, with unflinching perseverance, they succeeded with flying colors in their noble pursuit. Through their efforts, Guan Yin appears physically each time they step onto the stage.



"I have a dream," announced the master of ceremonies. "Even a deformed tree desires to provide shade, and a blemished flower aspires to reveal its fragrance. Love is our mutual language. If you have love in your heart, you are willing to extend your helping hands a thousand times. If you have love in your heart, there will be a thousand helping hands to help you in your time of need." As her voice trailed off, bright lights gradually illuminated the stage behind her.

As the lights came up, 21 dancers walked gracefully onto the stage. They entered from the rear of the stage and walked directly toward the audience, in single file, one behind the other. The audience could only see the first performer at the head of the procession.

The elegant Tai Li-hua (邰麗華), in the beautiful image of a bodhisattva, led the dancers on stage. The other performers, following close behind, were hardly discernible from the floor of the performance hall. When the entire procession had arrived on stage, the music paused momentarily. Suddenly, what seemed like a thousand arms and hands burst out of Li-hua's shoulders. The arms were extended at all angles, forming a large round aura around her head. Just as quickly, the arms were withdrawn and totally disappeared from the audience's line of sight. The audience sat silent, stunned by the awesome display. The only sound was the gentle music in the background.

As the audience watched with anticipation and wondered what would happen next, five long, pointed fingers flipped out of one hand, then another, and another, all in rapid succession. As some fingers, hands and arms were extended, others were just as suddenly retracted. There was movement everywhere. The overall visual result was a fluid and dynamic flow of shapes, at once totally unpredictable and yet filled with grace. The arms and hands were beautifully choreographed and totally under control. The effect was calm and serene, even motherly. The 21 dancers had become a unified and cohesive whole. Guan Yin, the bodhisattva with a thousand arms, had truly materialized before the audience.

At times, the group appeared to be a puppet, a mime, or a very sacred statue. They appeared as feminine and as loving as a mother only to instantly transform into the masculinity and strength of Hercules. The performers were like a kaleidoscope, only even more dynamic, lively, and fascinating. Their arms, hands, and torsos appeared, disappeared, moved and flexed with precision, strength, pliability, or love. The result was an impression of "Now you see it, now you don't; now you see this, and now you see that." Their movements were seamless and beautiful to behold.

The audience could actually see Guan Yin holding out a helping hand to whoever was in need. Sometimes, all it takes for the bodhisattva to bring back a person who has strayed off the track is a gently whispered word. At other times, the situation might require the Herculean strength of mighty arms and hands, such as that needed to rescue a victim trapped in a quake-ravaged house. Through the performance, the audience was treated to all the incarnations of Guan Yin.

Once onstage, the dancers never moved their feet again until the last third of the performance. Then they broke out into smaller clusters to continue their enchanting act.

"Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" was the opening act for the night's performance, entitled My Dreams. The 21 dancers were part of a larger group of talented performers, the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, which toured Taiwan in July 2006.

All members of the troupe have a disability of one kind or another. Some are blind, some are confined to wheelchairs, others have no arms. Some of the performers, like the dancers in "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin," are deaf.

Generous supporters had underwritten 12 of the group's 16 shows in Taiwan. They donated the admission tickets to Tzu Chi, which in turn distributed them to its disabled members or to its most deserving volunteers. Over the years, many thousands of Tzu Chi volunteers have selflessly and tirelessly worked on Tzu Chi environmental preservation initiatives throughout Taiwan and other nations. Giving them free tickets to the troupe's performances was one way to say thank you for their unselfish efforts over the years.

Thanks to the generosity of the financial supporters, the volunteers, inspiring in their own right, were able to take time off to enjoy the inspirational performances. It was very fitting for such an inspiring group of individuals in the audience to witness the performance of another inspiring group.

The China Disabled Peoples' Performing Arts Troupe was founded in China in 1987. My Dreams, including the "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" performance, was created in 2000. In 2004, the troupe showcased "Guan Yin" in the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. The audience was awe-stricken, first by the dazzling performance and then by the knowledge that all 21 performers were deaf. How could so many performers display such uniformity, cohesiveness, and beauty--all without even hearing the music?

The first step in learning any dance performance is becoming familiar with the music. In this case, the deaf dancers had to huddle around a portable stereo as the music was blasted at its highest volume. Proximity to the stereo allowed them to use their bodies to feel and sense the rhythms and tempos of the music through its vibrations. The music for "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" has a thousand beats in about six minutes--quite a lot to learn! Two sign language teachers also worked with the dancers and provided assistance where necessary.

Bit by bit, the dancers and their teachers gradually learned each piece of music and the accompanying choreography. They practiced each component of the performance over and over, endlessly rehearsing the smallest details. The dancers, averaging 20 years of age, sometimes remained motionless in a given posture for long periods of time. This allowed their bodies a chance to "memorize" the posture. If a dancer made a mistake, a black line would be marked on his/her arm, one line for each mistake. The dancers dreaded this type of stark punishment and would push themselves to perform flawlessly. Gradually, the entire performance began to take shape as individual movements were woven seamlessly together.

One of the most spectacular aspects of "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" is the illusion that only one dancer--the one in front--is dancing. But Zhang Ji-gang (張繼鋼), the choreographer of "Guan Yin," could not allow the focus of the performance to be on an individual dancer. All the dancers had to work together to present a sacred portrait of the beloved Guan Yin.

Achieving this level of synchronization among so many performers requires more than just practicing choreography together. Tai Li-hua, lead dancer of the "Guan Yin" team, told us that the 21 performers lived in the same house and took runs together every morning at 5:30. "We ate, practiced, trained, and literally breathed together in synchronization, day in and day out, to prepare for our performance."

When the group performed "Guan Yin" in Taiwan, their two sign language teachers stood at the front corners of the stage. They waved their hands and stomped their feet to provide the dancers cues to the music. They were the guideposts by which the dancers oriented themselves. "Onstage, we are teachers that double as actresses," said Chen Jia-hui (陳佳慧), one of the group's sign language teachers for two years.

"It was initially quite difficult for the dancers," Chen continued, referring to teaching deaf people to dance. "First of all, they had to learn music they couldn't hear. Then, they had to learn the dance movements. With so many people moving around, it was difficult for them to see the hand signals we were giving them. To help them, we encouraged them to commit the music to memory and make the music a part of their being. This way, they and the dance would become one."

The dancers were very observant and mimicked the teachers very well. They quickly learned the essence of the music and the dance and were able to express it through their bodies and gestures. As it turns out, their handicap might have been a blessing in disguise. Free of the distractions of the sounds, their disability might have helped them get straight to the core of the dance piece at hand.

Tai Li-hua is not the type to rest on her laurels, even though she has several hundred performances under her belt. She believes that the audience deserves the most perfect and artful performance each and every time. No detail of the performance escapes her attention. She ensures that familiarity does not breed contempt among the performers.

Before each show opens, Li-hua gathers all the performers on the narrow backstage for a last-minute check. She inspects their formation from the front to make sure that their heads are centered and aligned. She inspects their headdresses and gives each of them a pat on the back to remind them to stand up straight. She counts, "five, six, seven, eight..." as she adjusts each dancer's posture.

Li-hua lost her hearing to a fever when she was two years old. When she was seven, she entered a primary school for deaf and mute children. There she experienced the vibrations of a drum through her feet during a rhythmic movement class. That experience was "love at first encounter," and she has been in love with acoustic rhythms and dancing ever since. Now, at 27, she longs for opportunities to express her dreams artistically. Thus far, she is the only Chinese dancer to have performed in both Carnegie Hall in New York City and Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

When asked in a CCTV interview whether she felt that heaven had been unfair to her, she replied with the help of a sign language interpreter: "I feel that a bodily handicap is neither a defect nor a misfortune. At worst, it means some inconvenience. Everyone has imperfections; everyone has to deal with challenges that happen to them in their lifetime. This is a fact of life that is beyond anyone's control or choice. However, you do have control over the perspective with which you view yourself and your flaws. With a mindset of gratitude and joyfulness, you can overcome any challenge in life."

Through the dancers's eyes, gestures, smiles, and the illusive, shadowy hand and arm movements, "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" expresses images of a bodhisattva that are confident, reassuring, elegant, graceful, and soothing.

During the show, Zhao Li-gang (趙立綱) maintains his position at the end of the line of the 21 dancers. To be visible, his arms and hands usually must be raised the highest or extended the furthest of all. He pointed out that the exacting requirements of agility, elegance, and femininity required of female dancers are equally expected of male dancers. Nine out of the 21 dancers on the "Guan Yin" team are males.

It is an especially daunting task for the males in the group to train for "orchid fingers," a requisite but highly difficult posture. The wrists, palms, and fingers of male dancers are less pliable than those of female dancers, which makes this posture difficult to accomplish. To soften and smooth out the rough edges of their muscular hands, male dancers have to endure excruciating wrist presses and finger splicing. These names sound quite terrifying, but in fact they are nothing more than extensive stretches.

The men in the group also have thicker and more muscular arms than females, but they must not let this stand in the way of agility and elegance. The males overcome these and other hurdles through unrelenting and repeated practice. Zhao explains, "All the male dancers have honed their skills under the one-on-one tutelage of a female member in the group."

All dancers need to coordinate their hand and arm movements with controlled breathing. They accomplish this by imagining that they are inhaling through their fingertips, the fresh air traveling from the knuckles, through the wrists and the arms, until it finally reaches their lungs. To exhale, they imagine the process in reverse.

Zhao, 34, is the oldest dancer in the troupe. Offstage he helps with many miscellaneous tasks, such as moving luggage. "It's hard work, but I gladly do it and feel happy about doing so," Zhao said.

Like Li-hua, he lost his hearing after a childhood illness. Now he performs on stages throughout the world to inspire those in the audience. "Being deaf is no longer a hindrance for me. Heaven has given me this limitation, but my disability has also given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams. I feel very fortunate." He thanked those who supported the troupe, allowing so many of the members to realize their dreams.

Onstage, the performers practice and seek perfection. Offstage, they help each other out. Those that can see lead those that are blind. Those that are blind help those that are deaf. Li-hua is very proud of the self-reliance that members of the troupe have achieved by this sort of mutual cooperation.

She is also very proud of their ability to work together as a team during the performances. "The performers treat every show, regardless of the venue size, as if it were their debut. Although we have performed hundreds of times, each audience is seeing the performance for the first time. They deserve to see the very best that we can offer."

Frequent performances during this tour of Taiwan invariably took a toll on the performers in the form of physical and mental fatigue. To help alleviate this, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan coddled the troupe with love, care, and traditional Taiwanese hospitality. "Their sincere love and care have prompted us to forget the fatigue so that we can perform with gratitude and contentment. The moment we get on stage, we feel in top form and perform accordingly," said Li-hua with a smile.

Obviously, this attractive young lady has a strong sense of mission for her troupe. "Modern dances are choreographed by 'normal' people for 'normal' dancers. I hope to choreograph a new form of dance created explicitly for the physically challenged. I want a dance for the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the disabled to perform. I want them to enjoy this perfect art form."

The troupe has evolved over the years. Under Li-hua's leadership, they have recruited new talent and expanded their innovative repertoire. The troupe has caught the world's attention and admiration.

"In the latter half of 2006, we plan to add handicapped people as accompanists for songs and as sound technicians," Li-hua explained. "The result will be a large-scale theater production, created and staffed entirely by people with disabilities."

The concept of the Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva originated in the Maha Karuna Dharani Sutra (大悲心陀羅尼經), and frescoes in the Mokao Caves on the Silk Road portray the imagery of this bodhisattva. These two sources have helped shape the current interpretation and portrait of Guan Yin in the troupe's performance.

However, even the popular "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin" has been refined many times as the number of dancers has increased from the initial three to the current 21. A few examples of the refinements are the left and right sways of Guan Yin in the show. Eye expressions and finger gestures have also been refined to shift focus from the strong and invincible side of Guan Yin's nature to the more gentle and loving elements. The result is an even more elegant, dignified, loving, revered, and beloved bodhisattva.

The troupe was invited to perform at charity benefits in Indonesia in March 2006. They also visited the two Great Love Villages that Tzu Chi had built near Jakarta. Li-hua reflected that Tzu Chi volunteers are all over the world, seeking out the needy and giving them help, just as the one thousand hands of Guan Yin would do. She said that she completely identifies with Master Cheng Yen's ideal that "Great Love transcends all boundaries." The troupe's tour in Taiwan is her way of showing how moved she is by Tzu Chi's benevolence.

"We may not be able to express our appreciation with words, but, via our handicapped bodies, we can highlight the beautiful and positive side of human nature. Through our performances, we give our best wishes to those kind-hearted people who care about us and enable us to successfully bring peace to many corners of the world."

Zhang Ji-gang, the choreographer, added: "It is an enlightening experience for the disabled in the troupe to perform "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin." We become more loving and appreciative. As long as you have a loving heart, the hand you extend to others becomes thousands of helping hands. As long as you have a loving heart, there will be thousands of hands to help you out. This is the manifestation of Guan Yin Bodhisattva's strength."