The Tzu Chi Foundation has entered its thirty-third year. Our members from all over the world traveled thousands of miles back to Taiwan for the anniversary celebration. They happily gathered together in one place to share their experiences in serving the needy and to encourage each other to face bravely all the challenges lying ahead of them.

When we look back at the past thirty-two years, it is not difficult for us to see that the development of Tzu Chi has accompanied the changes in our society. This has not just served as a valuable historical witness to the love of people in Taiwan, but more importantly it has actively awakened the great love hidden inside people's hearts. It has also reminded people to pay more attention to the importance of virtue and then to put it into concrete practice in order to open a wide road of life.

That wide road is the road of the Tzu Chi missions, which are based on charity, kindness, joy and unselfish giving. From the charity work of the 60s to the cultural broadcasts of the 90s, the foundation's activities have all been for the purpose of awakening people's consciences.

Under the guidance and encouragement of Master Cheng Yen, many people have gotten back on the right track in their lives. They have once again become their own masters and regained the right directions in their lives. By working together with love and confidence, they have developed the missions of charity, medicine, education and culture, with which they have reshaped harmonious relationships among people and cultivated their own personal character. This character is expressed through attitudes towards the world which have been shaped through self-discipline and self-reflection.

When a society has become highly developed, the fruits of high technology and economic achievement are sweet, but the prevalence of money games and hedonism makes people suffer even more. Our desires can never be satisfied. Even if we acquired all the luxurious items we dreamed of, we would still feel empty in our hearts. In Taiwan, the average age of criminals is getting lower and lower. We cannot help but ask if our society is sick. When I read the tragic news that a young boy in the United States gunned down his parents and then randomly opened fire on his schoolmates, I wondered why there was so much hatred in that boy's heart.