Lin Hui-tang's chaotic, turbulent life was filled with tenacity, willpower and innumerable miracles. Although he left this world on October 12, 1997, with a genuine smile, what he left behind was the model of a diligent bodhisattva and the example of a caring, open-minded elder. In addition to the materially stable life that he left to his wife and daughters, he also gave them the warm care of Tzu Chi people.

Lin Hui-tang is gone. After he recovered from his first medical crisis, his strong will to live repeatedly forced the King of Hades to retreat. So why did Lin give in this time?

Dr. Huang Yung-yu, the traditional Chinese medical doctor who had treated him, sighed, "A serious sickness can't be cured. When the time comes, there's nothing you can do about it."

To an uncooperative patient like Lin Hui-tang, his extra four or five years of life were given by the bodhisattvas.

Wu Ko-sheng, who accompanied Lin's remains to the Tzu Chi College of Medicine, said, "Even at the last minute as I held his hand, I could still sense the strength in his grip."

When Lin was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 1989, he put away his profitable business and completely devoted the rest of his life to the Tzu Chi missions. During this eight-year period, his perseverance and readiness to help made his life shine, and now he lives on in the minds of all Tzu Chi people, the needy families who received his warm care and the colleagues who received his thoughtful consideration. His life seemed physically short, but it was spiritually long.

Bad Boy?

Ever since he was young, Lin sympathized with his mother's position in their large family. What was wrong with being a farm girl? How hard was it to be accepted by the rich Lin family in Panchiao, Taipei County? Why was his mother, who had to get up so early in the morning, toil so hard all day and go to bed so late at night, treated with such contempt by the family elders?

When his family moved away and no longer had the protection of the great family, his father's business suddenly failed and the whole family suffered greatly. Young Lin secretly went to work in a metal shop in Taipei, hoping to make enough money to let his parents live comfortably.

That hope was fulfilled, and he went on to make a career in furniture and cabinetmaking. However, although he was good enough to help support his parents, the business world led him into bad habits, especially drinking, that quite perplexed his mother.

In order to bring him into Tzu Chi, his mother used all sorts of methods, such as having a neighbor talk to him at his home, or asking Tzu Chi commissioner Lin Sheng-sheng to park her car right outside his door to wait for him. In 1985, his mother finally took him to Master Cheng Yen.

His mother introduced him to the Master by saying, "This is my bad son."

"He's not bad," replied the Master. "I saw him sitting in the second row. He listened to my lecture quite attentively for two hours."

There is a phrase from the Diamond Sutra: "The Buddha protects all the bodhisattvas." The Master's kind reply protected Lin's good thoughts. At that moment, his hidden conscience responded to the Master's compassion--he was totally fascinated by her.

After that, he started to visit the poor. Lin Sheng-sheng, who always arranged his visits, said, "At that time, there were not many male members, and we also lacked an organizer. Lin was very active. We told him that we needed a man to drive us around, and we asked for his help."

Lin Hui-tang had never had any contact with the poor before, and he did not expect that NT$1,000 [US$28] could be an entire month's income for a poor family. He became very gentle as he held these old people's hands. He also made the choice for his future.

A Carefree Mother

Although his compassion had been brought out, his same, old habits learned from the business world returned as soon as he got home. One day he was hospitalized for cirrhosis of the liver brought on by too much alcohol. The doctor warned him that if he went on like that, his days were numbered. He then determined to quit all his bad habits, such as smoking and drinking.

The person who was happiest to see his dedication to Tzu Chi was no other than Lin's mother. In 1990, she died of a liver ailment. Before she passed away, she said to her children, "I used to be really worried about Hui-tang, but now he's entered Tzu Chi and I have nothing more to worry about. I hope I can continue to help the Master in my next life."

At about the same time, Tzu Chi men, mostly husbands of the commissioners, had just formed the Tzu Cheng Faith Corps. There were not many members, and none of them knew anything about Buddhist etiquette. Lin, one of the pioneers of the corps, hid what he already knew and humbly practiced the forms and rituals of Buddhist prostration, pilgrimages and retreats with the others. With his experience of "You can only become good at it when you throw yourself into it," he encouraged all the men to become fully involued in the corps.

From the Master's first public speech in the Sun Yat-sen Hall in Taipei in December 1989 to the monthly national meetings of commissioners, Lin was always involved with security. When the new Tzu Chi Taipei office was opened, Lin was the first to stay at the office overnight.

Li Ming-chung recalls it quite clearly. "At that time, the new site was not completed yet, and there were still building materials on the first floor and on the second basement floor. When you slept there, you got bitten by mosquitoes every night. It was unbearable. At that time, the area around the Taipei branch office was very dark at night, so Lin Hui-tang kept reminding us that we had to walk the female staff to the end of the alley or see them get on a bus safely.

Lin not only set a good personal example for others: he also expressed his thoughtful, considerate side. Thus, those who worked with him in the early days very much looked up to him.

Unwilling to Be Tormented by Illness

In the summer of 1991, Tzu Chi mounted a massive disaster relief program for mainland China. Chou Cheng-hsiung recalls going out with Lin Hui-tang to raise funds on the streets. "We often had to go to the night markets and the movie theaters throughout the night. Then we gathered at his place, counted the money and told each other what we had seen. Even when we worked until dawn, we were all in very high spirits."

At that time, Lin's body was not what it used to be. The construction of the Tzu Chi Pingtung branch office was in high gear, and Lin had to work there until two to three o'clock in the morning. This overly exerted his spirit and body. Then there were the disaster relief missions for mainland China. Master Cheng Yen, nuns, doctors, and other Tzu Chi members all asked him to get more rest, but he always replied, "If I don't do it now, when should I do it?"

Because he ignored his health and stopped taking his medicine whenever his condition improved, his body finally caved in. When he returned from a relief mission in China, his old liver illness returned and he also developed ascites.

One night he was in so much pain that he could not sleep. He trudged slowly to the statue of the Great Compassion Bodhisattva and prayed. "Why am I getting this disease when I am still so young? I still have so many things to do in Tzu Chi, and I don't want the bodhisattva to take me away so soon."

The bodhisattva probably heard his sincere plea: Lin recovered from that bout of pain.

The Cute Grandson

After visiting the poor, Lin's compassion seemed to have been activated. Images of lonely old people appeared repeatedly in his dreams.

In May 1991, when the "Fortunate Life" lecture series was held in the Penghu islands, off the west coast of the main island of Taiwan, commissioners from Taipei also took the chance to visit local needy families. Lin realized that it was necessary to be mindful in visiting the poor, so the following Chinese New Year and again in July, he led some commissioners from Taipei and Penghu to do follow-up checks on the people who received long-term help from the foundation.

His thorough, attentive manner really impressed Yang Hsiang-ju of Penghu. "Once we went to visit Ah-tu in Huhsi Village, and I thought that would be it, but Lin Hui-tang insisted that there was another old woman somewhere in that area. It was true: seventy-year-old Mrs. Wu lived alone close by."

Lonely old people really looked forward to Tzu Chi people's visits. Lin did not want to disappoint them, so he always promised them that he would come again. Every Chinese New Year, he always went to visit them as promised. When Tzu Chi members in Penghu yelled something like "Grandma, that cute grandson is here to see you," the old person's eyes would suddenly light up. Lin would walk over to the old woman, kneel down, feed her, and chat with her to keep her smiling.

"At that time, I was still green in Tzu Chi and knew nothing," said Yang Hsiang-ju gratefully. "I learned from him how to talk to these old folks."

Under Lin's strict guidance, members in both Taipei and Penghu had to hold meetings every time they returned from visiting the needy. They had to record what they saw and share their feelings, and they often could not sleep until two in the morning. Although they were physically exhausted, they surely learned a lot and became more mature.

Loud Voice, Kind Heart

Lin Hui-tang also provided his experience and contacts in the woodworking business to invite reputable companies to bid on Tzu Chi's new construction projects. He even went to the meetings and the construction sites to watch the bidding and supervise the work.

Li Chun-fu, who had built furniture and cabinetry for Tzu Chi ever since the construction of the nursing college dormitory, was greatly moved whenever he saw Lin out of breath, his belly swollen from serious ascites. "I recall that at one meeting, his liver ailment had entered the third stage and he needed injections from a nurse. Even though he had lost his voice from talking too much, he still stayed at the meeting."

Lin was very good with people. He was never arrogant towards construction workers, and he could get along well with other people. Wu Cheng-hsing won the bid to do the woodwork for the Taichung branch office. One of his workers was touched by Lin and donated the money he saved from quitting smoking to Tzu Chi. Chen Tai-yi, who did the woodwork for the Taoyuan liaison office, was grateful for Lin's care and consideration. "He knew that I was somewhat introverted and that I would not mention my problems, so he would often ask me if he could help me with anything."

These three companies that Lin brought into Tzu Chi all highly respected Lin's determination to work for the foundation, even when he was so seriously sick. The companies also sensed the love of the Tzu Chi community. Although they did not make much profit, they were still willing to help Tzu Chi with the principle of "Work willingly and enjoy the results happily."

The Last Promise

After Tzu Chi's thirtieth anniversary celebration two years ago, Lin Hui-tang accepted everyone's suggestion that he stay in Hualien for treatment. At first his wife, Tsai-o, did not want him to stay there. He depended on her a lot, so how could he look after himself in Hualien? Nevertheless, a thought entered her mind: Hualien, with its fresh air and clean environment, was a wonderful place for patients. There was also a friend, Chen Shih-lin, who could look after him in Hualien. Thus, she finally agreed to his wish.

Lin was very sociable and his home was often packed with friends. In Hualien, people could often hear his loud, energetic voice booming from the ward.

Every day, Chen Shih-lin would observe Lin's condition, his tone of voice, his food intake and his lung capacity. He arranged for him to get injections of high protein. However, at the final stage of his illness, Lin's condition degenerated with unimaginable speed. Chen had hoped that Lin could receive a liver transplant and enjoy life again. Unfortunately, this was the end of the road for Lin.

After Lin returned home at the end of July, he was hospitalized twice. He became semiconscious, but deep in his heart he still couldn't forget all the construction work still underway in Hualien. He talked about it in his sleep, often waking up his wife.

When Master Cheng Yen came to Taipei on October 2, 1997, she went to visit Lin in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital. The Master reminded him of her commitment to the poor, and she urged him to let go of everything in this life. She leaned forward and talked to him like this for forty minutes. Observers were moved to tears.

The Master asked him, "Why were you always so busy, running around here and there?"

Lin replied breathlessly but firmly, "For Tzu Chi."

Someday the sky and the earth will be transformed, but Lin Hui-tang's dedication to Tzu Chi will never change.

Returning Soon

On October 12, Li Ming-chung sensed that Lin would leave on that special day, because it was Sunday and Lin had always enjoyed having visitors at his house. Li felt that Lin would choose a day that was convenient for everyone. Huang Szu-hsien, director of the Department of Religious Affairs, had already taken Lin home the day before. Many people went there to bid him farewell.

Coincidentally, Master Te Tzu, who was Master Cheng Yen's first disciple, came to Taipei to attend the funeral of an old monk. When she heard the news of Lin's condition, she came immediately. She did not want to see him still struggling to live, so she approached him and urged him to let go of everything. Master Te Tzu told Tsai-o to light an incense stick and vow to carry on his mission of helping the poor. When she had done this, Lin exhaled his last breath.

Everyone there saw him smiling happily, and their oldest daughter said to Tsai-o, "Daddy is smiling so beautifully!" Lin's father said that he was grateful that his son had already entered Tzu Chi and could leave so peacefully. Everyone prayed for his quick return to this world.

Lin knew many people, and so many of them came to say goodbye to him. They came into the room in small groups and prayed for him. There was no funeral and no one cried out loud.

Lin had requested that his body be donated to the Tzu Chi College of Medicine. At midnight, a hearse moved off with his body. On both sides of Hechiang Road where Lin lived, lines of Tzu Chi members saw him off with respect and joy, quietly chanting the name of Amitabha.

The next morning, the hearse and other cars arrived in Hualien. The fleet circled around the hospital, the Still Thoughts Hall and the medical college, allowing Lin to see the construction sites that he was still so concerned about. Now, his remains are lying in the body storage room in the medical college, accompanied by other great loving bodhisattvas.