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GREAT LOVE ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAITS |
A Commitment to Life I
once heard a touching and enlightening story. A Hindu went on a
pilgrimage to a sacred temple located in a remote area in the Himalayas.
The road was long, the mountain trails were rugged, and the air was
thin. Though he was travelling light, the arduous journey soon made him
breathless as he tottered along the road.
As he walked on, he couldn't help looking far ahead, hoping that the destination would soon come in sight. In front of him he saw a young girl, barely ten, walking slowly but steadily with a chubby little boy on her back. She was panting heavily and sweating profusely, but her hands still kept a firm grip on the boy. When the Hindu walked past the girl, he said sympathetically, "My poor child, you must be very tired--you are carrying such a heavy load!" The young girl, obviously annoyed, said, "You're carrying a load on your back, but I'm not--I'm carrying my brother." True enough. On a scale, the girl's brother is no different from any other load, for they both have a substantial weight. However, in the girl's heart a load was a burden, but her brother was someone whom she loved and cared about from the bottom of her heart. Love is weightless. It is not a burden, but a kind of joyful caring for others and unselfish giving that asks for nothing in return. Master Cheng Yen asks all Tzu Chi people to uphold the conviction of "respect for life," and Tzu Chi people have been fulfilling their duties with Great Love. Since 1991, when consecutive floods ravaged the central and eastern provinces of mainland China, Tzu Chi has constantly been conducting large-scale relief work to help the people there. In the past nine years, the political climate across the Taiwan Straits has been rather unstable. Nonetheless, Tzu Chi members have never ceased to extend their care and helping hands to disaster-stricken people on the mainland. The relief work was rough and the pressure imposed on us was immense. Yet, we firmly believe that what we do for our compatriots is not a burden we shoulder. We do it out of love and respect for all life, a belief that exists at the bottom of our hearts. Because we cherish life, we care for suffering people; because of our respect for all life, we embrace all living beings. We reach out to help without complaint or regret, for we believe in compassion and the lasting power of Great Love. Starting with our relief program in the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan in 1991, over the years our feet have trodden many parts of mainland China, including desert highlands and many other barren lands. Whether distributing food or clothing, providing shelters and medical assistance or building schools, we tried the best we could to fulfill the needs of the disaster victims. We see our relief efforts as our historical duty, during the course of which we bear witness to our times and honor our commitment to uphold the dignity of life. Time is like lapping waves: new waves forever surging as preceding waves fade. The waves of time overwhelm all heroes and wash away memories. But every step taken leaves its mark behind. In this book, we have traced and recorded the marks we have left through our relief work in mainland China. It is our hope that our readers will understand the genuine humaneness of Great Love and the everlasting value of respect for all life. It is because we persistently uphold these values that we may boldly assert that Tzu Chi will never cease its humanitarian efforts and disaster relief work. We strongly believe that love and respect are the real laws of nature and are essential conditions that allow hope for a better tomorrow. It is our sincere wish that through this book the cohesive power of Great Love can be made known and appreciated and that our reasons for doing what we do can be understood. Last but not least, we sincerely invite everyone to join in the work of Great Love and transform each of our limited lives into an integral part of the eternal life force of the universe.
Wang Tuan-cheng |
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