The world of Tzu Chi April 2021 (Vol.133)

2021 • 04 32 pecial Feature microbes, but both ended in failure. Since they moved to the house with land and made compost pits, trash was reduced from one bag a day to one bag a week and new life grew from the earth. Pleasantly surprised, she shared, “I had no idea the soil could absorb so much. Besides the plants we grow, various other wild plants also coexist. It hit me that everything exists for a reason. There is no need to intentionally grow them as the earth is the best natural nurturing bed.” Despite fearing farming and having zilch planting experience, Kin Fook dug eight compost pits and reaped the benefits of compacted soil. He said, “I once read that when Master Cheng Yen farmed, she sowed the seeds and compacted the soil because a seedling that struggles grows stronger. I do the same and it works very well.” He observed that although some seedlings struggled to grow with only one leaf left on its bare stem, they were determined to live on and new shoots sprouted eventually. This reminded him that there are no obstacles too difficult to overcome in life. Water spinach, okras, moringa, corn, torch ginger, lotus bamboo and other unknown plants thrived. Occasionally, squirrels, civet cats or smaller insects were spotted as well. Sock Cheng noticed that her son would walk around the yard before and after school to observe the growth of the plants and the behaviour of the crawling ants and lizards. She said happily, “It is the land that allows us to witness symbiosis between living things and it brings us closer together.” Drifting abroad Sock Cheng and Kin Fook were born in Malacca. Kin Fook lived and worked in Hong Kong upon graduating from university. A year after their marriage, at age 36, Sock Cheng quit her job and relocated to Hong Kong to live with her husband. To blend into his social life, she would accompany him to play football, drink or sing karaoke. She was once dubbed “Queen of Alcohol” among his friends, but it was not a lifestyle she liked. Moreover, Hong Kong’s fast pace, tense and stressful lifestyle rendered her unable to adapt. She said, “There is an article titled The Orchid Without Roots that talks about the author who leaves home to live abroad, wandering like a rootless orchid. It reflects my life in Hong Kong. Feeling like an orchid without roots, my heart drifts and I cannot settle down.” In 2006, her second year in Hong Kong, the couple came across Tzu Chi Hong Kong. As turned out, Sock Cheng once applied for a job at Tzu Chi Malacca. Although unsuccessful, the seed of affinity was planted. Years on, the couple was once again connected with Tzu Chi. From being volunteers, they later became Tzu Chi staff. An avid reader, Sock Cheng knew that earth’s resources were depleting and the environment was deteriorating. Through Tzu Chi, she also better understood the coexistence between human and nature, that every thought would affect the ecosystem and that change required taking actions. However, back then, she was not inspired to act for the environment. It only affirmed her decision not to raise any child to avoid them from suffering.