The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.107)

2019 • 02 22 eature his wife are unable to help out at the recycling centre due to time constraints, they would continue to collect recyclables at home in an effort to protect the Earth. “We should gather the determination to perform virtuous deeds and discard negative habitual tendencies. We have gained many ‘treasures’ today; and we will take special care of the ‘treasure map’ and the Master’s red envelope of blessing and wisdom.” The couple decided to display the “treasure map” at a noticeable spot to remind themselves not to fall into “traps” – a lesson learnt from the games. Finding treasures in the heart Volunteer Lee Kia How, his wife, ChanYen Lu, and their three children greatly enjoyed the games. Kia How was especially touched by the game, “Forbearance – Key to Harmony”. “Forbearance – Key to Harmony” was a game of removing one block at a time from a tower of blocks. Each block was colour-coded to represent various emotions: red symbolized anger, purple symbolized mild anger, green symbolized empathy, and blue symbolized forgiveness. Firstly, the player would draw a paper slip describing a situation in daily life. Then, he or she would choose which emotion to adopt in dealing with the given situation, before removing a block in the colour that corresponds to the chosen emotion – all while ensuring the tower would not collapse. Kia How’s paper slip read: “Would you get angry if your spouse came home late from work without informing you in advance?” Kia How could relate closely to this scenario. “Yes, I would! No matter how busy we are, we should maintain communication to avoid causing worry to the other party,” said Kia How. He recalled getting angry over conflicting opinions with his wife on work or family matters. Our mind tends to be easily swayed whenever problems arise. How then should we handle them prudently to avoid losing grip on our values? Participating in the game alerted Kia How to stay vigilant in guarding one’s own principles. He also revealed that after some introspective reflection, he hoped to eliminate his arrogance the most. He often criticizes others’ mistakes and thinks of himself as superior to everyone else. The game made him realize that “a devious mind perceives only the evil in others; a Buddha’s mind perceives only the good in others”. As Kia How helped to plan and set up the game section, he was familiar with the message conveyed in each game. But he appreciated the importance of these messages even more as he participated in the games with his family. When his wife, Yen Lu participated in a game alongside their daughter, she felt a sudden urge to finish the game for her daughter as her daughter was less adept at it. However, Yen Lu came to realize her own impatience and became mindful of it, as she felt that such habitual tendencies, albeit trivial, could eventually forma bad habit if she does not change for the better now. Transforming desire into the will to give Amaravathy a/p Krishnan, a single mother, brought along eight of her children to attend the Year-end Blessing Ceremony, hoping to expose them to an environment brimming with positivity and harmony. She and her children had a great time participating in the games.