The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.108)

TZU CHI 108 39 “Bang, bang, bang…” The sound of hasty footsteps was heard approaching from behind. She turned to find a man holding a kitchen knife, shouting to her in Malay: “What are you doing here?” Maria was thrown off guard by his hostility. The knife, glaring under the hot sun, added to her terror of facing the man alone. She held the notes closer, preparing to block his attack with them. After taking a careful look at him, she figured that he did not appear to be ferocious though frowning. So, she replied, “We are from a charitable organization called Tzu Chi. We are here to help you.” As the man did not respond, she went on, “Do you recognize our uniforms? We were here to extend help every time there was a fire in your village! We have come here today to give you an opportunity to sow blessings and create merits, and hopefully, this will keep disasters at bay. You see, houses near this end of the village are closest to the sea and risk having their roofs damaged by gusts of wind. Therefore, we are here to help…” The man swayed the knife in his hand, growing impatient as Maria spoke, and then turned and dashed away. Being one who is upright and pure-minded, Maria only thought of the saying: “A single act of kindness can avert a thousand disasters.” She was quick to get over the chilling experience and continued with her charitable work in this notorious ‘black area’ in Tawau. Recruiting one million living bodhisattvas This illegal settlement situated along the coastal area of Tawau, a town in the southeast corner of Sabah facing Sulawesi Sea, is Kampung Titingan. Its residents are mainly made up of natives, Bajau Laut, Sulu people, illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as some locals who are too poor to afford a proper home. Crimes and illegal activities like drug abuse, drug trafficking, smuggling and even murder cases are rampant here. As such, the locals often cringe at the sound of this place, let alone coming here. However, this was not the first time Tzu Chi volunteers in Tawau had visited Kampung Titingan. They were there as early as 2003, to provide relief to the fire victims. Fire often breaks out and spreads very quickly here, as houses are clustered closely together, compounded by illegal extensions of power supply and the use of poor-quality electrical items. Those incidents had led Tzu Chi to provide aid, thus bringing the volunteers and villagers closer over time. In 2013, in response to the “Million Bodhisattvas”* recruitment drive, volunteers walked into this ‘black area’ again, and went from door to door introducing Tzu Chi to the villagers and seeking out loving-kindness. At one point, within a short 26 days, a total of 2,126 locals had offered donations, and many have since described the place as “a black area turned a Bodhisattva area”. I too want to be a Tzu Chi volunteer Seventy-three-year-old Maria is an Indonesian-born Chinese. The anti-Chinese riots that exploded when she was 16 had uprooted her entire family to Tawau; and she could not complete her studies. However, she was at least lucky to have obtained legal * In 2013, Master Cheng Yen called upon Tzu Chi volunteers in Malaysia to recruit a “Million Bodhisattvas”, by sharing the stories of Tzu Chi and inspiring everyone to help those who are in need and join the ranks of Great Love.