The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.109)

Walking on the Sutra Path By Chang Yii Yong Photograph by Wong Yee Ning “M ingalaba” was a Burmese greeting I learnt from the Myanmarese refugees when I served at the Tzu-Chi Free Clinic in Kuala Lumpur back in 2012. That was also the time when I started to learn more about the history and culture of the country, and hoped to visit and explore the country personally one day. Thankfully, seven years later, I finally had the opportunity to set foot in the country for the rice seed distribution mission. I was excited not just because I could visit the country, but also for the opportunity to serve together with Tzu Chi volunteers from all over Malaysia, Myanmar and Taiwan in this noble mission. I remembered the day I stepped on the earth of this Buddhist nation, the first thing I noticed was the “dust” in the air. However, my concern over the dust issue was soon washed away by the warm welcome given by the local Tzu Chi volunteers. My first day in Myanmar was delightful as I made new friends from other parts of the world, visited the Tzu Chi Yangon Office, and was briefed on the distribution schedule with an introduction to the innovative cloud-based database system used in facilitating the registration procedure for the distribution sessions. After a few rounds of changes in the volunteer grouping arrangements, I finally set off with my teammates of Group B1 to the distribution site the following morning. We travelled in a bus but after two to three hours, we were asked to leave the bus and wait for another vehicle due to the poor road conditions. Half an hour later, a roofed single-cabin truck came to pick us up. Before I knew it, we were all seated in the back of the truck, well-equipped with masks and caps to combat the dust in the air. In the following few days, we were covered with dust from head to toe at the end of each day. For the record, I shampooed and washed my hair for at least three rounds each time before it felt clean. Yes, that was how dusty it was along the journey. In the pre-trip briefing, as advised by Master Cheng Yen to “do as the Romans do when in Rome”, we were reminded to take off our shoes in the temple, a practice observed by the Myanmarese. It did not appear as an issue to me, at least not until we got there and were told to take off our shoes and leave them in the bus. So, pecial Feature 2019 • 04 30