The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Max Siew aster’s Teaching While those who are relieved from their suffering learn to give, those who extend a helping hand unconditionally are filled with spiritual joy. As we give, we form a pure karmic affinity with others, which also enables us to walk together on the Bodhisattva Path. T zu Chi volunteers from Myanmar, Malaysia and Taiwan have just completed a 10-day distribution of rice seeds to more than 40,000 farmers in Myanmar, whose paddy fields were either badly damaged or destroyed due to the recent floods. The moment they put down their luggage, they adjourned to the Jing Si Abode to share their experience in helping the farmers. When asked if the work was drudgery, their replies were almost always “Not at all, but full of Dharma joy!” During July andAugust last year, Myanmar was hit by severe floods. Houses and paddy fields were submerged by floodwaters. It was this time that rice stalks were about to ripen and were almost ready for harvest, but unfortunately, all the farmers’ efforts went down the drain. When Tzu Chi volunteers went to disaster-stricken areas to assess the damage, they saw the paddy fields were overgrown with weeds when the floodwaters receded. They were also told that even before the floods, the farmers were debt-ridden. They had to re-borrow money before they could re-plough their paddy fields. It was indeed heart-wrenching to hear their stories. Although the floodwaters had receded, there were still a few months in between before the farmers could begin their next rice planting season. Thinking that during this interim period the farmers could grow some crops to earn some cash, the volunteers bought some top quality mung bean seeds for distribution. When the volunteers visited the farmers again for the distribution of rice seeds, they were happy to see a bumper harvest of the mung beans planted a few months back. At first some farmers thought that the volunteers were just there for damage assessment. Much to their pleasant surprise, the volunteers turned out to be angels on Earth, for they not only distributed seeds for planting twice, but also hugged the farmers tightly as if the latter were their family members. The volunteers encouraged the farmers to use their strength to walk tall and help others, besides sharing with the farmers the story of Tzu Chi’s Bamboo Bank Era. Many local residents were inspired when they realized that even a handful of rice daily could feed starving people. Immediately, more than 1,000 people registered and took home a “rice bank”. The aid fromTzu Chi stabilized the lives of the farmers’ families, allowing them to have peace of mind. Moreover, they gained wisdom as they passed love around to help each other. In fact, it is not an easy feat to reach out everywhere where there is suffering in this vast world. Forming Pure Karmic Affinity with Everyone TZU CHI 110 01