The world of Tzu Chi January 2020 (Vol.118)

2020 • 01 38 Paving the Way to Wisdom By Yap Chai Hoon Translated by Lee Shee Yik Photographs by Lee Kwee Yap eople Foo Sau Yoke wakes up before dawn every morning and walks to the Tzu Chi Community Centre in her neighbourhood to attend the live telecast of Master Cheng Yen’s Dharma lecture. Her family and friends are worried for her safety, yet she remains unperturbed, declaring with spunk, “I’m not in the least bit concerned about losing my belongings to robbers so long as I’m unharmed, for I’ve committed myself to volunteering with Tzu Chi!” T he still morning air is punctuated by a lingering chill, coursing through the deserted streets faintly illuminated by the dim light of streetlamps. Not a soul stirred in the serene hours before sunrise, but volunteer Foo Sau Yoke, 64, is already trekking on her well- worn route to the Tzu Chi Community Centre in her neighbourhood at the break of dawn to attend the live telecast of Master Cheng Yen’s Dharma lecture, broadcast at 5.20 a.m. daily. “I didn’t have the chance to go to school when I was young, but now I’m learning lessons on life by listening to the Master’s discourse on the Lotus Sutra ,” Sau Yoke revealed. After the lecture, she returns home by the same route, retrieving recyclables from amongst the trail of litter along the way. She would transfer the recyclables into her tote bag and bring them home to be cleaned before sending them to the recycling centre. Since 2013, Sau Yoke has adhered to her routine like clockwork, come rain or shine. Her mobility was affected following an incident that left her with severe burns on her lower limbs, hence walking to the Community Centre became a form of rehabilitative exercise for her. Fellow volunteer Lee Chooi Fong sympathized with Sau Yoke and was worried for her safety, but the latter was undeterred, readily resigning her fate to the hands of karma. “It’s up to