The world of Tzu Chi Nov-Dec 2022 (Vol.144)

01 TZU CHI 144 By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Teresa Chang aster’s Teaching Our world needs as many people as possible willing to give with Great Love, an unselfish love that embraces all humanity. It is a blessing to give, and wisdom to give unconditionally. Every act of kindness we perform increases the value of our lives. Wise and Blessed Are the Givers A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Taitung, Taiwan, on September 18, causing some land to crack, bridges to tilt, and even caused damage to sturdy buildings. Many people were badly shaken. Our staffers and volunteers quickly mobilized to assess damage in Hualien and Taitung. They visited affected schools to determine if they needed help with reconstruction or repairs. Hundreds of homes were damaged too. Thankfully, most people emerged unscathed. When our volunteers visited affected families, some people said they could fix the damage on their own; others admitted it was beyond them to handle the repairs by themselves. Among such families were people who were sick or disabled, or seniors with no one to depend on. Special note was taken of those people who might need our additional care and help in the future. The government, the TSMC Charity Foundation and Tzu Chi joined efforts to provide quake relief. Volunteers from across Taiwan, including those with backgrounds in construction, assembled in Hualien and Taitung. Then they fanned out to different areas in the counties to estimate the required manpower and building materials needed to make the repairs, which were launched immediately afterwards. Our volunteers knew they had to help, so they overcame whatever difficulties that were in their way to go to the disaster area to serve. Some took time off their regular jobs to volunteer. There were also business owners who closed their stores for a few days so that they could volunteer. The love behind such selfless giving is truly beautiful. Not only did our volunteers step forward to help, but they also applied a lot of care to their work. There was, for example, a household whose wall tiles were damaged during the quake. Because the tiles were old, it was difficult to find the same kind to match the undamaged ones. However, the volunteers in charge managed to find replacement tiles that were very similar in colour and