The world of Tzu Chi Apr-Jun 2023 (Vol.146)

TZU CHI 146 01 z z By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Teresa Chang aster’s Teaching Let us create blessings for the world by doing our best to do good. Allow your love to grow every day. Tell yourself, “I did something good today. I will do more tomorrow.” Create More Blessings Every Day L ife is truly impermanent. Joy can turn to sorrow in an instant when loved ones are separated forever. Early on the morning of February 6, a devastating earthquake hit southern Türkiye and neighbouring Syria, killing more than 40,000 people and toppling or severely damaging over 340,000 buildings. In a matter of seconds, everything changed. People might have been sleeping soundly or having sweet dreams before the quake. They might have had great plans for the future and were looking forward to waking to another new day. But all that was not meant to be. Their dreams and hopes evaporated when the tremor struck; everything they had was gone with them. Many of those who survived had to face the heartrending reality of losing their loved ones to the disaster, their hearts broken to pieces as they realised their loved ones had been snatched from this life so suddenly. The weather in the disaster area was freezing. Our foundation quickly responded by donating Tzu Chi eco-blankets to help. Climate change has made some cold places in the world even colder. That is why I started asking last year to have our blankets made thicker. More than 8,000 such extra-thick blankets have already been flown from Taiwan to Türkiye since the quake. I am very grateful to our volunteers for their help. Our eco-blankets could not have been produced without the combined efforts of many people. First, our volunteers have to collect and properly sort PET bottles to be made into fabric. After the fabric is produced, volunteers cut it to size, hem the edges, and pack the final products. With everyone’s help, we can quickly prepare shipments to help out whenever a disaster or other occasions arise in which our blankets are needed. The Turkish Trade Office in Taipei appealed to people in Taiwan for in- kind donations for quake survivors after the tremor. At the request of the trade office, we provided our Neihu office in Taipei to be used as a centre to receive the donations. Donated items flooded in as soon as the donation appeal was made—there was such an outpouring of love. Our volunteers worked with