Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

479 TIMA members from 18 countries were well seated in the main hall of Jing Si Hall at 8 a.m. despite the fact that many of them had traveled a long distance and arrived at Hualien very late last night.

The opening ceremony began with a drama performance, highlighting the main theme of the year: Gratitude, Respect, and Love. Dr. Zhang Qun Ming played the role of a medical school student who later became a famous and yet very unhappy physician. After joining the free clinic in the Philippines, he found the true meaning of life and regained happiness.

“Welcome Home,” Dr. Lin Chin Long, CEO of Tzu Chi Medical Mission greeted all the members sincerely, “I know most of you flew many hours to come back to the home of the spiritual. Welcome!” He mentioned in the following 4 days, the convention provides a rich curriculum with varied topics, including Social Responsibility, delivered by the founder of Acer Incorporated, Mr. Stan Shih, Specialty Forums, Humanities Mission, and Simulation Surgery, among others. “We would like to take this opportunity to share the experiences with each others.” Dr. Lin emphasized. He expected all the members would go back home with love after attending the convention. He encouraged them, “Tzu Chi’s core value is that everyone can participate and continue learning every day. We not only help others but also gain happiness and peace of mind.” He further urged the attendances “to share and bring what you have learned here back home to continue supporting TIMA activities and recruiting more members.”

At the end, Dr. Lin lamented the recent disasters happening in Kaoshiung, Philippines and other countries in the world. He also praised the assistance of TIMA members and affirmed their contributions.

“Because of you, love is without borders; because of you, love will never fade away....” With the wonderful song “And Ode to the Doctors,” the 2014 TIMA Convention officially started.

Among the participants there are 213 physicians, 100 clinical nurse specialists, 28 medical technicians, and 105 logistic volunteers coming from the United States, Australia, China, Salvador, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and Taiwan.

TIMA members from the world will meet once every year in Taiwan around Mid- Autumn holidays. This is time for them to share and encourage each other.