Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Among the participants of the 2009 Tzu Chi spiritual workshop for oversea commissioners was the movie director Lung Gang, a highly acclaimed director of his time. Mr. Lung was accompanying his wife, Hu Ziting, to be certified as Tzu Chi commissioners. Mr. Lung, who loves studying Buddhist sutras, stated that the Jing Si Aphorisms written by Dharma Master Cheng Yen have embedded Buddhism into daily life and help to guide daily practice. In Tzu Chi, he found confirmation of Buddhism, as well as his pure self.

"In the past, movie-making was contrived and sensationalized. Viewers' tears equaled money. But this time I was deeply touched from the bottom of my heart. The genuine tears on my face are something that money truly cannot buy.” As he recalled his feelings and experiences at the workshop, he could not stop the tears rolling down his face.

"Finding the road to this Tzu Chi family had taken a lot of effort. Every time I think of how Master Cheng Yen, with her frail body, has taken upon her own shoulders the enormous responsibilities of Tzu Chi's missions - what a great deed!” Mr. Lung paused, his eyes reddened. He went on to say that he had lived in New York City for 28 years. As far back as the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, he had heard of how Tzu Chi volunteers had always been the vanguard in disaster relief. However, it was as if there was never sufficient karma. Mr. Lung said, “We kept hearing about Tzu Chi, but were never able to find Tzu Chi's regional office. One day, my wife saw an announcement in the newspaper about a Chinese calligraphy class at the Tzu Chi Northeast Regional Office in New York City. Without another word, we went straight to Chinatown to sign up as volunteers.”

In the past four years, Mr. Lung and his wife, Hu Ziting, participated in all kinds of Tzu Chi activities such as home visits to Tzu Chi's care recipients, relief goods distribution, environmental protection, and humanity promotion. No matter the event, the couple was never absent. Hu Ziting, who didn't even know how to boil water before, had even joined the culinary team at Tzu Chi activities.

The couple was even more deeply touched when visiting Tzu Chi's care recipients and experienced the gratitude that comes from understanding others’ suffering. In one instance, they visited a woman abandoned by her husband. Not only did the husband take all the money in the house, leaving her penniless, but she also had to care for her elderly and disabled mother-in-law. The situation was so dire that they both had planned on finishing the food left in the refrigerator and then committing suicide. As soon as Tzu Chi volunteers found out, they went to care for this family.

Lung Gang and his wife were among the volunteers that visited that family. Every time the couple recounted this case, they couldn't stop their tears. Lung Gang said, “In a rich country such as the United States, there are still people in such hardship. Compared to them, we are much too fortunate!”

Hu Ziting, who is an executive in a financial firm, felt that she had found the direction of her life. She said, “I know for sure now that my life's journey will be on Tzu Chi's road of Bodhisattvas. Returning to Taiwan to be certified as a Tzu Chi commissioner means my responsibilities will be bigger, but after being 'recharged', I also feel the strength to handle more.” She took the high pressure at her work in stride, and told her boss, “This is a significant event in my life. If I cannot take time off from work for this, it will be the biggest regret of my life!”

Translated by Andy Liaw
Edited by Jenner Yeh.