Compassion in Action with the Volunteers from Tzu Chi

Disaster relief efforts by the volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation occur across the globe and include helping families left destitute after the devastating Santa Rosa fires. In 52 years the Foundation has provided support in over 90 countries including America, South Africa, Syria, Haiti, Turkey and Mexico.

A gathering for the Santa Rosa fire survivors was held in early February and was also the Year End Blessing Ceremony in the Santa Rosa area. The event was the "11th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration and Bamboo Bank Reunion" for volunteers, donors, and fire survivors.

When translated to English “Tzu” means compassion and “Chi” means relief. The Foundation aims to take care of the great family of humanity, irrespective of race, gender or religion, especially during times of great need where volunteers selflessly offer compassionate care to relieve suffering. When volunteers reach out to offer relief the hope is that kindness is nurtured and will bring inner peace and happiness to survivors that will in turn pave the way for world peace and harmony.

The celebratory event was one of several annual Blessing Ceremonies held in various locations in Northern California one of which was at the Tzu Chi Northwest Regional Office in San Jose.

Displays of photographs of activities conducted by the Foundation were erected in the foyer of the San Jose venue where the annual gathering was held. Relief effort locations ranged from Ladysmith in South Africa to Santa Rosa in California. The latter being the most significant intervention where local volunteers were involved in 2017.

An aerial photograph of the aftermath of the Santa Rosa fires that ripped through the area was a poignant reminder of the losses suffered. Volunteers worked in conjunction with other aid organizations to bring solace and comfort to the survivors. One survivor commented that she had never been in a situation where she needed to ask anyone for help before but she had lost everything in the fire and was extremely grateful to the Tzu Chi volunteers for the kindness, caring and practical support.

Volunteers perform these deeds of kindness without seeking recognition and are responsible for funding their own involvement in the disaster relief efforts. They are affectionately referred to as the "Blue Angels" due to their signature blue uniforms. Every cent that the Foundation collects in support of an initiative is solely spent for that purpose and is not used to compensate volunteers.

The Tzu Chi Foundation is the largest NGO in the Chinese-speaking world. It was founded in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen who was named one of Time’s Top 100 most influential people in 2011. This humble Buddhist Nun embarked on her charitable journey with 14 disciples and a group of 30 housewives who started funding their work by saving just 50c per day from their grocery budget. “The ability to share and to give is a blessing” says Master Cheng Yen.

The core missions of the organization are 1. Charity 2. Medicine 3. Education and 4. Culture. Children are seen as the hope of society and education is the hope of children. The Foundation has funded numerous schools in various ways. One such school is Belle Haven in Menlo Park where children were supplied with uniforms that boosted morale to such an extent that they moved from 8th to 3rd place in attendance rankings.

Other support efforts brought relief during the Houston Flood where contaminated water became a problem. Tzu Chi volunteers were on hand to help with the clean-up and provide comfort. A cash-card system is also used to provide practical and immediate support to families and allows survivors to be part of the process of rebuilding their communities.

The Foundations humble beginnings are a testament to the understanding that anyone, no matter what their status, is able to provide help to others and reveal the brighter side of human kindness.

The Tzu Chi Foundation premises in San Jose was converted from a warehouse and in keeping with the mindfulness and environmentally friendly ethos of the movement there was no wastage of material during the redesign phase. Screws, panels and other building materials were salvaged and re-used for the current structure. Buddhists believe in walking gently so no more pain is brought to the wounded earth. Tzu Chi volunteers are of all religions and share the belief of protecting the earth hence all building projects are conducted with minimal environmental impact.

Environmental clean-up and recycling projects often involve very repetitive and menial tasks but instead of viewing the work as tedious volunteers view it as a relay of love and a form of spiritual cultivation. It was wonderful to observe the spectrum of ages of volunteers as they received their blessings at the ceremony. One elderly woman needed assistance from other volunteers to receive hers but she was beaming and smiling with thankfulness at her ability to still help others.

Volunteers at Tzu Chi are from all walks of life. My translator and guide for the event, James Lan, was a software engineer, and I was seated alongside another volunteer who is a housewife named Annie. She uses her spare time to go to the local Farmers Market to collect donations that support about 250 low-income families in Cupertino.

Free dental clinics are also held in Milpitas for low income, uninsured individuals and many people make use of the service every day that it operates.

Several recreational classes are offered at the Tzu Chi San Jose campus throughout the year. They are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the various classes/subjects offered including photography, yoga, Tai Chi, Chinese painting, calligraphy, tea classes, flower arranging classes, vegetarian cooking, line dance, sewing, handmade soap, iPad classes, etc. Teachers volunteer their time to come teach these very popular classes. Participants who have taken a few different classes remarked that they are a lot of fun.

Viewing the video footage and reflecting on the year of Tzu Chi activities at the annual blessing ceremony was a privilege to experience and the depth of the commitment of volunteers and the far-reaching impact of their compassion in action was incredibly moving. It was unlikely to find a dry eye in the house.

There are still ongoing efforts to help the sick and suffering and one volunteer related her recent experience with a family of 5 from Santa Rosa who had been living in a mobile park before the fires and had to resort to living in car. When asked how she says goodbye to survivors once they have been through such an emotional time with them she responded “We don’t say goodbye, we say welcome to the family.”

Donations to the benevolent projects run by Tzu Chi are collected in "Bamboo Banks". Sushan Chi, a local volunteer, mother and piano teacher based in Pleasanton explained that “the Tzu Chi Foundation started with the love and care of Master Cheng Yen and the housewives 52 years ago and is still represented by the bamboo banks today. In them is the true spirit of Tzu Chi in that a small concerted effort over time can make an enormous difference”.

"Little change, Huge difference". This is the shared Tzu Chi spirit, that everyone has the power to give and love to share.