Written by: Pan Yu-Hua
Translated by: Nansen Wang, Ruby Hung
Proofread by: Joan Wang
Photo by: Chen Zhong-Hua, Zeng Zi-Lin

The second session of the “TIMA Documentary“ was reported by Dr. Lu Yi-Xin (Alice Lu) from Australia; Dr. Dai Jia-Wei from Indonesia; Dr. Deng Bo-Ren, Dr. Chen Nai-Hua, Dr. Chen Fu-Min, Steven Voon, Dr. Kenneth Liao from USA; and Dr. Antonio Say and Dr. Robert Sy from Philippines on September 15.

First of all, Dr. Lu Yi-Xin from Australia quoted a piece from Master’s Jing Si Aphorisms “Bring your love to light up every dark corner of the world.”

Light up each corner and give with sincerity

Dr. Lu Yi-Xin was a member of Tzu Ching (Collegiate Youth) when majoring in dentistry in college. He had long wished to hold free clinics with senior alumni in Australia. However, as Australia has a great social welfare system, it’s not easy to advocate charity work there. Dr. Lu shares his experience in providing dental services to vulnerable people there.

Queensland’s free clinic started from the year of 2002. Four dentists and public servants led Tzu Chi to remote areas to offer services. In 2004, they shifted focus from remote areas to refugees in local communities, and offered door-to-door service. In 2007, after procuring more dental equipment, TIMA extends services to poverty towns inland, benefiting refugees and poverty residents in Sydney. TIMA also cooperates with the oral health center to provide services of scaling, and replacing original teeth with dentures. Since the operation with local community centers, more than 200 volunteers have taken part in the free clinics in 2015. Australia’s TIMA members have the lowest average age among global TIMA chapters. Their average age is lower than 40.

Lu hopes to extend the free dentistry services all poor and disadvantaged people in Australia. She showed the audience a video clip which showed a man who couldn’t get over his fear of accepting dental treatment. However, through combining traditional Chinese herbal medicine and western medicine, the man overcame his mental obstacles. Although he had 7 of his teeth pulled out, he’s still full of joy. Dr. Lu believes this proved the dental services not only relieve pain from poverty but also satisfied inner hunger.

TIMA Australia has celebrated its 14th anniversary. In 2015, the Brisbane Tzu Chi chapter worked together with the local agency to hold free clinics for homeless people. 6,354 counts of volunteers participated at this activity. Thanks to their sincere giving, Australia’s TIMA now holds large-scale free clinics twice a year and has cooperated with two hospitals and a long-term homeless care center to establish a united free clinic center, which offers internal medicine and Chinese herbal medicine services every day, serving the homeless people year-round.

Sprouting of the seeds of kindness

Dai Jia-Wei, who joined TIMA Indonesia three years ago, stated that there have been 50 free clinics held in 2016, which benefited more than 600 patients. With the frequent natural disasters in recent years, TIMA Indonesia wishes to help more people in need. For example, in the severe flood of Gbarnga County, the free clinics provided by TIMA and other Tzu Chi relief work benefited more than 4,000 victims. TIMA’s goal is to relieve suffering and give joy, and practice Dharma Master’s teaching: “to relieve the poor by educating the rich; and teach the rich to be grateful from helping the poor.”

How to break the barriers amongst people in the Indonesia islands which have many different dialects and different religions? “Although I have no way to communicate with some of the people due to language barrier, we try our best to make our wishes to serve felt. We were so happy when we see smiles on patients’ faces after they got rid of pains.” Jia-Wei added, “Doctors even help the volunteers to clean the venue after the free clinic.” On August 2016, TIMA extended dental services from Jakarta to Yun Chen County, where they conducted 33 cataract surgeries.

TIMA Indonesia had cooperated with the military to conduct screening and assessment before the free clinic. Originally they were worried that there would be a shortage of volunteers; however, many local volunteers joined, which gave them a chance to understand more about Tzu Chi during the free clinic.
Jia-Wei stated, “In this free clinic that disregards religion or ethnicity, all of us felt abundant joy, and we were grateful for our healthy body, which gave us the chance to give to others.”

The seeds of kindness also sprouted in the free clinics. There was a little girl named Maggie who was suffering from cataract in her eyes. Because her physique made her unable to receive anesthesia, she did not accept any surgery. Encouraged by her father and Tzu Chi volunteers, finally she agreed to receive surgery on her right eye, and became able to see the light again. On April 2016, 37 volunteers participated in the training led by senior volunteers. An attendee, Ada, even brought his 84-year-old mother to receive training.

TIMA members have gone to remote areas, where their love inspired more people to join Tzu Chi. They cooperated with the military in the free clinics and recruited more local people to participate. Hopefully more young doctors will understand the spirit of Tzu Chi, and join with selfless love.

TIMA in America, a support for hospitals

TIMA USA established the first free clinic center in 1993, and founded the South El Monte Clinic Center in 2005, and the Wilmington Clinic Center in 2010. Now TIMA US has a total of three free clinic centers there. In 2014, TIMA started to hold large-scale free clinic around the US. Later on they also started to care for fellow cultivators. An instance they shared is that a brother Tan was saved by TIMA medical staff when he suffered from stroke.

As a support for regular hospitals, TIMA provides different services, including Chinese Herbal Medicine, Western Medicine and Dentistry. Their missions and goals have won them an award for best contribution in 2016. According to Dr. Chen Nai-Hua, their mission of “Building a Healthy Community” has helped people from different cultures to gain bodily and mental health. In 2014, TIMA members dedicated more efforts to local communities, and held courses, health lectures, and meetings to recruit local residents. They have recruited seed volunteers, Tzu Shao (children under 12 years old), and Tzu Ching (Collegiate Youth). TIMA also provides health care and mutual assistance programs to patients and their families.

In 2015, the value of the class for high blood pressure/blood sugar/cholesterol control was recognized by the mainstream society. Dr. Chen Fu-Min is a surgeon with over thirty years’ experience and has been promoting a healthy lifestyle by teaching courses. In view of the importance of greater knowledge for cancer and its prevention, he promised Master Cheng Yen to give courses on cancer education and prevention plan at least once a month. He has conducted more than 10,000 times of colonoscopy in these health lectures.

Dr. Chen has long been concerned about people’s health problems. He jokes that he is a doctor on call, as he never turns down any invitations to give health courses to local communities. He realized the positive effects of “Building a Healthy Community” program are great and found that the rate of colorectal cancer decreased, as patients are encouraged to take further examinations if they found something wrong in the screening. Dr. Chen remarked with delight that TIMA US now has seven well-equipped vehicles, including three dental service mobiles, one medical service mobile, two ophthalmology service mobiles, and last but not least, a cancer screening mobile.

The convener of TIMA in Northwest US, Dr. Kenneth Liao said, “America is a vast country. TIMA members used to hold free clinics only in California, and afterwards extended to the states of New York, New Jersey, and Cornell.” They were especially devoted to the health education of oral cancer and other oral diseases. Their work has been bearing fruits. As of Aug. 2016, TIMA has 25 well-equipped dentistry-operating tables. The successful health education also extended to TIMA free clinic in Honduras, encouraging some of the medical students and local residents to join as volunteers.

Great Love Makes Difference

The convener of TIMA Philippines, Dr. Antonia Say said that Dr. Navarro ever said, “the free clinic might be a life-changing event for patients.” She shared her own experience and change after joining TIMA. She also followed Dharma Master’s teaching to work among people and practice great love in real life. An eighteen-year-old girl Judy, who had a tumor on her face, wrote a letter to Master Cheng Yen. She is grateful to the free clinic for removing her affliction. She said in the letter that she was not able to face those classmates who leered at her, but an operation of two doctors in the free clinic relieved her. She quoted in the letter of Master Cheng Yen’s saying, “If the poor cannot come to us, we must go to them.”

In Manila, TIMA worked with local churches to conduct free clinics in the slums in Manila, providing free dental clinic for the local poor people every day. The local catholic Father said poor people there suffering from decayed tooth can hardly get help due to financial difficulties. But thanks to Tzu Chi, five hundred poor people had received free dental cleaning and teeth extraction services.

“The most beautiful smile in the world shows on a patient’s face” said Dr. Robert Sy, because helping a patient getting rid of his difficulties and sufferings is equal to give rebirth to his whole family. He showed a video clip in which a care recipient with hands disability painted a portrait of Master Cheng Yen to show his great gratitude. He is also determined to give back. From 1994 to 2015, TIMA Philippines has served 48,1135 patients.