Written by: Grace Wang
The last lecturer of the 4-day 2019 TIMA Annual Convention was Tzu Chi Executive director for global volunteers Si Xian Huang (Stephen Huang), speaking on the topic of “making good affinities” with others.
“There are 7.7 billion people on earth now. What is it that brings us all together to meet at this venue, at this particular moment?” asked director Huang. “In Mandarin, we call it ‘Yuan’ that is we have affinities in the past that connects us that brings us all together today.” He then shared his story of “Yuan” with Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
30 years ago, director Huang traveled back to Taiwan from US to attend his brother’s funeral. A relative invited him to go to Hualien to visit Master Cheng Yen. He was a very successful businessman with many businesses in US. Dir. Huang said, “I did an extremely rude act. I ordered my secretary to prepare 3 checks with different amount, a small, a medium and a large. I told her “if the master’s teaching is ok, I will kick you once, please take out the small check. If she is good, I will kick you twice, take out the medium one. If she is really good, I will kick you 3 times, take out the big one.” After meeting Master Cheng Yen, director Huang was really touched and felt embarrassed of his prior instructions. He said, “I ended up kicking my secretary many many times so she took out all 3 checks.” Hearing this, the crowd couldn’t help but fell into big laughter.
Director Huang cherished his affinity with Master Cheng Yen. His business was about to be listed on the market. Instead of going ahead, he started putting more effort into Tzu Chi’s charity work and a few years later, even decided to retire to become a full time Tzu Chi volunteer. All his friends and relatives were amazed by his decision and really respected him.
“There’s a story that I often share,” said director Huang. “One day there’s a huge flood. A police car came by and the police asked the man in the house, ‘it’s dangerous here. Please evacuate with us.’ The gentleman, who’s a devoted Christian, refused and said, `No, God will come and get me.’ So the police left. Later, a boat came, the rescuers said, ‘it’s really dangerous. Please evacuate with us.’ Still the man refused and said God will come for him. The flood was so bad the man had to climb onto the roof. The chopper came and the rescuer asked the man to hold onto the ladder, again, the man refused and said God will come for him. He died at the end. In heaven, the man was very furious and questioned God why he didn’t go and save him. God replied, `I sent a car, a boat and a chopper, but you chose not to board.’” Director Huang asked the crowd, “Coming to the 2019 TIMA Annual Convention, you have heard so many speakers. In another saying, we have prepared cars, boats and choppers for you all. Will you board?”
“Cherishing the affinity is good, but it is not enough,” director Huang explained. “You all choose to come to the convention and that’s cherishing the opportunity. But if you doze off all along, then still it’s no use. A correct mind set is required as well.” He further extended, “When I was a businessman, it was all about profit and I didn’t care about other things too much. Now through Master’s teachings, I learnt about karma, so whatever I do now, I am constantly aware and make sure I stay on the right track.” Director Huang encouraged, “whatever religion you believe, try to enlighten yourself and make sure you walk the correct road.”
Master Cheng Yen often said to the disciples that her master, the great Master Yin Shun instructed her “to live for Buddhism, to live for sentient beings.” Therefore for her lifetime, Master Cheng Yen only focuses on executing this one teaching wholeheartedly. Director Huang said, “we all know that if water keeps dripping, it can drill through stone. But the prerequisite is that the water continues to drip on the same spot. Master has continued to care for all sentient beings and has continued to do that for more than half a century that it has become her everyday life, so natural just like breathing. This is `Tzu Chi Zen’, don’t think too much, just do it, just practice.”
At the end of his session, executive director of global volunteers Mr. Stephen Huang encouraged all TIMA participants to cherish this affinity with Tzu Chi, taking home Master Cheng Yen’s love, the Tzu Chi ideology and practice it in daily life, hoping they will all become the Tzu Chi seeds abroad and blossom.