Master Cheng Yen’s Teachings at the June 6^th Volunteer Assembly

“In the past, humans have always been so arrogant, thinking that they can overcome anything and can create everything, but gravely overestimating their own capabilities! Actually, if we look at this pandemic, it is something we did not see coming and are unable to grasp, so we could not prevent it. We need to rely on people sincerely questioning ourselves and we must sincerely repent. There is no other wondrous medicine to fix things. If we have done wrong, then we must quickly question ourselves and repent, not continuing to move in the wrong direction. We must stand up straight and immediately stop moving in the wrong direction.”

At the June 6^th Volunteer Assembly, Master Cheng Yen reminded everyone to heighten their vigilance and sincerely awaken and repent. If we discover that we have taken the wrong path, then we must immediately stop, look around and listen. After contemplating and taking stock, we must adjust again and move in the right direction. Otherwise, the wars that arise from people’s evil thoughts will always bring disaster to innocent people, just as is happening now in Ukraine.

“What is really happening? They had perfectly good homes, lovely families and warm relatives. For decades, they lived in peace, creating warm households -- so what happened? All that their ancestors had built, their humanity, their beautiful cities -- all  that beauty turned into this in an instant as bombs were dropped from the sky or they were attacked with firearms … Seeing this is so heartbreaking. In that place, building after building, house after house, the owners of these homes, what is it that they are really experiencing?”

Nothing Untouched in Chaos of War, We Cannot Control Sorrow and Suffering

The war between Russia and Ukraine has already lasted 100 days. Aside from the external homes and buildings that have been damaged, what is even more difficult to bear is the trauma to people’s bodies and minds and the loved ones who have been separated by death.

“The thunder of weapons fired all day is so terrifying! How do they live their lives during each of those minutes and seconds? We see in those images an old lady with injuries to her face, but did she also sustain injuries to her body? We cannot tell from the image, but we know that the injuries must be so painful! I know that their hearts are hurting even more and are even more broken. Their homes are destroyed and their bodies are injured. Their bodies are broken, their hearts are shattered, and they do not know if their families have been hurt or not. When we see those images, that suffering and sorrow is the collective karma of all sentient beings. The collective karma that they accumulated lives with them in that country. When causes and conditions came together, time accumulated and karmic forces pile up, so that, when a small group of people have disruptive ideas, inexplicably, war began and it turned into this state.”

Among the refugees, we see very young children, so adorable. Yet, while they are still in this stage of naïve ignorance, they already face such cruel reality.

“The environment they live in has suddenly turned into this. They had been the beloved treasures of their parents and grandparents, often held in their arms or carried on their backs. Then, suddenly, where are the grandparents and parents who once carried them? Are the mothers who once held them in their arms still there with them? We do not know! In those images, we see that long road and lonely children. Such small children  have to walk step by step, crying all along the way. We can see their suffering and see how arduous it is walking that way. Every time I see that image, I feel such pain in my heart.”

On those roads of escape, stories of sorrow and grief constantly play out. A 57-year-old named Antonia fled and brought her 84-year-old mother to Warsaw -- yet she herself is only 130 cm tall because of dwarfism.

“We see people with these kinds of disabilities. In this time, they too have to escape in order to survive, but how far must they walk? How miserable that must be. We see volunteers get down on their knees to be at the same height as her. She has great difficulty walking, but how far has she already come? She has already traveled 800 kilometers in order to save herself and continue living. Life is so precious. All people are greedy for life and scared of death. Life and death are truly great matters in our lives, but, unfortunately, it is out of our control.”

Road Ahead is Long and Dark with No End in Sight, Worldly Bodhisattvas Come Together in Lands of Suffering

Faced with their own country suddenly undergoing such dramatic change and everything happening so quickly, they do not know what to do. In order to survive, they have no choice but to flee to other countries.

“They escape with such difficulty, but what will their lives look like now? The road ahead is long and dark and they are not sure whether or not they will be able to return home. If they return home, what kind of home will be there? Today, they are still alive, but will they be able to pass this day in peace? If they can pass this whole day in peace, then what about tomorrow? Where will they go to tomorrow? Will they continue to walk ahead into that vast obscurity? Or will they be able to stop, think, and look around to see how far the road home is? If they want to return home, how distant is the road that they must travel? If they return, will their homes still be there? If they return, will their families still be there? They do not know if they should continue forward or turn back. They do not know any of this, so what will come next? This is what people there are experiencing now.”

Master Cheng Yen lamented that this is how war brings chaos to the world, causing people to be unable to live stable lives.. It is truly unspeakable suffering. Tzu Chi Bodhisattva Volunteers from across the world heard of this suffering and mobilized to save people from their suffering. They traveled to Poland to give out goods, comfort, and care for the refugees and help them have a temporary opportunity for their bodies and minds to rest, so that they can contemplate their future.

“Time is passing like this. Now, I communicate with Bodhisattvas all over the world every day. We have seen that there are over 40 Tzu Chi volunteers from 12 countries who have now gathered in Warsaw, Poland. And what are the Tzu Chi volunteers from all those countries doing there? They are there to help refugees. Ukrainian people had enough of the destruction of war and fled to save their lives. There are many international humanitarian organizations gathered there, and we are among them, in a spirit of humanitarianism.”

Tzu Chi volunteers cannot bear to let sentient beings suffer. So they are always ready to travel, making nothing of going vast distances to help others. Mr. Faisal Hu from Turkey is a Muslim. Yet he represents the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, traveling great distances to Catholic Poland to give out goods and assistance to Ukrainian refugees who are primarily of the Eastern Orthodox faith. In order to return to Turkey to handle his affairs, he drove by himself for over 40 hours.

“He had to drive so far by himself and where would he sleep at night? Because he was alone, Steven Huang said to him, ‘You’re traveling by yourself without anyone to keep you company, so every four hours give me a phone call.’ In short, he was not concerned about himself. He was acting on behalf of suffering sentient beings, so he didn’t seek his own peace or happiness, but traveled thousands of miles to help those refugees. He had to go home, so he drove by himself. Who but a Bodhisattva could do this? Who would be willing to take such a step?”

Awakened Sentient Beings Transcend Religion, Acting Together as Tzu Chi

Master Cheng Yen asked Faisal Hu to take pictures of the beautiful scenery along his route to share with everyone so that he would not feel too exhausted driving by himself.

“He really did take so many pictures of the scenery. He reached the Danube river, which is well known across the world. When he passed by, he took pictures of the scenery to bring back, and his heart felt as beautiful as the scenery. This is enjoying the beauty of life, but the value of life is going to help people who are suffering. Thus, no matter what religion Tzu Chi volunteers believe in, we are all called Tzu Chi volunteers. Tzu Chi volunteers are ‘awakened sentient beings’ and he is a person ‘awakened in love.’”

Master Cheng Yen kindly tells us that there have been so many stories during this process of providing aid for Ukrainian refugees that show the most beautiful scenery of human life.

“The true scenery of life is so beautiful! To be able to make use of it is beautiful! If use cannot be made of it, it is suffering! Life is half joy and half suffering, and we must be able to make use of it, so we must constantly be mindful and grateful!”