Receiving and Passing On Blessings

The theme for this year is: “May we do good with compassion and bring blessings to all. May we conduct ourselves with wisdom and pass on virtue.” It is Master Cheng Yen’s reminder for everyone to approach life’s matters with wisdom, as it cultivates virtue, leading to blessings throughout the family.

During her opening speech, Principal Khoo Li Lin urged everyone to cultivate a heart of gratitude and to extend a helping hand to others, using love and care as the foundation. She also explained that the red envelopes of blessings and wisdom from the Master were produced using royalties from the Master’s book publications, while the three rice grains inside the red envelopes symbolise “precepts, Samadhi, and wisdom.”

Following that, Teacher Yong Mei Teng, who is also the Head of Humanistic Culture Department, shared with the audience the relief efforts carried out by Tzu Chi after the recent earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria, causing tens of thousands of casualties and leaving countless families grieving the loss of their loved ones. The school also took the opportunity to distribute bamboo banks to everyone, calling on them to gather support for those affected by the earthquake.

◎ Kindness begins with a thought

Tears streamed down the cheeks of many as the footage of significant events that occurred in 2022 flashed by, showing one disaster after another. These were not scenes from movies, but real events happening around us. Seeing their peers overwhelmed by sadness, students seated next to them offered comfort by gently patting their shoulders. The sights of people suffering and Tzu Chi volunteers extending aid moved hearts and inspired some to join the ranks of volunteers.

Teacher Tan Kok Choong, who joined TCISKL in January this year, was deeply touched by the footage. The drought in Africa left a profound impression, and he sympathised with the residents, who faced water shortages and had to travel long distances at night to fetch water from remote areas. Despite the risk of cholera, they had no choice but to consume the water, which could be contaminated.

Teacher Tan greatly admires the compassion and wisdom displayed by Tzu Chi volunteers in digging wells for the villagers, which had significantly alleviated their plight. He aspires to follow their example and make his own contribution towards helping those in need and spreading joy. To this end, he plans to actively participate in environmental protection efforts to help safeguard our planet.

Lee Hui Yeong, the Human Resources Manager at TCISKL, has always looked forward to watching the annual “Tzu Chi Year in Review” footage, which showcases Tzu Chi’s charitable endeavours throughout the year. The video moved her to tears and reminded her of her own blessings to be able to serve others in this age of frequent disasters. As a Tzu Chi volunteer, she believes that reading scriptures or listening to Dharma teachings alone is not enough to truly understand and appreciate their meanings. It is only by serving amongst people that one can truly realise one’s blessings and cultivate a compassionate heart.

Hui Yeong revealed that it was her volunteering experience that had awakened her sense of compassion and inspired her to adopt a vegetarian diet. She also discovered that being aware of her blessings had made it easier for her to cope with challenges in her daily life. Looking back, she wished she had started her charitable efforts earlier in life, as it can be more difficult to change ingrained habits in adulthood.

Now that the students are exposed to various disasters and suffering around the world, and had witnessed the selfless work of volunteers in the spirit of Great Love, they have the potential to become a substantial force in promoting social harmony in the future, if they are instilled with good moral values and character from a young age. “While the power of an individual may be small, the collective power of a group of people working together for a common good can make the world a better place. I hope to contribute more to this collective effort myself,” said Hui Yeong.

Receiving a red envelope of blessings and wisdom from Master holds great significance for Hui Yeong. It serves as a constant reminder for her to always remember the Master’s teachings and to embody them in both her personal and professional life.

◎ Spreading love around

Renato Dela Pena from the Philippines has been teaching at TCISKL for three years. Despite having participated in the Year-end Blessing Ceremony three times, the “Tzu Chi Year in Review” footage this year still opened his eyes and touched him deeply like the previous years. For Renato, the year-end blessing is essential for everyone as it helps us understand that even a small blessing can be shared, and with the collective efforts of everyone, we can help many people.

Being part of the school community has exposed Renato to the sufferings in the world and made him realise that even if our own power is limited, we can still perform good deeds. For instance, by saving some coins in the bamboo bank daily, he could help fund the education for stateless children in Sabah. He hopes that the Year-end Blessing Ceremony will inspire and motivate students to give, and intends to follow the Master’s example of sharing blessings and helping others.

Tan Jia Yee, a Year 10 student, was saddened by the suffering of refugees, but her spirits were lifted when she saw how touched they were upon receiving assistance that appeared like miracles to them. Although young, Jia Yee is motivated and hopes to provide assistance in places in need, like the volunteers. As a student, she acknowledges that her ability to perform good deeds is limited, but she still tries to do what she can, like donating clothing items, books, and money. Each day when she puts her spare change into the bamboo bank, she also sends her love and blessings to faraway disaster victims, hoping that they will be safe and able to overcome their difficulties soon.

◎ Sending support to Türkiye

Earlier, TCISKL held a poster design competition for bamboo banks, and Heng Jia En from Year 10 won the best design award. The school produced a new batch of bamboo banks with her design and distributed them to all students, encouraging them to save their contributions for Türkiye earthquake relief in the bamboo banks and bring them back for donation on March 3.

Jia En shared that she came out with a cute design as she felt that making donations could be burdensome for students. She hoped that her design could attract them while fulfilling their wish to perform good deeds through small amounts of money. She did not realise the significance of her small action until she learned that the money collected would be combined with contributions from people worldwide to help the needy.

For Ng Kai Ning, a Year 8 student, the disasters made him realise how precious life is. He now understands the importance of loving oneself and not procrastinating to avoid having regrets in the future. He vowed to save a portion of his pocket money and make a donation in the bamboo bank daily with his family members.

During the kindergarten session, eight teachers presented the sign language rendition of the song “I Am Blessed” on stage, and the students joined them by performing along. The teachers encouraged the students to cultivate gratitude, make good wishes and donate in the bamboo bank daily, and inspire more people to perform good deeds to make a difference in others’ lives.

When a video was played, the emcee shared with the students Tzu Chi’s relief work in the earthquake-stricken areas of Türkiye and Syria. Upon receiving his bamboo bank, Loo Chern Hao, a lively and active five-year-old student, shook it and expressed his sympathy and kind intention to save money in his bamboo bank daily to enable the survivors to buy food.

●

To quote the Jing Si aphorism, “With more people comes greater strength and abundant blessings.” Everyone offered sincere prayers, sending blessings and love to the disaster-stricken areas far away.

Whatsapp