May is a month of gratitude and love. Tzu Chi volunteers in Kota Tinggi made a simple arrangement for an indigenous family to pay respect to Buddha and express gratitude to the elders at home.
On May 8, 2021, a day before Tzu Chi’s 3-in-1 celebration, eight volunteers from Kota Tinggi took an hour’s drive to Sungai Lebam to visit a Chinese-indigenous family. Besides relief supplies, the volunteers also brought along a Buddha statue for the family to pay respect to Buddha and rejoice in Buddha’s compassion and love.
Tzu Chi started caring for this family since last year, after learning about their plight from the teaching staff of SJK (T) Ladang Sungai Papan. Guided by the volunteers, the four-generation family of about 30 people, aged between two months old and over eighty years old, took turns to perform the symbolic ritual of bathing the Buddha reverently, as a sign of inner purification.
“I pray for freedom from sickness and for my whole family to be well,” uttered Tee binti Achai to the Great Enlightened One of the Universe. Tee is a widow with nine children, five of whom are still living in the same village.
Tee’s son, Chu Long Heng paid homage to Buddha together with his wife. He said, “I wish that my fishing trips will be safe and smooth, my livelihood will improve, and my five children will grow up healthy.” Most of Long Heng’s children are still schooling, and with his meagre income, he could not afford to build his own house or buy an engine for his fishing boat. Hence, he could only row his boat to sea or borrow an engine from his brothers occasionally. He was thankful for the financial assistance from Tzu Chi, which helps alleviate his burden.
A warm Mother’s Day celebration
After the ceremony, volunteers brought out a cake to celebrate Mother’s Day in advance. They also organized a warm bonding session, guiding the children to express their filial piety to their parents and elders at home by bathing the elders’ feet, serving tea, presenting flowers and a thank-you card.
Tee’s daughter, Chu Eng Eng is a mother of seven. When Eng Eng’s daughter, Emmaaculate was gently bathing her feet, her other daughter gave her a shoulder massage before serving her tea and presenting flowers to her. Eng Eng was overwhelmed with happiness as she enjoyed the five-star service from her daughters.
Emmaaculate was grateful for her mother’s hard work in raising them. She would help her mother with household chores and take care of her mother when the latter was unwell. She aimed to become a policewoman when she grows up, to serve the society and to make her family proud.
As India urgently needed international aid for its Covid-19 crisis, volunteers played a video footage to show the family how severe the situation was, and encouraged them to donate towards the cause.
Tee’s eldest son, Chu Ah Heng, has six children. His family lives in a basic stilt house. Despite living a tough life, he was grateful for the monthly assistance from Tzu Chi and wished to emulate the volunteers’ kindness. He generously donated RM50 to support Tzu Chi’s relief response in India and to send his love to those who are suffering.
Tee thanked the volunteers for organizing the simple, yet dignified Buddha Day Ceremony and filial piety activity for her family, which had allowed them to have a different Mother’s Day.
Volunteer Yeo Yoke Lin remarked, “These indigenous people hardly have any contacts with the outside world. We hope through this Buddha bathing ritual and filial piety activity, they too will have the chance to honour the Buddha and express their gratitude to their parents.”
