Report From Nantou——

Fellow initiates in Nantou visit poor orphaned children.

Besides visiting families whose husbands and fathers were severely disabled or had passed away the Nantou Center especially visited children who were orphans. They discovered some children were forced to work at a young age to sustain their younger brothers and sisters; some even lived with their grandparents in very unfortunate conditions. Older people without family support were also visited.

The Center especially sponsored a compassionate person who silently took care of homeless animals. She was born in a poor family, so hunger was common during her childhood. She often had only one meal a day, so she deeply felt the pain of starving animals and people. She helped homeless people, deranged wanderers and stray animals. She spent all she earned on feeding and healing animals. Every day, she searches each part of the city for homeless animals and feeds them. Currently, she is caring for almost a hundred of them. Whenever she sees helpless, homeless people on the street, she often buys hot meals for them. We regard her as a very special person in our work to help those in urgent need.

During the Chinese New Year season, the comforting financial assistance from Master has brought tremendous warmth and encouragement to this benevolent person, who has never stopped serving others despite her own unfortunate circumstances. Fellow initiates in Nantou visit poor orphaned children.

Report From Hsinchu——

When conducting an experiment in his university laboratory, a graduate student, Mr. Ma, was hit by a concrete pillar weighing almost a ton, seriously injuring him. His vital signs were almost nil when rushed to hospital. After going through seven operations, he was discharged. However, since the hospital doctors were mainly concerned with saving his life, his dislocated pelvis was not properly aligned so this continues to cause him serious problems. Apart from having to go through another major and complicated operation, the recovery time is expected to be long.

All the teachers and students at the university, and even others not connected with the university, are concerned about him. The accident also instigated an unprecedented thorough review of safety procedures in university laboratories.

Coincidentally, brother Chen of the Hsinchu Center was also a student at the same university, so he promptly informed the public about the mishap that befell Mr. Ma. Subsequently, the amount of donations collected reached a sizable figure.

The Hsinchu Center also helped in this donation drive. Since learning about this accident, fellow practitioners understand better the ephemeral nature of this world, which further strengthens their faith in working hard on their spiritual practice. While praying for the early recovery of Mr. Ma, we hope mankind will work together to uplift our planet's spiritual level, so as to attain eternal safety within.

Report From Changhua——

The founder of Erhlin Happy Christian Home, Ms. Joyce, express her gratitude to Master on behalf of the Center.

This time, members of the Changhua Center visited the Erhlin Happy Christian Home, and about thirty destitute households near the seaside in Da Cheng.

When we arrived at the Children's Home, waiting at the entrance to welcome us was the founder, Ms. Joyce, who is an American, with the Superintendent and staff members.

More than thirty years ago, Ms. Joyce left America with a missionary and medical group to spread the gospel in Formosa. She was saddened to see children near the Zu Xui River who suffered from polio and could not afford to go to school. Immediately she went back to her hometown, sold her properties, and raised money from her friends and relatives to build a home for these children, thus founding the Erhlin Happy Christian Home.

Their main objective is to accommodate and educate children suffering from medium, serious or very serious mental disabilities; and they are working hard to build a sanatorium for mentally retarded old folks. They follow the loving spirit example of Jesus Christ to serve people in the world.

The most endearing characteristic in this Children's Home is their loving way of educating the children. The teachers and volunteer workers care for and educate the children as if they were their own, helping them overcome both physical and psychological obstacles. They teach the children to appreciate God's love in their daily lives, and to learn skills with an optimistic attitude in order to be independent, strong and helpful to other people. About four hundred students have graduated and most of them can now be of service to society.

Fellow initiates also visited about thirty destitute households. Most of them were devastated by physical disabilities or illnesses. Some people were painfully alone as they had no family members left alive. Watching them struggling for survival in such a painful way, no one could refrain from feeling sad. Once again, fellow initiates fully appreciated Master's compassion that conveys God's glory and love to every corner of the world. The founder of the Erhlin Happy Christian Home, Ms. Joyce, expresses her gratitude to Master on behalf of the Center.

Report From Tainan——

Mr. Fu Yen-Hsiung of the Tainan Association for Spinal Injury Victims accompanies fellow initiates during visits to households affected by tragedy.

The Tainan Association for Spinal Injury Victims provided the list of families that fellow practitioners visited. The Executive Director, Mr. Fu Yen-Hsiung, even accompanied fellow practitioners when they went to the families homes. Most of these households faced financial difficulties because working family members were injured in traffic accidents or were chronically paralyzed and therefore could no longer work. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Mr. Fu, our team members promptly delivered the much needed money to them.

Our visit extended to the desolate regions of Liu Jia, Hou Bi, Liu Ying, Dong Shan and Jiang Jun. Worth mentioning was the Village Chief of Shi An Village in Hou Bi. Touched by Master's virtuous actions, he personally joined in the relief work.

In some of the destitute families, both parents were handicapped and couldn't take care of their children. In other families, all children were either physically or mentally disabled, imposing an extremely heavy burden on their parents.

Living in a crude little house, a grandmother over seventy years old had to raise her granddaughter alone. When she heard that Master was giving her a traditional Red Envelope for the New Year, she cried with joy and felt that this year was much warmer than those past.

Among those visited was an old war veteran whose pension was completely gone because of swindling by others. His present abode was practically a heap of ruins. His wife and two children were all mentally disabled. This family of four lived entirely on the ten-thousand N.T dollars a month from the government. The timely donation from Supreme Master Ching Hai helped them to enjoy a happier Chinese New Year.

Under the Liu Jia Bridge was a transport container in which an unfortunate family lived. The old mother could hardly walk, and her children's legs were deformed by polio. Upon receiving the donation, a delightful smile lit up the face of the old woman.

A couple was rendered jobless because they were injured in a fall. When fellow practitioners came to convey Master's concern to them, they were deeply touched and continued to hold the fellow practitioners' hands. The tears in their eyes reflected how grateful they were to Master for caring about the poor in Formosa despite being aboard. They hoped that they could also care for others when they get on their feet again. There was an old lady who was over seventy. She had raised seven children, but was eventually abandoned. She sustained herself by making handicrafts. When fellow practitioners saw her, she was feeling very dejected and refused to say anything. Our team members told her that there were still people in the world who cared about her. Then, Master's love warmed her heart. When the team bid farewell to her, a rare smile finally appeared on her face.

In Liu Jia Village, there was a single, homeless man who collected scrap materials for a living. When he knew it was Supreme Master Ching Hai's fellow practitioners coming to visit, he was so happy that he exclaimed: "Thanks, Master!" He said that no one ever cared for him, so he was very surprised and emotional to have someone visiting him on New Years eve.

All fellow practitioners who joined the visiting team said that they felt God's supreme blessing that helped them accomplish their mission successfully, and spread Hiers love to the people in need.

Mr. Fu Yen-Hsiung of the Tainan Association for Spinal Injury Victims accompanies fellow initiates during visits to households affected by tragedy.

Report From Kaosiung And Pintung——

Fellow practitioners from the Kaosiung and Pintung Centers visited the Private Kong Tuo Children's Home located in a remote country area. The children accommodated by the Home included orphans, the handicapped, those having only one parent and those from dysfunctional families. Their ages ranged from four to twenty-six. Half of the residents suffer mental or physical disabilities.

The person in charge told us, when he first took up charitable work he only compiled cases of children lacking proper care and disseminated the information to various Homes. Later, he found that the number of cases that were not accepted increased continuously, so he thought of establishing a Home for these children. During these twelve years, all the children in this Home have been well taken care of, and the normal children were provided with a good education.

Fellow practitioners also visited several destitute families. Some of them collect discarded materials for a living. Some have financial problems because working family members have died, or because tragedies suddenly struck. Upon receiving Master's material and spiritual assistance, they saw light in their gloomy future and knew that they were no longer alone in life.

Report From Peng Hu——

There are many poor villages in the countryside of Peng Hu. During our visit, we appreciated the assistance from village executives, police officers and passers-by who eagerly showed us around.

Most of the places visited were fishing villages. Many families experienced difficulties because of sea disasters. We were deeply touched by some strong willed and hard working women we saw. Some of these households might be poor, but they managed to live a happy and contented life within a very tight budget.

With the implementation of government welfare policies some families have been well taken care of. However, there were others, though listed as destitute families, who have not yet received their entitled subsidy. Before making our visit, we first tried to get a clearer picture of the living conditions of these families, and then calculated the amount of relief money to be given.

Families receiving our help were both surprised and delighted. We told them it was all due to Master's love. We hope their lives will somehow improve from the financial donation bestowed by God! We also encouraged them not to feel too look down upon themselvs but to take good care of themselves and their families.

Report From Yilan——

Master has mercifully allocated some money acquired through Her charity sales to provide relief for the poor and needy people in Yilan. Immediately upon receiving the notification, fellow practitioners launched an investigation into how to best distribute the money.

In a cold wind and rain, the Executive Officer of Su O Town Office drove us to the designated area while briefing us on the situation. In this fishing port, there are many single-parent families because the husbands have been lost at sea, leaving behind wives, children and old parents in a helpless situation. There were also many disabled and lonely senior citizens. When the visiting team distributed traditional envelopes (containing good luck money for the New Year) to the needy, they were very thankful.

Because we wanted to cover the whole Su O region quickly, the team was split into several groups. Guided by a worker from the Nan O Village Office, fellow practitioners visited the desolate village of Bi Hou. The inhabitants there are mostly native people living in dire poverty. One thing common about these poor families was the enormous burden shouldered by the matriarch alone, since most men often lost their lives while working or were serious disabled. However, they were optimistic in nature and were able to live a happy life despite the difficult situation. They even managed to keep the environment tidy and orderly with very limited resources.

Report From Hualien——

When the Hualien Center received money from Master to help poor people, fellow practitioners braved heavy rain and promptly visited the destitute households conveying Master's love and concern to them. Upon receiving this helpful money, they were extremely grateful to Master for Her mercy and care.
Several families could not afford to pay their children's school fees. When Master's timely financial assistance reached them they were so touched that they thanked Her repeatedly.

The Hualien Family Helping Center is an organization working for the benefit of children. For thirty years, they have been providing financial help, emergency relief and counseling to destitute families in the Hualien region. Their experience and skills in social service enables them to provide a reasonable service to families in need. These families are often hit by a chain of mishaps. Consequently, they are heavily in debt and this puts enormous pressure on them. Therefore, the Hualien Center often gives practical help to needy households recommended by the Family Helping Center.

Fellow practitioners also visited several mountain regions. Most of the mountain people work outside the region, away from their wives, children and old parents. To make things worse, some mountain citizens are alcoholics because they have no purpose in life. The hygienic conditions and environment are far from satisfactory. Yet we realize that their material poverty is secondary to their spiritual poverty, which is the real cause of their distress.

Report From Taitung——

Fellow initiates in Taitung spread Master's loving care to needy people hidden in unknown corners of society.

The Chinese New Year fell within a cold winter, and the weather was very unpredictable. Fellow practitioners visited some poor families in desolate areas, taking with them Master's compassion and a variety of Spring Festival couplets exquisitely written by resident disciples. Apart from the relief money and materials, what these poor people needed most was love.

Most of the families visited comprised of elderly folks who are lonely and forgotten. Many of them are disabled or bedridden and live under miserable conditions, lacking material and spiritual help. Apart from giving them financial relief, fellow practitioners also expressed their concern for them with loving words. In our hearts, we prayed to our merciful Master to bless these old folks, so they could live their remaining years cheerfully.

Some younger people we visited were victims of accidents that left them physically disabled or suffering from long-term illnesses, which caused major upheavals in their families mainly due to a lack of income. When we saw them on our previous visit, they looked extremely dejected, but with the encouragement and consolation of fellow practitioners, the dark clouds hovering over their gloomy faces slowly dispersed. When we visited them again recently, they cheerfully talked to us about their daily lives. Having realized the ephemeral nature of this world, a person we visited even said she would become a vegetarian. It is the hope of all fellow practitioners that this group of people will have a brighter future.

In one family, we visited a person suffering from major decompression sickness. When we saw him four months ago, he had completely shut himself away from the outside world. This time, we found him full of gratitude. Touched by Master's boundless love, he was filled with bliss, and has recovered his long lost smile. Reluctant to part with us, he walked us to the door, supporting himself on crutches, and waved farewell to us.

After this activity, fellow practitioners more earnestly seek out those forgotten by society, hoping more people can benefit from Master's infinite blessing of love. Fellow initiates in Taitung spread Master's loving care to needy people hidden in unknown corners of society.

Report From Taipei——

Master often reminds us that when we do spiritual practice, we should not only meditate, but we should also have love and compassion. By participating in the activity of visiting poor families, our fellow initiates had an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the endless suffering in the world, and hence develop our love. We realized that the aged people who were extremely in need, and the sick women who touched us deeply, could be Buddhas who were helping us to develop our love and thus helping us progress toward the attainment of Buddhahood.

There was one elderly person in Taipei, Mr. Chen, who frequently suffered from apoplexy and had been confined in bed for a long time. His son had quit his job and was staying home to take care of him. They had used up all their savings, and depended on help from their relatives, which was limited. When we visited them, they were in the process of applying for "low income family" status. Since this process took time, the government had not yet provided them with the support they needed.

When the new year came, Mr. Chen junior wanted to find a nursing home for his father to ensure he would have a good new year. Master's emergency relief fund helped him to fulfill this wish. Now Mr. Chen junior can go back to work and his younger sister can also have money to continue her school studies. Once the government subsidy is approved, their family life will be improved further. Therefore, a little timely help sometimes can have a significant effect.
Ms. Ho is a single mother. Due to a brain tumor that presses against her optic nerve, she is almost blind. She has an aged mother and a daughter to support, so she is in a very stressful situation. Our fellow initiates conveyed Master's loving care to her. We also told her that, although she could not see the rights and wrongs of the outside world, our inner world is more beautiful. We encouraged her to pray often to the Buddhas for help. She said to us in an emotional tone, "Thank Master!" Fellow initiates also sincerely prayed to all the Buddhas as well as Master to bless her so that she could get good medical care and quickly recover her vision.

Our fellow initiates in Taipei also specially supported the Friendship Handicapped Welfare Society and distributed goods to poor handicapped people. In total, we contributed 284 bags of rice and 568 bottles of oil. These goods were distributed to 176 poor handicapped people. Among them, some suffered from facial injuries, some from brain paralysis, some from polio, some from spinal injuries, some were quadrapalegic, et cetera.

Report From Taoyuan——

Recently fellow initiates in Taoyuan visited a couple, whom they thought might have an inadequate life-style and diet. Therefore, they made several nutritious vegetarian dishes and delivered them with Master's loving care. In a delightful atmosphere, they told them that a vegetarian diet not only provided enough nutrition, but also had all kinds of benefits and causes no harm. Before they left, they encouraged them to take good care of themselves and not to neglect their nutrition.

When they visited them again to give them relief money, they happily told the fellow initiates that they were ready to begin a vegetarian diet. Since they did not know how to cook vegetarian food, they specially bought a vegetarian cookbook. They even put Master's sample booklet and News magazines on their bedside stand to read before they went to sleep each night. They had never followed Buddhism before, but they began to play the Amitabha Buddha chant audio tape twenty-four hours a day. Later, they found out that among their old friends were some of our fellow initiates, who were also silently doing good deeds.

This couple's true happiness affected us. We felt so happy for them, for they had the affinity to listen to the supreme teachings of the Buddha. This was truly a reflection of the adage, "Worry is Bodhi (enlightenment) and illness is a blessing!"

Report From Taichung——

Recently, we distributed urgent relief funds in mountainous, coastal and urban areas in Taichung. At one location, there was a woman who had recently been released from prison. As soon as she saw Master's News Magazines, she was touched and kept shedding tears. She said that she often read Master's magazines and sample booklet when she was in jail. She was surprised that Master continued to take care of her even after she had been released.

There was also a man in the area who was a painter. Due to his profession, he suffered from an unknown illness and had to stay at home for a long time. He and his six little children had to depend on his wife to earn money by doing handiwork, along with support from some charitable organizations. Therefore, he was very depressed and felt abased. Our fellow initiates lovingly comforted and encouraged him, and sincerely hoped for his recovery.

Many people live in acute privation in the Tungshi area, especially some helpless aged people. So we tried to go to remote areas and look for these needy families. Among the destitute households that we helped, some had members who suffered from illnesses or had been in car accidents; and some had encountered financial difficulties because of a family member's mental illness, business bankruptcy or compulsive gambling. Having contacted these unfortunate people, fellow initiates on the relief team cherished their own blessed rewards even more and wanted to practice wholeheartedly to leave the bitter sea of the physical world.

Supreme Master Ching Hai's contributions for the urgent needs of the Formosan people: breakdown of expenditure for February 1997 (Currency: NT dollars)

Photos of Appendix

Formosa USA