Our Good Affinities

20230426 Online Study Group Kaohsiung

Presenter: Ruyu Deng

Range: The Footprints of Master Cheng Yen – Summer Volume, 6/3-6/9/2022

Translator: Jiang Qiulin (江秋霖)

Reviewer: Tsai Yushan (蔡雨珊)

Proofread: Hannah Frazer

Final Editor: Su Jihou (蘇紀豪)

On February 24, 2022, the Russia-Ukraine War broke out, with bombings and devastation happening anytime, anywhere. Over millions of Ukrainians fled to neighboring European countries for refuge. Ukraine declared a military mobilization order. Men aged 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country. The saddest part was that families had to be forced apart. The left was elderly, sick, women, and children. How would they survive in the homeless place? Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all a problem. Where are their homes? With the war raging on, it’s impossible for them to return to their homes. This refugee crisis has sparked the civic consciousness of the Polish people. They opened their homes proactively to shelter the Ukrainians.

We are eager to do more for these Ukrainian refugees. Tzu Chi recruited local volunteer seeds who are able to help with emergency relief and distribution of goods. "Our Good Affinities" – said Zhang Shuer, who married in Poland, and previously worked for Da Ai TV. She was the first that contacted Tzu Chi. She and her husband, Lucas were willing to provide emergency supports.  Volunteers in Europe have called on everyone in the world to harness their compassion and put them into action. 

Ukrainians fled their homeland under the ravages of war, and it was a difficult and heart-wrenching process, as was in the case of Hannah, who, with her two sons, crowded onto the platform of a train station teeming with people. During the wait, there was a moment when she was separated from one of her sons and being separated from loved ones in a time of crisis, even for just a few minutes, was the most frightening and terrifying moment of Hannah's life. Fortunately, Hannah eventually encountered Tzu Chi volunteers, who helped her settle down physically and emotionally, who also accompanied and cared for the Ukrainians who were living away from home.

The incredible connections of causality are necessary for Tzu Chi's relief work around the world. They require local "seeds" to sprout to come to fruition. In the June-7th-2022 broadcast of "Life Wisdom - The Transmission of Good Karma" (5'00"~6'03"), the Venerable Master Cheng Yen speaks: "From that moment, finding a benefactor, someone who can help those suffering and fleeing, is a matter of affinity. Of course, we cannot help everyone, but we must be mindful of when and where those who can save lives and those who need saving cross paths. Only then can we offer our assistance. This is a matter of timing, of space, and of the relationships between people. Only through the alignment of these factors can we make a difference.

The value of life lies in the relationship between people. Because of affinities, we meet each other, and good things happen because of the good karma we create together.

Those who have suffered and received help find peace physically and mentally, and those who have helped others receive the seeds of blessings and goodness. Compassion must also be accompanied with wisdom, as demonstrated through the idea proposed by Chang Shu-er and Lucas who distribute aid cards. Through this distribution, they saw the dignity of the Ukrainian people and hoped to allow them to choose the aid they needed by themselves.

However, as the Russia-Ukraine war dragged on and tensions rose, the brief respite of fleeing turned into a long-term exile, and the short-term relief turned into a prolonged stay. Later, they encountered inflation, and those who wanted to help never imagined that their assistance would become so heavy. But it was their great love that allowed them to maintain their intentions and actions of helping others. Fortunately, there is such a group of people so that the Ukrainians who suddenly suffered from the war can temporarily rely on them.

On June 11, 2022, in the video "Human Bodhi - Compassionate Wisdom Sowing Period Joint Practice" (0’52~1’24), Master Cheng Yen said, "With a single thought, our life can help so many people. If we do not have the intention to help, what will happen to those refugees? Although we may not be able to help every single one of them, we can at least help those who have a connection with us."

The aspiration of kindness is like a budding sprout, as Master Cheng Yen once said, "It is a seed that can be brought back to Ukraine to be cultivated and sown, and they will grow into trees with numerous causes and conditions from countless people. "Therefore, at the moment we aspired, we should let the seed of enlightenment take root. The path to enlightenment in the human world requires bodhisattvas in the human world to pave the way, so that the path can become wider and wider as it traveled.

In our era, we have rare and precious opportunities. What was impossible in the time of the Buddha can now be achieved through technology, which allows us to receive information in a timely manner and to immediately act upon what needs to be done. Through online cloud-based learning, we must seize the opportunity and cultivate both the merit and wisdom.