| A Role Model | ||
| Text and photo by Liu King-pong | ||
We can always find wonderful role models for spiritual cultivation if we are mindful enough to observe the people around us. I recently had such an experience in my official duty as a liaison officer with the diplomatic corps in Taipei. Each year, members of the corps participate in two-day tours arranged by the Protocol Department of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The tours help participants acquire a better understanding of Taiwan’s technological advances in fields such as grouper aquaculture, biotechnology, and agriculture in central and southern Taiwan. At the end of January this year, Foreign Minister David Lin led over 70 foreign diplomats to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. The diplomats hailed from countries all over the world, including India, the Netherlands, and Guatemala. They visited Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center, and Little Liuqiu, Taiwan’s only coral island. I was assigned by MOFA to help receive the minister and the distinguished guests. It was really interesting to tour these places with people from all over the world. After listening to a briefing given by a manager in the biotechnology park, we visited a pharmaceutical company within the park that specialized in producing Chinese herb powders. “It’s amazingly convenient for people nowadays to take Chinese medicine using packs of powder, instead of using the traditional method of brewing various kinds of herbs for hours and then drinking the soup,” I mentioned to an elegantly dressed woman standing beside me. “It sure is!” she replied. After chatting for a while, I was surprised to learn that the woman was the wife of Minister Lin, and that moreover she was a Tzu Chi volunteer. “I’m a Tzu Chi volunteer, too. May I have your name?” I asked. “Oh, Yu Kuen-tzu [余坤慈]. It’s really not important since it’s just a name.” As we talked, I learned that Yu has served for many years as a volunteer in one of Tzu Chi’s recycling stations in Taipei. I couldn’t help but admire her, a graceful woman with such a high social status who doesn’t hesitate to humble herself and sort recyclable garbage for the Tzu Chi Foundation. “Only a few people in the station know who I am, and I asked them to keep it secret… I only hope to obey Master Cheng Yen’s instruction to ‘Just do it!’ by doing a little something for our society,” she remarked with a smile. Her comments reminded me of a passage in the Diamond Sutra: “If a bodhisattva [still] clings to the false notion of an ego, a personality, a being, and a life, he is not a true bodhisattva.” Yu is obviously a bona fide spiritual cultivator who no longer clings to any egocentricity or falsely perceives herself as someone real or significant; all she cares about is whether she can make any contributions to society. Out of curiosity, I asked her what her secret was in dealing with people and matters in daily life. “Oh, I just imagine that both the Buddha and the Master are standing in front of me, and I keep reminding myself not to say or do anything that they would not say or do,” she responded. Yu surprised me with this simple but effective technique, and she amazed me again with her poise on the ferry to Little Liuqiu. The two of us sat together so that we could exchange views on personal spirituality and the Master’s teachings. That day the boat encountered nasty weather and a rough sea. I suddenly started to sweat profusely as we swung up and down like a roller coaster. I took out my handkerchief time and again to wipe away beads of sweat on my forehead. Needless to say, I could no longer carry on the conversation with Yu. Tormented by nausea, I could only close my eyes and cling tightly to the armrests. As the ferry approached the island, the sea finally calmed. I opened my eyes and said to Yu, “I guess I was a little seasick just now. Are you all right?” “I’m doing fine. I simply chanted the holy name of the Buddha in my heart,” Yu replied calmly. She illustrated the effect of her cultivation through her peaceful and composed manner that day. She will surely continue to serve as a role model for me in pursuing my own spiritual cultivation. |
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