Serving Humanity

The end of another year is in sight but it looks like the pandemic will still be with us for sometime.  Added to this, many humans are suffering due to floods caused by the monsoons.  Excellent work is being done by volunteers from various walks of life to help the victims and since we at the temple cannot be of any physical help, we prayed earnestly for the victims to relieve them of their sufferings during this difficult time.

We were rather concerned when one morning, Ah Hoe announced that he would be following a group of volunteers to a small town about five hours' drive away to help them clean up the houses of some flood victims.  Taking his age into account, we felt that the task would be too heavy for him.  But nothing we said would change his mind and Head Nun finally gave him her blessings for a safe mission.

Ah Hoe kept in touch with us regularly once there.  He reported that he had been put in charge of the makeshift kitchen since he could cook but every now and then, he would follow the volunteers out to distribute the food to the victims.  Some of them had been housed in a temple and school temporarily until the waters recede and they could return to their homes.

The group spent about three weeks there before returning home as they also had their own family commitments.  We were very happy to see Ah Hoe back in one piece and after he had rested a few days, I spent some time with him to listen to the stories of his "rescue mission".

"You know, Da, after having seen the plight of those poor people, I realise more than ever how lucky and blessed I am," he said. "These people have lost their possessions, their homes have been ruined ... they were so devastated and desperate for help. You should see how their faces lit up with joy and gratitude when the volunteers gave them food and cleaned up their homes of all the mud and thrash.  I am indeed very thankful that I was able to contribute a little to this disaster."

"You did a great job, Ah Hoe and I'm sure you will be blessed for all your efforts." I said.

"Yes, so long as my body is strong and I can still walk, I shall go all out to help those who are in need."

On my way back to the temple, I pondered over what Ah Hoe had said.  Yes, we should be thankful for our blessings, however big or small. The world right now is in a chaos and no matter how hard life is, we should always be grateful for what we still have - a roof over our heads, food on the table, the love of our family and friends and much more - may we never take any of these for granted. 

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be safe.

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be in good health.

Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu.