The 2008 Annual Camp for cadre members was held from October 25 to 27 at Tzu Chi Melaka. The participants included four senior volunteers from Taiwan and more than 600 volunteers from central-south Peninsular Malaysia, East Malaysia and Singapore. Picture:The annual camp is indeed a grand occasion for it provides an opportunity for the local members to meet up with their Taiwanese counterparts

Four Taiwanese volunteers arriving at Malacca Jing Si Hall for the Annual Camp for cadre members.

Master Cheng Yen was ‘brought’ to Melaka Jing Si Hall via videoconferencing. Participants had the opportunity to attend the morning assembly and listen to Master Cheng Yen live via videoconferencing.

Sister Lau Foon Mui shared on how the community volunteers realized their good fortune through grant-in-aid home visit activities.

The educational team representatives, Lim Geok Cheo, Li Shu Zhu, Chen Shu Qing and Cai Yi Dan, talked about how to create a bright future for our children.

Watching Da Ai TV to learn dharma is Su Qi Feng’s homework everyday.

Sister Zhang Xiu Hua provided answers to the doubts that many have towards vegetarianism.

Upholding Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s teaching, Tzu Chi volunteers have been relentlessly spreading Great Love in Taiwan and worldwide. The Annual Camp is always a precious time for volunteers from various Tzu Chi Chapters in Malaysia to gain enlightenment and strength to forge ahead with Tzu Chi’s work in the coming year.

Besides the 636 participants, there were 120 helpers who were assigned to prepare meals, do house-keeping or control traffic. The camp was meant to be a ‘zero waste camp’.

Purifying minds with four missions and eight footprints

Master Cheng Yen mentioned in her ‘Wisdom at Dawn’ segment, that all beings share a collective karma. Karma is created by the mind, and it is only through purification of minds can we save the world. One must therefore create good karma which is the true value of life. However, understanding through literature is truly incomparable to one’s experiences through actual participation in the work of Tzu Chi. The process of spiritual cultivation is to nurture virtue and rectify conduct and behaviour. We must nourish the seeds of love in our minds with wisdom and dharma in the hope of inviting more kind individuals to cultivate the field of blessings.

Local volunteers, Lau Foon Mui, Tan Chee Wei, Lim Geok Choe and the Great Love Mother team members, Su Qi Feng and Zhang Xiu Hua, shared on the charity, medical, educational, cultural and environmental protection mission respectively. The reporting session was ended with a summary speech delivered by Echo Chien, CEO of Tzu Chi Kuala Lumpur. She urged everyone to shoulder responsibility in the various functions courageously.

During the sharing session on the educational mission, Sister Lim Geok Choe said that “Life cannot be considered a success unless we live it to the fullest. Tzu Chi volunteers must maintain their initial resolution and continuously work with diligence.”

Su Qi Feng added that “Through our efforts to purify minds, we can protect ourselves from false thoughts and the withering of our wisdom, while developing and strengthening our own inner benevolence.”

Externally, the work of Tzu Chi is to purify the minds of people; while internally, it is to cultivate our own minds. Saving the world starts with saving the mind. Peace of mind produces right values which, in turn, produce right thoughts; and right thoughts produce right action. Therefore, we need to take care of our minds, honour ourselves, and work as one.

Brother Huang Qing Fa from Taiwan took the opportunity to share his experience in Tzu Chi. He told the participants that unless we could study Master’s teachings with all our hearts, our understanding would remain very superficial. Cultivation is all about one’s heart. One cannot cut corners in the heart.

All Tzu Chi volunteers were urged to install Da Ai TV in order to watch programmes like “Life’s Wisdom”, “the Essence of Bodhi Mind”, “Wisdom at Dawn”, and “Master’s Journey” as much as possible because this is the way to learn Dharma.