Inspired by Malaysian Tzu Chi volunteers’ efforts in promoting the campaign, “A Million Good Bodhisattvas,” Singapore volunteers in the Central Zone made an aspiration to recruit at least 2,500 donating members within the following three months. (Photo by Chua See Siew)
“Good morning, bodhisattvas! Have you started recruiting donating members today?” Every morning, Tzu Chi volunteers in the Central Zone would be greeted with this warm reminder from their Zone leader Hong De Qian when they logged on to their WhatApp instant messaging platform on their smartphones.
At the trainee commissioner training camp held in Tzu Chi Singapore in July 2014, a few Tzu Chi volunteers from Malaysia shared their efforts in promoting the campaign, “A Million Good Bodhisattvas,” by recruiting donating members for Tzu Chi locally. Inspired by such acts of love, and taking to heart Master Cheng Yen’s frequent reminder that time is running out to mitigate the continual disasters that plague the world, Central Zone volunteers at the camp made an aspiration to extensively recruit bodhisattvas (donating members) from the community. It is hoped that such a mission could bring about a cycle of goodness that would help mitigate disasters in the world.
During the Central Zone meeting at the camp, volunteers, Huang Hui Chan, Huang Lian Rong, and Su Xiu Qin stood up to share their experiences in soliciting donations from their family and friends, and even businesses they patronized. With encouragement and guidance from the Deputy CEO of Tzu Chi Singapore Kenny Khoo and Central Zone leaders, Hong De Qian and Chen Xi Zhi, the volunteers understood even more that recruiting donating members is about inspiring kindness in people and sowing seeds of goodness in their hearts. Thus they made a vow to recruit 2,500 kind hearts (donating members) in three months. By working together to do what is right and good, the volunteers aim to inspire love in people and help bring purity to their hearts.
After the training camp, the Central Zone volunteers immediately put their inspiration and love into action. Markets, shops, companies, workplaces, etc. are all spiritual training grounds; as long as the volunteers are willing to share about Tzu Chi with others, they would meet kind-hearted people wherever they are. Instead of passively waiting for people to come to them, the volunteers became very spontaneous, taking the initiative to share information about Tzu Chi with people they meet every day. In the process, they discovered that there were actually kind-hearted people everywhere, who were very willing to give what they could to help the needy when approached.
“I bring along a ‘hook’ and a ’net’ when I go out every day. I’d first ‘hook up’ with people and arouse their curiosity (in Tzu Chi). Once their love is inspired, I will quickly ‘round them up with my net’,” said Huang Hui Chan humorously, smiling happily. She further shared that one has to first be “thick-skinned” and patient as well as amiable while attempting to solicit donations from others. Before becoming a trainee volunteer, she had already recruited donating members from 40-50 households. She was appointed a community group leader after becoming a trainee volunteer, and she felt most joyous when people asked her, “Are you working? What do you do?”, because that would give her an excellent opportunity to share Tzu Chi’s inspiring work with others.
When 500 people work together with hearts united, they can be just like a Thousand-Armed Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Huang Hui Chan had made a promise to Zone leader Hong De Qian to recruit 250 donating members, which is half a Guan Yin Bodhisattva. While at a vegetarian restaurant, she would happily chat with the customers and get connected with them. Then she would invite them to join Tzu Chi as donating members and volunteers. Due to her pure and sincere heart, she had not only won support from the customers but even the owner of the vegetarian restaurant!
Inspiring Kindness to Create Blessings
On 13 August 2014S, Central Zone volunteers had a gathering at the Jing Si Hall for the first time since their Zone was formed in February this year after a reorganization of the Zones. Some volunteers went up to share their experiences and joy in recruiting kind hearts, and gave their encouragement to everyone present. Among those who shared was Central Zone leader Chen Xi Zhi, who had set a fine example for her fellow volunteers. She never forgot to share Tzu Chi’s work with others daily and would also share stories of how she recruited donating members on the Central Zone WhatsApp chat group. The more kind hearts she recruited, the more joyful she felt. Chen never gave up on any of her friends or relatives, tirelessly working to inspire kind hearts every day. Her loving heart and the good work she did even had a positive influence on her son and her daughter, who was sick.
“A stranger is just a friend you have not gotten to know yet.” When we make good wishes and share about Tzu Chi with people every day, we will discover that there are in fact many kind-hearted people around us. There is even a volunteer who shared Tzu Chi with her cardiologist during an appointment, and managed to recruit him as her donating member.
The volunteers introduce Tzu Chi to people wherever they go. Through teamwork and information sharing via Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups, they are able to recruit donating members in a timely manner regardless of where they are. With their strong will, they have overcome their self-imposed obstacles to live out their aspirations. Volunteers in all the ten community groups in Central Zone have been actively working to recruit kind hearts; in less than two months, they have recruited nearly 2,000 donating members, only short of some 700 people to reach their goal of 2,500.
Inspired and moved by the Central Zone volunteers’ efforts, Tzu Chi volunteers in the other three Zones in Singapore also sprang into action and started doing the same. It is hoped that such a power of love and goodness can deeply take root in everyone’s heart. In order to bring about a better society, Tzu Chi volunteers in Singapore take it as their duty to inspire love in people’s hearts, with the aim of recruiting countless kind hearts and creating boundless blessings for all.
Deputy CEO of Tzu Chi Singapore, Kenny Khoo, and Central Zone leaders, Hong De Qian and Chen Xi Zhi encouraged the volunteers to work to inspire kindness in people by sowing seeds of goodness in their hearts. (Photo by Chua See Siew)
On 13 August, Central Zone volunteers had their first gathering at the Jing Si Hall, where they received encouragement and guidance from their Zone leaders and fellow volunteers in recruiting donating members. (Photo by Alvin Tan)
Huang Hui Chan, Tang Pei Ling, Su Xiu Zhen and Su Xiu Qin (from left to right) share their experiences and joy in recruiting kind hearts. (Photo by Alvin Tan)
Tzu Chi Singapore’s CEO Low Swee Seh (first from right), was present at the Central Zone volunteers’ gathering to encourage the volunteers and affirm their efforts. (Photo by Alvin Tan)
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