Chen Shao Hong (right) conversed in fluent Hokkien to Grandma Liu and also helped to explain what she said to his Tzu Ching counterpart, Li Yu Hui (left). (Photo by Lai Tong Heng)
What drives a popular artiste to turn towards promoting the relatively unpopular art of traditional Chinese opera? And while many youths yearn to find financially fulfilling jobs in the city, what sort of determination lies behind an educator’s choice to live a simple life among the fields?
During the Tzu Collegiate Youth (Tzu Ching) training camp, two invited speakers shared with participants the journey they made to pursue their dreams.
Promoting Chinese Opera — Just Do It
Currently the Vice President of JCI (Junior Chamber International) Mandarin Singapore, Nick Shen used to be a well-known face on television. In 2012, he left the industry to promote traditional Chinese opera, his passion since his childhood days. He focused his efforts particularly within the school campuses and incorporated moral values into introducing the art form. He joked that students tended not to delve very deeply into their cultural roots and when asked which Chinese dialect group they were from, they would offer the reply: “I am a Singaporean.”
As the techniques in Chinese opera require a long period of effort to master, they can become boring to the practitioner. Hence, Shen hopes to introduce the art of Teochew opera to students through more interesting methods.
The previous year, Shen was honored as a recipient under the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Person Award 2014. Having taken part in Tzu Chi Singapore’s 2013 “Dharma as Water” stage production playing the role of Dharma Master Wu Da, he expressed how in our life path, having virtuous friends and teachers, as well as forming positive karmic affinities with others, are very important.
“Master Cheng Yen has held on to her conviction unwaveringly for 50 years and is the teacher I look upon with regard. Whenever I am faced with challenges, I will encourage myself with the Jing Si Aphorism, “When it is the right thing to do, just do it.” Shen urged his young listeners to have the courage to pursue their ideals, saying that though many people believe that success brings happiness, yet the reality is that we must first be happy before we can achieve success.
Living in Harmony with Mother Earth
Chen Rong Yao grew up in a kampong, and this experience has taught him to love nature with a passion. Recalling how in his childhood he used to be so close to the lushness of nature, the sight of diminishing numbers of trees and polluted water brought him grief. It has always been his wish to develop an eco-tourist venture on a plot of land, thus deriving an income even as he promotes environmentalism. His ideals drove him to give up a stable job and build a tree house at the foot of the Taman Sri Pulai hill in Johor, Malaysia, with his own hands.
In his journey, Chen had his share of ups and downs; there was a period of time where he had to borrow money from friends just to get by and is grateful whenever he thinks of the support he received from his family and the people around him. Subsequently, Chen got to know about organic farming and decided to promote eco-awareness, so that the next generation can experience the beauty of nature and work towards a greener earth.
“When man and the Earth co-exist, we reap the rewards from the Earth. I’m positive about what I do, because if one does not have much to lose in doing something, then (that matter) warrants the act. A person should strive to achieve his ideals before he hits 30.” Chen volunteers his help to cancer patients in the last stages of their life, and knows the fragility of life. He shared, “One must know what he lives for.”
An Exercise of Impermanence in Life
During the experiential exercise session, silence descended on the Jing Si Hall (the camp venue). The sounds of the participants’ breathing could be heard, and as the morning sun filtered through the gaps in the curtains, they illuminated streaks of tears on the faces of the Tzu Chings.
This unique exercise was a simulation of a passenger airplane disaster; a mattress was used as “passenger seats” and the Tzu Chings, in their role as “passengers,” were blindfolded and met with “turbulence” and an “air crash.” The facilitators shook the edges of the mattress vigorously during the simulation, and the Tzu Chings could be heard shrieking in panic. This was followed by the loud announcement: “(We are) unable to bring you to your destination!” before a loud blast was heard. In the silence that ensued in the aftermath, participants took down their blindfolds and a video of the 1985 Japan Airlines Flight 123 disaster was screened. In this disaster, seen as the third worst air disaster in history, letters from the victims were recovered in which they had written their last words to their loved ones.
This was an impactful lesson and provoked a wealth of emotions in the participants such as terror, helplessness and resentment. Pan Yi Yin experienced particularly strong resentment during the exercise and said: “I extremely loathed that life had to end so quickly (for me); there was no opportunity to be filial to my parents, and the scene of elders having to send off a young deceased was difficult for me to accept. In addition at that moment, I thought of all the times which I had not treated my parents right.” As she spoke, tears rolled down her face. The other participants were particularly moved when Pan added that she was afraid that her mother would blame herself for agreeing to her daughter’s overseas travel plans, thus allowing the tragedy to happen.
The facilitator Chen Dian Zhong offered participants some food for thought: “What would you want to do during those last five minutes of your life?” While various answers were thrown up, Chen suggested: “In those last moments, you can express gratefulness, apologize and ask for forgiveness, or even say goodbye and bless yourself.”
Treating One Another with Sincerity and Love
On the second day of the camp, a visit to the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home was arranged. Most of the camp attendees had never participated in care visits to such institutions before. Hence, the camp organizer specially included a role play session on the first day where the participants learned about treating others with “sincerity” and “love”.
Under the lead of Tzu Ching senior Xu Cui Qin, the participants arranged themselves in pairs, so that one could take on the role of speaker and the other, listener. Xu gave them a few different scenarios to work on: in the first and second scenarios respectively, the speaker talked about a happy or unhappy event without receiving a response from the listener; in the third, both speaker and listener spoke at the same time, and lastly, the speaker attempted different ways to get the listener to stand up but was ignored by the latter.
During the exercise, the Tzu Chings experienced uncomfortable feelings; the listener naturally wanted to respond to what the speaker was saying but could not and felt repressed, while the speaker perceived a lack of acknowledgement. Xu explained later that: “During these moments, a smile can solve the problem. Showing sincerity of feelings (towards others) is expressed through our concern and respect for them. A smile is the world’s common language. As long as we can empathize with others, (when we) listen to or talk with them, we can also give them a smile.”
Bringing Cheer to the Elderly
The objective of the visit to the old age home was to allow the participants to see for themselves that even in a wealthy country like Singapore, there exists a group of people who has been forgotten by society. Upon their arrival at the female dormitory of the home, the Tzu Chings were understandably flustered as most of them were not familiar with Chinese dialects. With the guidance of camp facilitators, they made halting attempts at speaking in dialect to the residents. Among them, Chen Shao Hong could speak fluently in the Hokkien dialect and conversed happily with an elderly grandma who shares the same surname as him. Grandma Chen clutched his hand tightly and said that he was just like a grandson to her.
Chen also helped out his camp mate Li Yu Hui by explaining to her what Grandma Chen was saying. Though Li could not understand much of what Grandma Chen talked about, she listened attentively, acknowledging her with replies and laughter. Pleased at the attention she was getting, Grandma Chen decided to share her personal stash of tidbits with the youths.
“These grannies love to share what they know but lack a listening companion. (I was) reminded of my own grandma at home who is better off materially, yet mentally and spiritually, her needs are the same as theirs.” Li realized that she should spend more time with her own grandmother. Before leaving, Li had forgotten her shyness caused by the language barrier and even playfully engaged in fist boxing with Grandma Chen, joking that she was no match for the 84-year-old.
With their smiles, Tzu Chings learnt how to overcome communication barriers; if they did not receive a response in return, they would offer a massage to the elderly residents. Gradually, this approach succeeded and the grannies opened their hearts to the youths. The youths were also careful to observe their likes and dislikes so that they could find ways to bring them cheer. Upon discovering that Grandma Liu loved to sing and had a thick songbook in her keeping, the Tzu Chings immediately plugged in the sound system and organised a special “concert” for her. As they sang along to well-known Chinese oldies, such as “The Moon Represents My Heart” (月亮代表我的心), Grandma Liu beamed radiantly. That day, she was the best testament to how youthful energy, in taking the first step, can light up the dark corners of society.
The first day’s programme included a sharing by two young people who dared to follow their hearts. Nick Shen (centre) and Chen Rong Yao (left) spoke of their journey to achieve their dreams. (Photo by Zhou Zheng Hao)
The Tzu Chings participated in a simulation of a passenger airplane disaster, the objective of which was to guide them in understanding the impermanence and fragility of life. (Photo by Cai Yue Guo)
The simulation exercise evoked many complex emotions in the participants, and facilitators were on hand to give timely comfort. Pan Yi Yin (left) expressed how she felt resentment at having her life “cut short prematurely” and at not having the opportunity to be filial to her parents. (Photo by Lai Tong Heng)
Emcee Chen Dian Zhong (standing) leads everyone through in analysing the emotions evoked by the simulation exercise, suggesting also that in the final moments of one’s life, one can express gratefulness, or apologize and ask for forgiveness, or even say goodbye and bless oneself. (Photo by Lai Tong Heng)
During a workshop session, Tzu Ching senior Xu Cui Qin (standing) explained to camp participants that caring and respecting others was a way to convey sincerity, and a smile is always handy as it is a universal language. (Photo by Lai Tong Heng)
A visit to the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home was specially arranged so that the Tzu Chings could see for themselves that there exist the less fortunate, even in a prosperous country like Singapore. (Photo by Lai Tong Heng)
To inject more realism into the plane crash simulation exercise, the organizing committee had a trial run two weeks before the camp so that they could adjust the way in which they shook the mattress to simulate the disaster in action. (Photo by Cai Yue Guo)
On 19 July 2015, camp helpers paid a site visit to the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home so as to ensure the camp arrangements would flow more seamlessly. (Photo by Cai Yue Guo)
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