Gold Coast Tzu Ching, Australia
Every week, Tzu Ching help to collect bread from a participating bakery who allow us to give their leftover unsold bread of the day to the pension card holders during our Food Aid events. If you would like to know more about this and how you can help, please email us at tzuchinggc@yahoo.com.tw
Every year, from Perth to Penrith, hundreds of thousands of Australians get stuck in and clean up their local environment by collecting and removing rubbish on Clean Up Australia Day. (Cleanup.org.au)
Tony: Did you know? There is a worldwide financial crisis?
Yvonne: Of course. Just ask your stock broker if there has been any earnings.
Tony: Luckily we have a business that won’t go broke. This is the Tzu Chi organisation! And it’s worth will only continue increasing, and you’ll never get fired.
Yvonne: That’s so true. No wonder so many couples and families come to Tzu Chi. And we have a common interest, so everybody gets along.
Recently there was a member who was really touched by Master’s teaching, which made him finally quit from 30 years of smoking. Now let’s have a look at his story.
Pohan & Poya: Hey Shirley! It’s your turn to do the bread collection today!
Shirley: Oh yeah! Hey, Poya, what kind of boys are you interested in?
Poya: Um, let me think about it. I like the type that’s really kind, considerate and doesn’t smoke.
Shirley: Oh really? I think the type of guys who smoke look very cool!
Poya: No way! I really don’t like smoke.
Shirley: Sounds like you REALLY don’t like smoke.
Poya: Yes, before I was born, my Dad was a smoker. He was so addicted he refused to put in the effort to quit. He always had an excuse.
Shirley: Oh, that’s too bad.
Pohan: Yeah! Always with the excuses. Before we moved to Australia, our house in Taiwan was not like the house we have here. It was small and he always hid under the stairs to smoke but we could always smell it.
Shirley: Sounds like your Dad is really addicted!
Poya: That’s true! He was like the type that couldn’t live without smoke. Once our workers from Taiwan came to visit and he asked them to bring 20 cartons of cigarettes. Or when friends came to visit us, he would also ask them to bring cartons of cigarettes. Our house was like a cigarette factory!
Shirley: Oh really! So does your Dad still smoke?
Pohan: Oh, he doesn’t anymore. Thanks to our Mum who made him quit.
Shirley: Your Mum must be really amazing. How did she make him quit?
Poya: Well, my Dad’s bad habit caused many problems. Like once my brother went to school and the teacher thought he smoked. But it was a misunderstanding because he just reaked of my Dad’s second-hand smoke! What’s worse is, everytime we were in public places, my Dad would cough so loudly, it was very embarassing.
Pohan: Yeah, I really don’t like smoke either. Second-hand smoke is not only bad for humans as a risk of getting cancer, but it’s also really bad for the environment.
These days lots of teenagers the same age or even younger than me are always smoking and they think it’s cool. But when I see them, every breath they are inhaling just makes me think about the damage it will cause to their lungs. There is nothing cool about smoking.
Shirley: Yeah. Okay, I agree. So how did your Dad quit? Wouldn’t it have been really hard?
Poya: Yeah, my Mum suddenly had an idea. She borrowed the tapes of Master’s teachings and some real stories of other Tzu Chi members. My Dad was really heartened by it. Especially this one quote from Master saying, “How can someone five feet tall be so easily controlled by something two inches high?” It made my Dad feel very ashamed.
Pohan: Actually my Dad was really reluctant to join my Mum with her Tzu Chi commitments before. Now he is really devoted and last year he became an official member.
Shirley: Wow, congratulations. So does your Mum still go to the nursing home?
Poya: Yeah, of course! My mum’s motto is: Being able to help others is a sign of blessings. It means that I healthy, my family is peaceful, and my children are obedient.
Shirley: Oh, your Mum is right. You guys are really a Tzu Chi family that leads by action!
Pohan: Aww, so-so. Hey, the bakery is closing. Let’s go collect!
