Raising candles in prayer, some 500 guests from Binondo, Manila attended this year’s Year End Blessing ceremony last January 20, 2019. 【Photo by Kinlon Fan】
Story Highlights
To celebrate the incoming year, around 500 guests from Binondo, Manila joined Tzu Chi Foundation Year End Blessing Ceremony held at Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. last January 20, 2019.
Around 500 guests from Binondo, Manila joined Tzu Chi Foundation in welcoming a new year during the Year End Blessing Ceremony held at the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry last January 20, 2019.
The guests received ceremonial red envelopes from Dharma Master Cheng Yen along with a reminder to be compassionate to all living beings. Guests were shown the Global and Philippines’ Great Treasury Sutra – a review of the foundation’s activities for 2018.
“We do this (Year End Blessing Ceremony) annually to show Tzu Chi activities of the past year to our friends and donors.” said Tzu Chi volunteer Scott Go “It is also an opportunity to share Master Cheng Yen’s teachings with everyone.”
Tzu Chi volunteer Richard Tan said that they look forward for the guests to join the foundation in the future.
Volunteers also shared stories from the slums of Happy Land in Tondo, Manila. The poverty-stricken area in Manila was first visited by Tzu Chi volunteers in 2015. Four years after, around 50 families from the place became beneficiaries of the foundation.
Cherrie Ang gave the audience a brief background about the situation of the people in Happy Land and introduced Happy Land Kiddie Class, a project for the children of the beneficiaries that started in 2017.
“Happy Land Kiddie Class is a project that was started by the Tzu Chi Youth Group, we bring them to Tzu Chi Great Love Campus in Sta. Mesa and teach them Tzu Chi values which they can apply to their daily lives when they get back to their communities.” said Ang.
Happy Land Kiddie Class aims to inspire the children of the beneficiaries to overcome hurdles as they reach for their dreams.
Ang hoped that their story could inspire the audience as well. “It’s to let them know that even in small ways they can do something to help create that cycle of love that Tzu Chi and Master Cheng Yen started years back.”
Some of the guests brought their Tzu Chi coin cans to the venue to pour their coins into the Tzu Chi coin Jar.
A donor for seven years, Albert Yee started donating years back through his mother who was also a donor of the foundation. “I do it to help people who are in need… Donation is like giving a part of yourself that you think you can give to help other people. Because now people are all busy, they couldn’t see other people who are in need… if we open our eyes to the things happening outside our comfort zones, we can see that a lot of people needs help.” he said.
