Love—The Lifeboat in the Ocean of Samsara

Founding Speech for the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation

(March 7, 2011, evening)

 Speech from the host:

Good afternoon everyone. First of all, many thanks for attending this opening ceremony and press conference for the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation.

Yesterday, the weather in Shanghai was still misty and rainy, but today, as we establish this charity, the sun is coming out from under the clouds, shining brilliantly and spreading warmth. This omen seems to indicate that the causes we are creating here are full of joy, charitable care, and love. We hope that this love spreads from here to every corner of our society.

Today, we also have a special honorable guest: Khenpo So Dargye. Khenpo is the Honorary Chairman of the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation, Dean of the Sichuan Duo Mang Buddhist Institute, an internationally renowned theorist on charity, activist, translator, and a Buddhist master known as the “Modern Xuanzang.” Together, Khenpo and the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation have now co-founded the “Wisdom Compassion Fund”, for the alleviation of poverty and creation of employment projects in poverty-stricken areas. May we all please warmly welcome Khenpo So Dargye.

Dear government officials, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and guests,

This afternoon, we are meeting together at this joyful occasion to celebrate the establishment of the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation. This event not only is great news for the needy, it is also a meaningful historic event for those loving and caring people who love and support charitable causes. On behalf of all elderly, disadvantaged, sick, and disabled people, may I give a warm welcome to everyone. Likewise, I would like to take this opportunity to speak on behalf of this foundation and express my heartfelt appreciation to the management department, the assisting units, the media, and all the caring people who provide such tremendous support for our work.

In this society, there are many kind and caring people willing to do charitable work; there are also many that need charitable help, such as the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. However, between the two, a strong platform and bridge to link them together has been lacking. Today, we have established the Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation, so that we can address this need. Meeting this need is indeed something I am extremely happy about deep down in my heart. This joy is not because I can gain fame, wealth, status, or benefit of any kind, but because the many needs of the disadvantaged will be met, and that endeavor is a most constructive and valuable goal.

Here, today, I sincerely pray from my heart: May the virtue and meaning of charity flourish for the longest time. Even though our lifespan is limited, let the life force of our charity be infinite. Even on that day when we have to depart from this world, I pray that the Kindness and Wisdom Public Foundation may continue to function for the benefit of all those still in need.

If we look at history, we will find that charity already existed in China’s spring and autumn periods, so we can, therefore, say that China was the first society in the world to advocate charity. However, in recent decades, especially during the Cultural Revolution, charitable causes suffered a painful blow, indeed, a setback which it was not possible to recover from for a long time. Not until recently, after the new advocacy and promotion of charitable causes by some wise people, has charity started to recover in China. It now continues to develop.

Even so, while some entrepreneurs and philanthropists are eager to help, they cannot find a good channel through which to do so. Similarly, while some needy people hope to receive care and love from others, they can’t find those benefactors. Therefore, we established this platform so that the needy can receive help, and benefactors can contribute, each getting what they desire or need. There is an old saying, “If each of us collects wood and puts it all together, and then lights the fire, it will create a roaring flame.” When we combine the resources of all the benefactors, those who will contribute money, those who can contribute hours of work, who will contribute their time, then each of us can participate in our best way to help the disadvantaged. This joint effort will certainly enhance our community’s moral value as a whole.

Personally, there are two things I like to do the most—one is reading, whether it is learning about a secular matter, a book from the present or ancient times, the words of a native writer, or an overseas writer. Once I start, I forget to eat or sleep and become completely wrapped up in the book. The other thing I enjoy is to try my best to help others as much as I can within my small capacity, when causes and conditions call me.

For attendees here today, when you have a need for clothing or food, you never lack them or have any difficulties in obtaining them. However, you may not be aware that there are places where people dress in rags and do not have sufficient food to eat, in their everyday lives. Perhaps if you buy one less branded good, eat one less large and expensive meal to save twenty to thirty thousand yuan, this amount could help maintain some of these people for a few years, and even allow poor children to go to school. Your awareness and contributions can change the fate of a whole life. Just as a flower in a greenhouse is never shaken by the strong wind and rain outside, our leaders and entrepreneurs must go outside, look around, and learn. We need to see how many really needy people are all around us.

Certainly, in the process of helping people, private charities are playing an important role. There was a statistic from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that showed that in 2006, the total charitable contributions raised was ten billion yuan. Of that amount, only 3.5 billion yuan was raised through government channels; the rest was collected from private charitable organizations or individual contributions. Thus, we can see that non-governmental social welfare organizations are actually playing a significant role, indeed, are a great encouragement for our future charitable development here.

There is no doubt that when we help with charitable causes, we uphold the principle of “equality.” As long as there are hardships, regardless of in which country, ethnicity, religion, occupation, gender, and so on, we should offer our help. During this process, to avoid someone exploiting charitable acts for his or her own personal welfare or benefits, all charitable procedures should be professionally handled, be transparent to the public, and should be operated with the highest level of ethics and efficiency. We can also learn much from the concept of international charity.

Perhaps someone may argue: “Charity is only what the rich do; we ordinary people may not necessarily have this responsibility.” This idea is wrong. True charity is not about money; it is about the heart. We should not think that we have to be extremely rich before we can carry out charitable activities. By contrast, everyone should have the mindset to help others, and view charity as their path and aim in life. Only when we do this can our aspiration to achieve a harmonious society be truly fulfilled.

In fact, life is very short, so we should make good use of the few decades we have and do something truly constructive and meaningful. This is especially true for those extremely wealthy people, who in their limited lifetime may not use their wealth properly for meaningful causes. Once you depart from this world, you will have that regret. This morning, when I spoke to an entrepreneur from Ningbo, he told me about an entrepreneur who had a net worth of 7.4 billion yuan. Last year, that entrepreneur had a severe illness, but he was still full of hope and never made any will or arrangements about his money for after his death. One day, he suddenly died, and at that time, even the successor to his enterprise had not been appointed. For those who have no idea about impermanence, and who solely strive to earn money, this case undoubtedly raises an alarm. For this reason, no matter how much money you possess, you should be prepared and arrange in advance what you want to do with your wealth. The best choice is to give some of your wealth to charitable causes when you are gone.

Those who love to carry out charitable acts are extremely happy deep in their hearts. When they see that due to their efforts a needy person is able to receive help, able to emerge from hardship, and gain the hope to return to a good life, this feeling cannot be expressed by words. It can only be described as “Just like when you drink water, whether it is cold or warm, you feel it yourself.” Likewise, for the recipient of charity, it is hard to express his or her gratitude in words when someone gives a helping hand at the time of greatest adversity.

Unfortunately, in our present society, many people only care about themselves. They want to obtain happiness, joy, and wealth for themselves, but they never think about how to contribute to others and share that same happiness with others. This problem is closely related to the education system. During childhood, many people do not receive any education about charity; they don’t know how to devote themselves to charity and contribute unselfishly. What they care about is blindly asking for something from others. On account of this lack, when these young people grow up, whatever they do remains completely selfish. A society, family, and organization made up of such people will not have a good mindset and will not give service to the public.

While everyone longs for happiness, most people do not know that the true source of happiness is helping others, and the source of suffering is selfishness and self-cherishing. If you want to find happiness, carrying out charitable activities is the best way. In Chinese, charity is called “Ci Shan.” “Ci” is about having compassion in our heart, and “Shan” is about selflessly benefiting others. If you can truly achieve this sense of honor and commitment, whether you are a government official, the wealthiest person in the world, or a beggar, your mind will always be enriched, and your future will be bright.

The concept of charity has a long history in the Han area. Confucianism talks about “benevolence and love,” Buddhism advocates “compassion,” and Taoism speaks about “accumulating virtues.” Although each religion expresses this idea differently, they all believe in the concept of saving life, serving the community, and taking care of the welfare of the people. However, in the 21st century, people are putting their full attention on economic development. They have completely neglected spiritual development. In fact, when moral and ethical values in a society are declining and going backward every day, no matter how much material development progresses and advances, true serenity and happiness will never be obtained. As such, what we need the most is the improvement of the overall quality of life, not just more material development alone. We all should learn altruism and contribute to others without asking for anything in return.

As an enterprise, a charity can actually become part of your corporate culture. Some businesses sell their products solely to gain economic benefits. However, while ensuring that you do make money, you can also actively participate in various charities for the public welfare. Then, not only will you gain economic benefits, you also acquire clear social benefits. For this reason, I hope that when premised on reasonable and lawful conditions, you will participate in charity with an open and tolerant attitude. During that process, whatever adversities you may face, as long as your motivation is to help others, all seemingly unfavorable conditions will become insignificant.

Previously, in my home town, I had seen many children whose families were not able to afford their school fees. When I visited their homes, finding out their living conditions and annual income, I felt sad. In contrast, I found that the waste in many cities is really outrageous. Just to mention one thing, if we could save money wasted on meals alone and use that money to provide schooling for poor children, we would certainly improve and change many lives.

For poor children who were not able to go to school, I negotiated with the government many times, so that we could expand the existing school and provide free admission for those poor children. At that time, after learning this news, an entrepreneur immediately made a commitment to help build this school with me. He is also one of the participants here today, but since he does not like to be famous, and only wants to help others quietly, I will not mention his name.

In this world, countless people want to be rich. However, what do they do after they become rich? Perhaps they buy a car and property. For their close friends and relatives, the most they can do is provide a little help. As for strangers, even poor university students or abandoned elderly people with long- term illnesses, they show no interest in them and pay no attention at all. The altruist intention to benefit needy strangers does not arise even for a single moment in their minds. Reversing this trend, you came here today to participate in our charity event, and that is an extremely constructive choice to make for the future of all charitable causes.

The starting point of charity in contemporary Chinese society is rather late, and there are many areas that are still not mature. In the future, during the time we have available to explore this need, we must ensure that all activities are reasonably and lawfully carried out. Only by doing so can the development of charity have a real and worthy future. We also need monitoring by the public and everyone’s cooperation. It is said that “a long distance tests a horse’s endurance, and time reveals a person’s real character,” so if we always remain committed to our altruistic goal, in the end, we will gain the trust and support of society and help many.

All in all, charity is very meaningful, doing charitable acts is the happiest choice, and charity for public welfare is very helpful to all. Finally, I wish today that everyone here has good health for a long time, and all your wishes in life come true. Thank you.