DDM Express Condolences and Pray for the Victims of the Pingtung Science and Technology Park Disastrous Fire

On the early morning of September 23, Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation Secretary General, Ven. Chang Shun, Kaohsiung Zhi Yun Monastery Director, Ven. Chang Tsan, together with Ping An Hospital Director Huang Wen-Xiang and others, arrived at the Pingtung funeral home Xin-Deng Hall to express their heartfelt condolences to the family members of 5 factory employees and firefighters in the disastrous fire of the golf equipment manufacturing factory at the Pingtung Science and Technology Park on the night of September 22. Together, the Venerables and fellow Buddhists led everyone at the funeral home in chanting the Buddha's name, offering consolation to the grievously mourning families. At the same time, they prayed for the peaceful recovery of the injured victims, as well as for  the deceased to be reborn in the Pure Land.

Since the first moment of the disaster, all the branch monasteries and temples of DDM in Taiwan lit candles of benediction and prayed for the casualties and victims of the fire. The Social Care Department of Dharma Drum Mountain Fellowship also started up an online end-of-life chanting at 8 a.m. on September 23. On the 24th, the DDM relief group arrived at the Pingtung funeral home to offer condolences and consolation to the bereaved families of the perished firefighters and deceased factory workers, leading the volunteers in prayer and chanting the Buddha's name outside the Xin-Deng Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the evening of the same day, Ven. Chang Lian from Zhi Yun Monastery led the families of the injured and deceased as well as volunteers in dedicating the merits generated from Buddha name recitation to the unfortunate casualties of the fire. At 7:30 p.m. of the 25th, the Social Care Department of the Dharma Drum Mountain Fellowship held an online prayer ceremony so that the Dharma assembly could extend blessings for the fire victims of the Pingtung golf equipment manufacturing factory. During the online event, DDM Sangha Director-in-chief Ven. Chang Yuan and Social Care Department Director Ven. Chang Zhe led approximately 140 members of the DDM Sangha and fellow Buddhists in a unified recitation of the Amitabha Sutra, as well as Amitabha Buddha's holy name. They prayed that the Buddha may grant the deceased the grace to be reborn in Buddha Land or a better place, in addition to wishing the injured victims a speedy recovery.

"Everything in the world is impermanent, the earth is vulnerable and fragile", "A bodhisattva saves others from hardship and suffering; a great bodhisattva takes on hardship and suffering itself", Ven. Chang Yuan expounded that the firefighters who perished in the disaster were Bodhisattvas vowing to come to the world to undertake this dangerous job. They sacrificed their precious lives so as to deliver others from harm; therefore, they are even greater than great Bodhisattvas. However, their families must also endure the unbearable pain of losing a loved one; hence, the family members themselves are also great Bodhisattvas who take on hardship and suffering. Ven. Chang Yuan emphasized that this disaster not only awakened the people to the importance of public safety. In fact, the deceased are also our life teachers, imparting upon us the value of cherishing every day of our lives, thereby fully utilizing our impermanent and limited life to do more good for the better of our society, in order to deliver the greatest efforts of our lives.

As most of the casualties were young firefighters, their surviving families were grievously devastated. Under the assistance of Pingtung County Member of Parliament, Li Shi-Bing, Ven. Chang Shun and Chang Tsan, together with the volunteers, were able to express their condolences and extend loving care personally to each of the families, accompany them in chanting the Buddha's name, and provide them with peaceful strength of support. In the aftermath of the disaster, DDM Social Welfare and Charity Foundation will work together with the Social Department in distributing disaster emergency grants to injured victims and families of the casualties. As for the urgently needed post-traumatic psychological rehabilitation support for the firefighters, volunteer firefighters and young students in the adjacent Qian Jing Primary School, DDM will follow up by providing continuous reassurance services and post-disaster care and support. 



Text: 梁金滿、林雅櫻
Photos: 卜美貞、慈基會、關懷院
Translation: Cheng-yu Chang (張振郁)
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL