Tzu Chi at the Lincoln Center: Our Volunteers Bring Love to the Stage

The image on stage called to mind the heartbreaking pictures of refugees in search of safe haven, lost at sea on makeshift vessels. While theirs is a veritable humanitarian crisis, “From Vow to Action” led us to contemplate that given the impermanent nature of life and the inevitability of death, the ultimate refuge we seek is of a different nature.

The performance become a celebration of enlightenment, in that what begins to stand out as a beacon of hope, is the massive full moon peeking out from behind the clouds above this violent ocean of existence – reminiscent of the one aptly illuminating the sky above the Lincoln Center. This, the light of radiant wisdom and awakened mind is always there, ready to be uncovered, and universally attainable to all sentient beings equally.

“Gratitude”, also performed by Tzu Chi volunteers, was a plea to show love and respect for our parents, whose immense kindness we can never fully repay. As volunteers used sign language and moved in unison, like the petals of a single flower or branches on a tree, we were invited on the spiritual path. By cultivating our character, upholding moral precepts, and sharing the light of wisdom, we can begin to fulfill our inherent duty to the two beings who gave us life. The message was inspiring in that it enveloped our parents as well as all beings in one unbreakable circle of love.