DDM Social Welfare and Charity Foundation Teams Up with Hualien Practice Center and Volunteers from All Sectors to Aid Mata’an Creek Flood Victims

On the afternoon of September 23, heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Ragasa caused Mata'an Creek in Guangfu Township, Hualien, to overflow, flooding the urban area and resulting in severe loss of life and property for local residents. Upholding the ideal of Dharma Drum Mountain founder Master Sheng Yen—"compassionately relieving suffering and caring for all beings"—Secretary General of the Dharma Drum Mountain Welfare and Charity Foundation, Ven. Chang Xing (常惺法師), immediately issued instructions for mobilization on the night of the disaster. In collaboration with volunteers from DDM Hualien Practice Center and the Hualien Branch, emergency response efforts were launched to provide care and assistance within the affected areas.

On September 24, a team consisting of over ten volunteers led by Ven. Kuan Xing (寬行法師), Deputy Director of Hualien Practice Center, and Ven. Yan Kuan (演寬法師), along with Hualien Branch Convenor Lu Mei-Yao (呂美瑤) brought essential supplies to two shelters—the Dajin Elementary School and Daquan Community Activity Center in Guangfu Township—personally delivering the items to disaster victims.

Following the initial relief efforts, starting from September 25, the Foundation launched a three-pronged care operation. Executive Director of the Foundation, Lin Zhi-Tsung (林志璁) also traveled south to join Ven. Kuan Xing in relief visits. In addition, they offered comfort and support, with the aim of calming the hearts of affected residents using Buddhist compassion and wisdom.
In the three-pronged care operation, the first route is loving care and follow-up at Ruisui Crematorium and Life Memorial Park. Venerable Guo Chi (果歭法師) visited Ruisui Crematorium and Life Memorial Park to console the families of the deceased, offer condolence donations, and pray for the departed to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. The second route consisted in a caring visit to the children and youth support center: Venerable Yan Kuan led a team to the "Xiao Guang Story House (小光故事屋)" in Guangfu Township to express loving care to a tutoring center damaged by landslides and its staff and assisted children. The team then visited the Dajin Elementary School shelter to offer condolence donations to vulnerable families. The third route consisted in setting up Peace of Mind Relief Stations and offering community care for indigenous villages. Through ongoing post-disaster accompaniment and support, these efforts aim to help local residents in Hualien gradually recover in daily life, spiritual well-being, and community rebuilding. In doing so, they allow disaster victims to regain strength and stability under the guidance of Buddhist teachings.

On September 28, DDM Hualien Practice Center, together with 500 volunteers from across Taiwan, went deep into Guangfu Township to help residents clean up their homes. Ven. Kuan Xing, Ven. Chang Duo (常鐸法師), and Ven. Yan Jian (演漸法師) led volunteers to Mata’an Church of the Conversion of. St. Paul in Guangfu Township, to remove mud and debris. Volunteers worked hand in hand with local Catholic youth, transcending religious boundaries to clear mud both inside and outside the church. Since the church serves as a spiritual center for the local community, cleaning it was prioritized to help disaster victims rebuild a sense of spiritual support. Ven. Kuan Xing said, "Faith provides the power to stabilize the heart. Dharma Drum Mountain hopes to accompany disaster victims in rebuilding their homes and regaining hope through compassionate actions."
At the invitation of the Hualien County Civil Affairs Office, DDM Hualien Practice Center held a prayer for blessings ceremony at 3:30 PM on September 28 at Ruisui Life Memorial Park for victims of Typhoon Ragasa in Guangfu Township. Ven. Chang Yao (常耀法師) and Ven. Yan Gu (演鼓法師) led 26 volunteers from Hualien Practice Center and 13 family members of the deceased in reciting the Heart Sutra and the name of Amitabha Buddha, praying for the departed to be guided to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Secretary General Ven. Chang Xing stated: "Disasters are unpredictable, but human compassion is constant. The compassionate power of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, expressed through the hands of each volunteer, forms a line of practical action as well as psychological support. Peace of mind relief services will be our most important work moving forward. Dharma Drum Mountain will continue to accompany disaster victims through the rebuilding process and invites more people to join the volunteer team, bringing hope to Hualien's disaster areas through compassion and wisdom."



Original text in Chinese and photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown