Relieving Suffering with Compassion and Wisdom
The sincerity of Tzu Chi volunteers provides a moral support that is warmly felt by the Maladia Manalu family.
Many people exploited Maladia Manalu's suffering for their own reputation, causing her to lose trust in those around her and become hardened. However, meeting Tzu Chi volunteers made her realize that genuine compassion truly exists. Gradually, her spirit felt the warm touch of the Tzu Chi family, and eventually, she was willing to accept their support in alleviating her burden while caring for her husband, Isden Sinaga.
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In one of her lectures, Master Cheng Yen said, "Illness is a source of poverty. Those who suffer from illness cannot earn a living, and even the wealthy can become impoverished if plagued by disease." This often happens in human life.
This is the experience of Tzu Chi aid recipients, Maladia Manalu (58) and the late Isden Sinaga, a married couple living on Telaga Riau Street, Karimun District, Karimun Regency, Riau Islands. Their simple life, without children and with limited finances, changed suddenly when Isden suffered a stroke in 2010, disrupting the family's ability to carry out daily activities. From that moment on, his wife, with a heart full of love, became the family's pillar and committed herself to caring for her husband.
The condition of her husband, who had a stroke, caused their family's finances to plummet. Maladia had to earn a living as a house cleaner. This job did not provide enough income to meet their family's needs. Each month, she only earned between 300,000 to 500,000 rupiah. However, this job was very flexible and suitable for her because it was part-time, allowing her to return home within a few hours to care for her husband, who struggled with daily activities.
Day by day, Maladia Manalu fought against physical and emotional exhaustion to care for her husband. Various parties came forward with sweet promises to help, but none ever materialized. However, in 2018, Tzu Chi volunteers arrived to ease their family's economic burden. The assistance provided included rice, financial aid, medical expenses, and adult diapers.
Not only did she become the family's breadwinner, but she also had to be a dedicated caregiver for many years. She learned physical therapy from doctors to help her husband recover. Over the years of caring for her husband, her skin turned dark brown. However, her husband's skin became smooth and rosy due to her diligent care.
Day by day, she fought against physical and emotional exhaustion. She refused to succumb to any feelings of despair lurking around her. Attention from various parties also began to emerge; they showed sympathy, "recorded" their lives, gave hope of prosperity, but all of these were just sweet promises. She felt disappointed, as if their family's situation was being exploited for public entertainment. This made her hardened, thinking she would no longer open her heart or trust sweet promises from anyone again.
Until 2018, when Tzu Chi volunteers visited them, she was initially very annoyed by their arrival because she didn't need pity from anyone, she didn't want to be pitied, and besides, these volunteers were probably just like the ones before, offering false hope. However, Tzu Chi volunteers managed to prove otherwise. They embraced her and provided support as if they were friends, or even family, something she had always longed for. The assistance provided by Tzu Chi to their family included rice, financial aid, medical expenses, and adult diapers.
The Tzu Chi volunteers who handled this case from the beginning felt empathy for this family's situation. Despite being initially rejected, the sincerity of the volunteers brought about a good bond.
"At that time, I believed and continued to pray to God. Apparently, this is the path that opened up so that I could feel a little lighter. When I think about my daily life, I really couldn't afford to support my husband. Because what my husband needs is not just food, but also diapers, and if his body itches, we have to buy powder and medicine again. My feelings are truly extraordinary, that's why I express gratitude and pray for the success of this foundation (Tzu Chi)," said Maladia Manalu, tears welling up in her eyes.
Sukmawati (51), a Tzu Chi volunteer who handled this case from the beginning, was deeply touched by the family's situation when conducting a survey at their home. Despite Maladia's initial reluctance, the volunteer, with love and compassion, slowly opened the door to her heart.
"When we conducted the survey, we saw their condition. We were deeply moved and considered that they truly deserved assistance. Mr. Isden Sinaga has no children, and there is really no one else earning a living except for Mrs. Maladia. Sometimes she's called by neighbors to help with cooking. It's true, when we first visited their home, there was no smile. Slowly, we approached them, started chatting, and then we regularly visited them like family. Sometimes we hugged her, sometimes we shared laughter and jokes together," expressed Sukmawati.
In 2020, Maladia's husband passed away. His departure left her in deep sorrow. During each visit, volunteers always showed concern for Maladia, encouraging her not to be engulfed by grief. Eventually, she started seeking activities to distract her mind, such as planting various vegetables in front of her house, which grew plentifully. She sold the harvest to meet her daily needs, with volunteers assisting in the sales. With Maladia's approval, the volunteers set aside Rp 5,000 per kilogram from the sales to be donated to Tzu Chi, with the intention of helping her sow the seeds of kindness in assisting those in need.
In 2020, her husband passed away, leaving her with profound sadness. To divert her thoughts from this loss, she started engaging in activities, such as cultivating an abundance of vegetables in the flourishing garden in front of her house.
"I prayed, 'Show me the way, Lord, I surrender.' But that's the miracle of God, the foundation (Tzu Chi) has been helping until now. That's why my husband could be taken for treatment, and I could take care of him until he got better, even after ten years of illness. So, praise the Lord, this foundation is the one I feel has sacrificed the most for my family, even until he passed away and even now. Truly, this Tzu Chi foundation is extraordinary," expressed Maladia, tears welling up in her eyes.
Tzu Chi's first step begins with a charitable mission guided by the noble teachings and intentions of Buddhism, namely, compassion towards others regardless of blood ties, sharing suffering and mutual support, and upholding commitment for the sake of Buddhist teachings, as entrusted by Master Yin Shun, the teacher of Master Cheng Yen.
Master Cheng Yen recognized that good intentions must be translated into benevolent actions towards others. Her profound empathy for the impoverished and the suffering fueled her determination to take meaningful steps to assist them.
Tzu Chi's focus extends beyond simply providing aid and ensuring its success. Instead, the organization emphasizes igniting the innate goodness within every person. Motivating those who are capable of assisting those in need involves not only fostering a sense of joy in giving but also facilitating a journey of learning and growth as they continue to support others until they find profound meaning in their own lives.
This serves as a guideline for volunteer Sukmawati (51) in handling every case of Tzu Chi aid recipients. “Maybe she's already disappointed with anyone who comes. At first, we didn't know why this mother's face looked stern. However, we're used to dealing with cases like this. The key is, our hearts must be genuine so they can sense our sincerity too. Whenever we investigate a case, we must approach it with compassion and empathy," Sukmawati explained.
Text & Photo: Beverly Clara (Tzu Chi Tanjung Balai Karimun)
Translator: Vissia (Tzu Chi School)
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