So glad it’s almost February. Why? Because March comes after February, and March means spring is definitely not far behind. Lo and behold! Not long after, a sign appeared. What did I see in the grocery just yesterday? A glorious sight for our cold-and-snow-weary eyes (and soul) – tulips in all the vibrant colors of spring – pink, yellow, orange, white, red and orange. It brightened my day. A little early but not too early for me. When in the middle of winter, spring can never be too early. Looking forward to “earthing” or walking on the earth in barefeet. In short, recharging energies. More sun – hooray! With more sun, then I think of blue skies and white clouds, which brings me to Thay.
I have a small thin book that I brought with me from the Philippines to Canada – Present Moment, Wonderful Moment. A book full of simple, poetic and deeply profound thoughts. One of hundreds of books written by the gentle monk and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh or Thay as he is fondly and reverently called by his followers. A global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist and as the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an apostle of peace and nonviolence” – Thay’s extraordinary story is a testament to the indomitable spirit of man through peaceful non-violent means. That was too simplified but it would take, I guess, as many books as Thay has written to begin to understand his teachings (and his life). Or maybe not. Perhaps just one real, deep meditation will do it. Who knows? You may be one of the rare lucky beings on earth who can cut through all the veils in life and discover the perfect diamond deep within ourselves in a shorter time than usual. Am I waxing too poetic or some people would say, talking nonsense? You be the judge. Or you may want to dig deeper and read about him and what he has to say. There is so much out there. Meaning if you just google his name – Thich Naht Hanh, you will find a plethora of information. Including his passing on (to the next life) or his “big continuation” last January 22, 2022 at the age of 95 in his native land, Vietnam. So now, when I see a cloud I will think of him. Read more on what he has written and said, and you will know what I mean.
(maybe a picture of Thich Naht Hanh at this point would be fitting?)
One thing he wrote which stuck in my mind and heart is “Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help.” This, in a nutshell, is, what I believe, is a distillation of the essence and working principle of the engaged Buddhism movement he spearheaded.
I only have one book of his all these years (thanks to the wisdom and generosity of my philosophy teacher many years back) but it has provided me with much comfort and a deeper understanding of how life works. It is a daily reminder to “live fully in each moment, and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion” as he wrote in one of his gathas. Now, just one more thing he said to make you think, as I personal pay my respects ,in my own way, to this remarkable being. In one of his talks which you can find online, someone asked “what happens when we die?” and he gently responds “ What happens when we die? What happens is… we don’t die”. Well, that is a mouthful to chew, I think. True, many of us believe in eternal life after death. But for me, his philosophy, in tandem with the teachings imparted by my philosophy teacher, makes sense. Find out more if interested. His teachings are just a google away.
Speaking of new beginnings – I would like to share this heart-warming article from our very own successful lawyer here in Ontario, Attorney Antonio M. Villarin, with 18 years of dedicated law practice here in Canada. And soon to be an online/broadcast star. Shades of “Itanong Mo Kay Panero”??? Abangan!
He and his civic-conscious family (with special mention of his sister Carmen) are doing their part in the rebuilding of communities in Palawan devastated by the recent super typhoon. Actually, years before Odette (international name Rai) ravaged parts of the Philippines (one of them Palawan) their family generously shared their blessings in life with their native Palawan when they donated land and built a church, a health center and a school on the land they donated in the town of Nasuduan in Palawan (near Puerto Princesa). Here is what Attorney Villarin has to say:
“Rebuilding in the Philippines after Typhoon Rai
After super typhoon Rai, with Philippine name Odette, a category 5 storm equivalent to a category 2 Atlantic hurricane, exited the Philippine area of responsibility last Dec 18, 2021, it left behind a trail of destruction (9 million people seriously affected, damage estimated at P17.7B, 1.5 million homes damaged, wide areas of evacuated, 7 missing) and death (406 dead). It was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines last year.
The UN launched a campaign to raise $107.2 million in aid for victims but the UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzales, said in a virtual meeting last Thursday, “One month since the first landfall of Super Typhoon Rai we realize that we have badly underestimated the scale of devastation”.
He said only 40% of the aid had been received and more resources were needed to avoid the typhoon becoming a forgotten crisis. The scale of the disaster, lack of power and communications in some areas, and depleted government coffers after the Covid-19 response have hampered efforts to distribute aid. An Omicron-fuelled surge in infections is forcing relief workers into isolation and persistent rain in the affected areas is making travel more difficult and relief efforts miserable. Gonzales said, “we are talking about a crisis within a crisis.”
Scientists have long warned that typhoons are strengthening more rapidly as the world becomes warmer because of human-driven climate change.
Typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones – which are essentially the same weather event but in different parts of the world – are producing more rainfall, moving more slowly once they make landfall and generating larger storm surges because of climate change.
A recent study by researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Meteorological Innovation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong said that typhoons in Asia could have doubled their destructive power by the end of the century. They already last between two and nine hours longer and travel an average of 100 km (62 miles) further inland than they did four decades ago.
Against this backdrop of terrible destruction, displacement and death caused by a super typhoon, a plea for more aid to add to the multi-million dollar UN aid campaign, and warnings from scientists that super typhoons will double their destructive power due to climate change, there are many stories of ordinary Canadians rising to the occasion by donating aid to typhoon stricken areas.
This article is about one such Canadian, Carmen Villarin, who recently retired in Palawan, Philippines, after a long career as a Chartered Accountant, hotel management consultant, and a Montessori school owner in Ontario.
Carmen started a Gofundme campaign and has so far raised C$4,000 which she used to purchase a large amount of rice and construction supplies to rebuild a small fishing and farming community in Nasuduan situated near the mouth of Ulugan Bay in Palawan’s west coast, just 2 hours 28 minutes northwest from Puerto Princesa City, and 25 minutes away from the world-famous underground river.
The people of Palawan very rarely experienced typhoons in the past and normally build their homes of very light materials. So now that the path of Philippine typhoons shifted to Palawan due to climate change, the destruction was horrendous. 95% of the homes and structures in Nasuduan, including their church and barangay health center donated and built by Carmen’s parents for the fisherfolk and farmers of Nasuduan, were demolished or severely damaged by Rai.
Typhoon Rai destroyed the community of Nasuduan but it did not weaken the spirit of Carmen and the people of Nasuduan. They said their prayers of thanks that the typhoon did not kill anybody in Nasuduan, rolled up their sleeves, and started building a typhoon-resilient church, health center and typhoon-resilient homes. These are some of the pictures they shared to show that prayers, a typhoon-resilient mentality and a little money can go a long way.”
Take note that even before they took action in the wake of the destruction of the super typhoon, their family had already donated land and the building of a barangay health center, a church and a school on that same land to the community of Nasuduan many years before. As the beloved gentle Zen master Thay said “ you are your actions”. What you do is what matters. This is certainly true in this case. What use are words if they are not translated to actions. Walk your talk, “ika nga”.
With the devastating effects of Typhoon Odette (or Rai), Carmen Villarin once more rallied her forces for prayer, funds, and supplies to help their “kababayans” communities and homes and thus, rebuild their lives. One day at a time. But help from others is more than welcome at this dire time.
Just send me an e-mail to taylorteresita@gmail.com and I will forward the link or contact info if interested to help.
Till next issue , stay safe, be always grateful for everything, and the same goes for me. And Happy Valentine “nga pala”!
Tessie O. Taylor