One day, TLing was talking about volunteering to clean toilets in a temple, and I commented immediately, “I don’t like cleaning. I am okay doing other things, except cleaning. I don’t want to be a cleaning volunteer.” Ah…I really am a selfish volunteer; I choose work even though I volunteer.
My memory goes back to twenty years ago, a man (I guessed he often helped in a Taoist temple) came to my god-mother's family business (business in making fabric flags, etc) to buy something for the Taoist temple. After, he was chit-chatting with my god-mother. He said he went to the general (government) hospital that morning and saw an old man on the bed, covered with excrement. It seemed like nobody cared for that patient, so he carried that patient to a wheel chair and showered him in a bathroom. Then put him in clean clothes and changed the bed sheet. After that, he smelled stinky himself, so he rushed back home to get a shower. My god-mother praised him for what he did. I praised him from my heart too, he wasn’t a volunteer from any organization there, but he was selfless to help others. This was a story from over twenty years ago; somehow I remembered it.
Although I said I am a volunteer, I try to ask myself – am I willing to help and clean the excrement of someone who is not related to me?
有一天，TLing和我說起關於在佛寺當義工清潔廁所的事，我很快的冒出一句話，“我最不喜歡清潔工作，叫我做其它事都可以，我不要當清潔義工。” 啊…我真是個自私心的義工，做義工竟然要選擇工作。
我憶起廿年前，有位男中年人，我猜他是常到神廟帮忙的人，他來我契媽店家（在檳城，做布旗類的生意）買神廟用品，他與我契媽熟絡就閑聊一些事，他說早上他去政府醫院，看到一位男性老病人躺在床上有屎有尿，似乎没人理這病人，他就抱這病人坐上輪椅到沖涼房帮他清洗換衣，換床布給這病人，然後他整身臭臭趕回家沖涼。我契媽讚嘆他功德無量，我也心裡讚嘆，覺得他不是什麼團體的義工，但卻無私的助人。這故事是在廿年前，但我還能憶起。
雖然我美其名是當義工，但試問自己能自願帮非親非故的人清洗其污穢物嗎？
