![Nothing transcends boundaries more powerfully than sincere love, mutual gratitude, and heartfelt respect. [Photo by Tan Ken Teik]](/images/Articles/CS/2025/RW_KL20250413_cjd01_102.jpg "Nothing transcends boundaries more powerfully than sincere love, mutual gratitude, and heartfelt respect. [Photo by Tan Ken Teik]")
Love is the gentlest language of all. When we open our hearts to receive love, the barriers between us and others quietly melt away. When we tune in to feel love, we discover extraordinary warmth in the most ordinary days. And when we sincerely pass on love, it ripples outward from one person to another, eventually creating the most beautiful sight in the human landscape.
On April 13, 2025, the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall welcomed guests to a heartwarming Hari Raya distribution event themed “Receiving Love • Feeling Love • Passing on Love”. Transcending ethnic and religious boundaries, the event brought together 40 Muslim care recipient families and refugee families for a celebration rich in festive spirit and humanistic warmth.
The day featured the distribution of festive gift packs, a hearty vegetarian reception, and thoughtfully curated programmes, including a music performance, video presentations, a testimony of love, a sign language rendition, and health advocacy.
◎ A joyful opening
The lively rhythms of “Selamat Hari Raya” and “Suasana Hari Raya”, performed by a youth band made up of Tzu Chi International School Kuala Lumpur (TCISKL) students and volunteers’ children, opened the event with vibrant energy. Among the performers was Lam Jiann Herng, who dazzled the audience with his self-taught saxophone. It was his first participation in a Tzu Chi event. “This feels like a big family where you feel safe and welcome,” he shared.
Volunteer Koh Yean Ping introduced Tzu Chi’s missions and shared how volunteers responded swiftly to the recent floods in Sarawak – they conducted home visits and registered affected households, and two weeks later, distributed emergency relief funds to support recovery efforts. She also spoke of the “Bamboo Bank Era”, encouraging everyone to save daily and pool their love to help the needy.
Dr. Zazali, a volunteer from the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), highlighted the benefits of vegetarianism from medical, environmental, and religious perspectives. He skilfully linked his message to Islamic teachings: “Food should not only be halal but also wholesome. We should practise moderation, and avoid both waste and overeating.”
◎ A mother’s silent strength
The most poignant moment came from Inna Khan, a single mother and refugee from Myanmar. Her story was one of heartache and quiet resilience. After her husband was fatally shot, she fled to Malaysia with her unborn child and young children. Yet life remained unrelenting—her newborn was diagnosed with a rare condition and could not be fed normally.
Each day, she painstakingly prepared and fed milk drop by drop through a nasogastric tube. Though her child could neither sit nor speak, she never gave up—protecting her with the gentlest yet firmest resolve.
Inna often found herself in tears whenever Tzu Chi volunteers visited. With long-term care and emotional support from volunteers and TIMA members, she began to heal and believe that she, too, deserved love and hope.
“My child progresses slowly,” she said, “but I pray for her daily. Every tiny change is a miracle.” She now saves coins in a bamboo bank, quietly paying forward the love she once received.
◎ One family, beyond differences
As the Malay version of “One Family” played, children from TCISKL, Tzu-Chi Alternative Learning Centres, and volunteer families performed a sign language rendition. The audience joined in, hands blossoming like flowers and fluttering like dandelions in the wind. The silent resonance of hearts moved many to tears.
Among the attendees were Nur Aisyah’s family of seven, all dressed in maroon. “It’s been so long since we celebrated Hari Raya,” she shared, her voice full of emotion. “The warm vegetarian meal made me feel loved and cared for by Tzu Chi.”
Due to financial hardship, the family had not celebrated the festival in years. Nur Aisyah was not only moved by the thoughtfulness, but also touched by the video footage shown that day. Realising there are many families in need, she pledged to start saving in a bamboo bank daily and hoped to one day become a Tzu Chi volunteer herself to reciprocate the kindness.
◎ A taste of wisdom
Twenty-two-year-old Junita has been in contact with Tzu Chi since childhood. She speaks fluent Mandarin and can communicate with the volunteers effortlessly. “Only today did I realise that vegetarianism isn’t just a trend. A diet style with less meat reflects the wisdom of sages!” she exclaimed, inspired by Dr. Zazali’s sharing.
She was especially surprised by the vegetarian rendang served during lunch. “I thought it was chicken, but it turned out to be mushrooms! It tasted just the same. No difference, and really good!” She remarked with a smile, adding that she now plans to cook with the healthy ingredients recommended by volunteers.
Originally, Junita celebrated only with her mother and sister. But surrounded by the joyful atmosphere and laughter at Jing Si Hall, she felt as though she has now had a big family to celebrate with.
◎ Witnessing goodness
Zalilah from iRehab, a one-stop rehabilitation centre in Subang Jaya, was grateful for the opportunity to attend this special event for the Muslim community.
Before this, she had only limited knowledge of Tzu Chi, mainly through charity cases and volunteers. Experiencing the event first-hand and watching the video footage had given her a deeper understanding of Tzu Chi’s efforts in poverty alleviation, education, and healthcare. She admired the volunteers’ selfless dedication and hoped to explore future collaborations with Tzu Chi to bring hope to more underprivileged groups.
Other notable guests included liaison officer of Taiwan National Police Agency in Malaysia, Cammy Lee; South Klang police chief, ACP Cha Hoong Fong; and representatives from Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation (SOCSO).
Attending a Malay festive event with a vegetarian reception for the first time, Cammy was impressed by Tzu Chi’s inclusiveness. She also resolved to increase her meatless days for the sake of the Earth’s sustainability.
ACP Cha shared that Tzu Chi’s spirit of Great Love was evident in the volunteers’ flood relief efforts. He believed that stronger cooperation between Tzu Chi and government agencies, such as the police force, would enable quicker access to disaster-stricken areas and ensure timely delivery of aid.
◎ Bridging with love
As the event came to a close, the care recipients and refugee families left Jing Si Hall not only with festive gift packs, but also clothing, household items and school supplies they had selected from the pre-loved items corner.
More precious than any material aid was the love and care that transcended language, culture, and faith. Despite differences, hearts resonated in that shared space of goodwill.
This love seeks nothing in return – only to light hope in difficult times and plant seeds of goodness amidst joy. May its energy continue to flow, embracing every soul in need of comfort.
