The Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) Charity Foundation and the Taoyuan General Hospital (TGH) signed a MOU in Taiwan on October 20 to promote sharing of experience, training and service of medical professionals between Taiwan and Myanmar. The ceremony was held at the LJM Wu Sheng Monastery with the hope to reinforce bilateral medical exchange and cooperation. The MOU specifies plans of training medical personnel, designing proper health education materials and programs for local people, providing international medical service and establishing a task force for implementing the medical project.
Master Xing Yueh of the LJM Charity Foundation signed the document on behalf of the LJM Buddhist Society, with Master Miao Yun, Secretary-General of the LJM Honorary Board of Directors, and Master Heng Ming, Executive Master of the Sramanas School in Naung Mon, witnessing on site. TGH Acting Superintendent Chen Jih-Chang presided over the signing as his colleagues Wang Wei-Chieh, Lead Consultant of the hospital’s general affairs, Secretariat Huang Shu-Huei, and Rehabilitation Division Therapist Cheng Mei-Hua were present on the occasion.
The LJM Charity Foundation was established by Dharma Master Hsin Tao, the LJM Founding Abbot, in 1993 to offer life-caring service in line with its philosophy of ‘serving the society with care, love, and compassion’. In parallel and in the spirit of safeguarding people’s mental health and facilitating two-way help and care, the Foundation provides disaster relief and emergency aid both at home and abroad when major catastrophe strikes.
Myanmar experienced a political sea change in 2021 that coincided with a rampant pandemic at its peak to severely and negatively impact the country across the board from economy to public hygiene, even the medical care system. Already then, the LJM Charity Foundation worked closely with the charity body Community Partners International (CPI) to raise funds and procure oxygen cylinders, providing necessary help in building oxygen producing plants in support of what was most needed regarding medical treatment resources.
The MOU signing was initiated by Master Miao Yun of the LJM and Consultant Wang of the TGH, many of whose staff have been offering their voluntary medical service at the LJM’s signature Water-Land Dharma Assembly at the Taoyuan Arena for many years. The MOU signing expects to further solidify bilateral connection and cooperation between the two parties to create more positive karma.
On the signing occasion, Master Xing Yueh expressed gratitude toward the TGH for running front-line operations to safeguard Taiwan against the pandemic, with the Taoyuan international airport being Taiwan’s major gateway for in- and outbound travel. The MOU marks a tangible way how the hospital co-works with LJM to extend care and help beyond national boundaries. Master Heng Ming, on the other hand, shared her in-depth observation of local reality as being impaired militarily as well as by the lingering pandemic, to facilitate the hospital’s effort in putting together a deliverable action plan.
TGH Acting Superintendent Chen remarked that the project owes credit to the deep bonding between LJM and Myanmar, placing Taiwan’s excellence in medical technology onto the world map for a new dimension in line with the goal of Taiwan government’s ‘New Southbound Policy’ by going for traction in people-to-people diplomacy to deepen the friendship between Taiwan and Myanmar for a win-win scenario. With pandemic-triggered travel bans being lifted and relevant regulations eased as the pandemic’s impact dwindles, Taiwan will soon reconnect to the international community and looks forward to further in-depth exchange activities with Myanmar.
Upon the completion of the signing ceremony, both parties proceeded to the Founding Hall of the LJM Monastery to pay homage to Buddha with the offering of a lamp. Master Hsin Tao greeted everyone present and bestowed a blessed gift on all to commemorate the occasion to show the Master’s high hopes for the co-op to unfold. In a delighted mood, the Master encouraged the audience to show compassion and extend care to all sentient beings in the very same spirit that will guide the Taiwan-Myanmar medical co-op.