Gavin Liu, G11, BASIS International School Shenzhen

The Shifang Arhat Temple, located in the north of Shifang City, Sichuan Province, is the main temple of the Linji (Rinzai) sect of Zen Buddhism. First built in the eighth century, the temple was rebuilt and renovated several times during its long history.

What makes this temple unique and sacred among locals, however, was an unforgettable event that occurred in May 2008 in the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and missing.

Less than 40 km away from the epicenter Wenchuan, Shifang was also seriously impacted by the quake. A health care center for women and children became so severely damaged that the entire building was at the risk of collapsing. To make things more complicated, there were more than 100 pregnant women about to give birth at the time. Unable to withstand strenuous travel, these moms-to-be had to be relocated to a nearby venue of safety.

With nowhere to go, someone proposed the Arhat Temple as a temporary shelter. Dubbed the “Xichuan Buddhism Capital,” the temple, covering a vast area, miraculously saw most of its buildings intact after the devastating earthquake. The situation was urgent and lives were at stake, so the director of the health center immediately ordered an evacuation to the temple. When the asylum seekers arrived, however, a few young monks standing guard at the temple gate forbade them to enter.

It turned out that allowing the group in would violate the rules of the Buddhist temple, where blood, killing, and eating animal-based diets are prohibited. Women couldn’t give birth without bleeding; it would be unable to supply them with sufficient nutrition without giving them animal-based food. Then, an amicable middle-aged monk, a pair of glasses resting on his nose, arrived at the scene accompanied by others. This was Master Suquan, the temple’s abbot. After pondering for quite a while, he agreed to bring in the pregnant women and medical staff, and implored all the monks to treat them nicely.

“All refugees who come for help shall be unconditionally accepted, and we shall provide for them as long as there are supplies in our storehouse,” the master said.

Over the next few hours, as aftershocks occurred, some 200 more people from the city fled to the temple for shelter. More than 2,000 people had found refuge at the temple during the disaster.

Master Suquan led the monks to transform several halls into labor and delivery wards. Tables and chairs were put together for makeshift hospital beds, with thick bedding spread on them for the comfort of the women.

Heavy rain hit the roofs on the sleepless night of May 12, the first night after the quake. The first baby, a girl named Tang Zhenwen, was welcomed safely into this world in the early hours of May 13 at the temple. When the power supply went down, and everything was wrapped in the darkness of night, Master Suquan and the monks offered to light up the maternity wards with torches, helping the medical staff to deliver babies.

In the days that followed, medical supplies continuously poured in.

Five years on, all 108 babies who were born during the earthquake came back May 12, 2013 to celebrate their fifth birthday together at the temple.

Life is not always easy. At trying moments, having the audacity to make unconventional decisions and break rules defines true heroism.