Not just checking a box: How Buddhist teachings inspire these two men to give blood regularly
For two Buddhists, donating blood is a way to live out the values of kindness, compassion and generosity.
Mr Macs Chen (left) and Mr Jereme Wong are Buddhists who have been donating blood regularly for more than a decade. (Photos: CNA/Alyssa Tan)
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SINGAPORE: For many Buddhists, Vesak Day is marked with prayers and temple visits. For two devotees, it also takes on a more physical form: rolling up their sleeves to donate blood.
Giving blood has become more than a routine for 50-year-old advertising professional Jereme Wong, who began doing so two decades ago.
It is a way for him to live out the Buddhist value of being "other-centred", rather than "self-centred", through generosity, care and compassion.
Even though giving blood has become a habit, it is not about just going through the motions, he said.
"Even as a regular blood donor, I think it's not just about checking out the check box," said Mr Wong, speaking to CNA at Bloodbank@Dhoby Ghaut a week before Vesak Day on Sunday (May 31) as he donated blood.
"As a practising Buddhist, we try to do every moment with intention, so coupling our purpose, our deliberate intention with actions," he said.
A Buddhist since secondary school, Mr Wong began donating blood at 30 at the behest of a friend who was responding to an appeal by the blood bank.
What brought him back was the realisation that the small act could save lives.
A devout Buddhist, Mr Wong also facilitates classes at BW Monastery for students ranging from their teens to their 80s, guiding them in practising mindfulness in everyday life.
"To us, when we are in the act of giving, it's also really about internalising why we are doing the act and integrating those teachings into our daily moments in our lives," he said.
This is the practice Mr Wong returns to each time he lies back in the blood collection chair, donating blood up to four times a year.
Now on his 38th blood donation, Mr Wong continues to schedule regular appointments as a way of honouring Buddhist teachings.
"For a Buddhist celebrating Vesak Day, I think it's about honouring what Buddha has given us in terms of his wisdom and kindness.
"In return ... as a disciple of his teachings, it's about how we practise generosity in different facets of our life, so giving blood could be one."
CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY
Similarly, interior designer Macs Chen, 34, said his Buddhist upbringing shaped his view of blood donation as a form of giving.
Raised in a Buddhist family and active in religious youth classes since his youth, Mr Chen began donating blood at 18, after a friend invited him following a youth class on Sunday.
His temple, Chong Hua Tong Tou Teck Hwee, happened to have organised a blood donation drive on site at the time.
"In the Buddhist teaching itself, we were also taught to contribute to society in any way that we can, be it monetary or time-wise," said Mr Chen.
"If our health allows, then we can also contribute in that sense, and a blood donation drive also kind of aligns very closely together."
The vegetarian maintains his health before each donation by resting sufficiently, hydrating, and eating more greens and iron tablets to maintain his iron levels.
Having donated blood around 60 times, Mr Chen continues the practice every three months, pencilling appointments into his calendar.
When illness or travel forces him to postpone an appointment, he said he feels a sense of disappointment.
For Mr Chen, giving blood takes on added meaning around Vesak Day, which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of Buddha.
"I would say that there's a sense of accomplishment, in a way, the irony is that after every donation, it feels good," Mr Chen said.
"Because it feels like you have successfully done something that you can for people in need, so after every donation, I kind of look forward to the next donation."
THE VALUE OF GIVING
For the Singapore Red Cross, religious organisations and faith-based groups are important due to their extensive networks within the community, as well as their core values of compassion, care and giving, said head of the blood donor programme Agnes Ting.
"Vesak Day, like many public holidays, is a chance for us to practise compassion and help those in need," she said.
"The act of giving blood itself is a powerful manifestation of these fundamental principles," she added.
Ms Ting said that blood stocks tend to dip nearly 20 per cent during holidays and long weekends, but the need for blood is constant.
"Maintaining a stable supply of blood in Singapore is crucial, because the need for the patients never stops during festivities.
"In Singapore, we only have 1.3 per cent (of the population) who are blood donors, and every day we require 400 units of blood for transfusion needs across Singapore."
As of May 29, blood stock levels were in the moderate or healthy range across all blood types.
Ms Ting noted that the group of senior blood donors is shrinking due to health-related reasons.
The Singapore Red Cross and the Health Sciences Authority said in April that Singapore faces a looming blood supply crisis, with the demand for blood potentially outstripping supply in as early as seven years based on current population trends.
The surge in demand is driven primarily by a rapidly ageing population and rising cancer incidence.
Singapore’s youth donor pool is also shrinking, with donations falling by more than half over the past decade.
Against this, the Singapore Red Cross is looking to engage more youth donors and foreigners in Singapore to support the programme.
Both Mr Wong and Mr Chen are staunch supporters of the programme and encouraged those looking to take the first step.
"In life, there are thousands of problems, (but) if you are not healthy, you will only have one problem, it's your health, and the other problems don't matter," Mr Chen said.
"So, of course, if you have a healthy body, why not contribute yourself to society?"
