Week 9 – Little Story About Macau (3/12)

Fok Un福緣

The word “福” can be translated as “good fortune”, and the word “緣” can be translated as “fate”, “circle – no beginning no end”. They are pronounced as “Fok Yun” (福緣), and these two characters “福緣” is the name of this beautiful tortoise you see on the picture, whose age with more than 100 years old.

Last year in October, Fok Yun was found by a couple in the market, hanged upside down inside a fishnet, waiting to meet his fate. The lovely couple, instead of leaving the distressing scene alone, compassion was aroused, they stopped to free the big tortoise.
From that moment, the big tortoise’s destiny has been rewritten.

The lovely couple bought the tortoise. Then, with help from friends, a group of kind-hearted people, help applied licenses, and finally, took the big tortoise to Macau. Later, they named the tortoise as “Fok Yun” (福緣). Also, they found him a peaceful place to live.

There is a saying, “Once a destiny has been decided it cannot be changed.”

I’m wondering if what it looked like to be a turning point of the fate of the tortoise was also a part of the destiny. Did the tortoise escape from his destiny? Or, was the story of the escape from the market was merely a part of his destiny? I don’t know, and I guess that the answer may not be an absolute answer. It may be something very different from what I could think of.

Anyway, I don’t think it matters now, what most important is that Fok Yun, the tortoise, is now enjoying his life, peacefully, in a peaceful temple in Taipa.

Life is precious. Even a life of a small animal or an insect deserves the right to live.

We, who can save, please save.
We, who can help, please help.

Hope the world fills with joy, love and compassion.

Cristina

Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Location: Pou Tai Temple, Taipa