nt Origination, her latter work with the poor, which occurred through her deep religious values, can be directly attributed to her father’s death. This law states that nothing exists on its own, but always has come from earlier circumstances. In other words, her father’s death, because it caused the religious shift in her life, is the reason why she would latter come to work for the poor through the church.Continuing on, her religious development and her acute understanding of suffering, was cultivated through the politically tumultuous atmosphere of the Balkans. During her infant years the Turkish ruled with barbarism, terror, and repression. Further upheaval began when the first of the Balkan wars broke out in 1912; Teresa was only three years old. The end of the war leads to yet another period of foreign occupation. The constant foreign occupation and war caused the displacement and death of thousands, there were constant flows of the homeless, hungry, and wounded. This is where Teresa was first exposed to destitution and suffering, and where she initially became aware of the third characteristic of existence known as Dukkha- the universality of suffering in life. The continued influence of her mother taught her not to turn away but to embrace and aid those in need. Again her brother explains, “we constantly tried to help people. My mother was interested in missions, and [we] would take in local people too and feed and help them.” (Serrou) It is easy to see that the influence and goodwill of her mother directly shaped the development of Teresa’s character. She “did not just spring out of the blue” (Serrou), but was a product of her mother. Once again the influence of Dependant Origination is strong. Had her father lived, she may not have had this direct exposure to suffering. In which case, she would not have developed the internal religious declination that inspired her to leave home,...
