About Me
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hi.org/Global/master/http://www.tzuchi.org/global/inspiratio
n/teachings/index.htmlVenerable Master Cheng Yen was born in a small town called Chingshui in central Taiwan in 1937. When she was twenty-six years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun. In 1966, she established the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, then the Tzu Chi Merits Society, and for over three decades Tzu Chi has concentrated its activities in the four major missions of charity, medicine, education and culture.Tzu Chi has become an international organization with over 5 million supporters and over 30,000 certified members who carry out its missions globally. The foundation provides disaster relief throughout the world, sending supplies to disaster victims and volunteers to help them rebuild their lives. Tzu Chi has built hospitals, colleges, and research centers as well as developed educational, social, and cultural programs for its local communities.Master Cheng Yen was awarded the Eisenhower Medallion for her contributions to world peace. She has been nominated in 1996 for the Nobel Peace Prize for her selfless dedication to bringing to a troubled world a renewed vision of compassion in action. Master Cheng Yen was named as one of the fifty "Stars of Asia" leaders at the forefront of change in the July 2000 issue of Business Week.For a more comprehensive look at the life of Master Cheng Yen, please read "Master of Love and Mercy: Cheng Yen" by Yu-ing Ching (1995, Blue Dolphin Publishing). This is the chronicle of Master Cheng Yen's search for wisdom and its flowering through the many works of compassion performed by her and her followers worldwide.Tzu Chi Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1966 by Dharma Master Cheng Yen in the impoverished east coast of Taiwan. The Foundation has been contributing to better social and community services, medical care, education and humanism in Taiwan for nearly 40 years. Master Cheng Yen firmly believes that suffering in this world is caused by material deprivation and spiritual poverty. She felt that "lack of love for others" has been the root of many problems in this world. "To save the world, we must begin by transforming human hearts."A volunteer-based, spiritual as well as welfare organization, Tzu Chi’s missions focus on giving material aid and inspiring love and humanity in both the givers and receivers. Since its founding, the Foundation has dedicated itself in the field of charity, medicine, education, environmental protection, as well as the promotion of humanistic values and community volunteerism. The humanitarian work is both a means to help those in need, and also a way to open the eyes of the volunteer to the harsher side of life, so that through giving, they may find spiritual happiness and life's true meaning.A home-grown Taiwanese organization, Tzu Chi volunteers living abroad began setting up overseas chapters in 1985. They use money that they have earned in their country of residence to help the poor and needy in their local communities. Today, Tzu Chi is an international organization with over 5 million supporters and over 30,000 certified commissioners around the globe.Emergency aid to typhoon-stricken Bangladesh in 1991 marked the beginning of the foundation's international relief efforts. Firmly believing that, "Nothing is more valuable than life, All beings are equal." Tzu Chi demonstrates first hand that They overcome obstacles of time, distance, and politics, to provide relief and hope to victims of war, flood, and drought. As of August 2005, over fifty-seven countries in five continents have received Tzu Chi’s aid.From the icy Arctic Circle to the sweltering tropics, Tzu Chi volunteers have left their footprints in many faraway lands, risking their lives in epidemics and wars. Their belief in "making the impossible possible" has sustained them in accomplishing many arduous tasks. In addition to material aid, Tzu Chi has also encouraged mutual help among disaster victims and helped them become independent by involving them in rebuilding their own communities. The ultimate goal is to inspire disaster victims to contribute to others in turn when they have the ability to do so, thus creating a global village of Great Love.Cycle of Goodness
The Tzu Chi Philosophy On Giving Aid Compiled from various teachings of Master Cheng YenWe live in a time of turmoil, fear and violence. Everyday we are inundated with news of war, natural disasters, unrelenting change that threatens to destroy the orderly world we know and live in. It is easy to lose hope and direction in life. We live under the same sky and breathe in the same air, so it should only be natural that we help and care for one another.Tzu Chi was built in 1966 on a foundation of love and that remains our core mission today. Love is all-powerful; it can soothe and calm a fretful and disquieted heart, as well as heal the wounds inflicted by calamities.The hope of humanity lies in mutual help. In times of crisis or suffering, Tzu Chi volunteers are like a beacon of light. They bring hope and inspire others with their generous spirit and unconditional care. Love is the sole driving force in their mission; they are givers of love, food, care, shelter, and clothing, anything that will alleviate suffering. But in helping others, they also plant seeds of love. They expect nothing in return, other than for the same unconditional love to be extended to others. When those being helped can begin helping others, the cycle of goodness would have come full circle.We firmly believe that the use of force will not end the turmoil on earth. Only through an open loving heart can we truly change the world to a better place for all to live in, alleviate the suffering of mankind, and reverse the trend of violence and destruction. When the goodness in every human being is awakened, world peace shall be possible.As Tzu Chi enters its thirty-fifth year, every inch of path Tzu Chi members have traveled has been paved with love. Tzu Chi's four missions are a network of universal love.We work in missions of Charity, Medicine, Education and Culture with the spirit of sincerity, integrity, trust and honesty. We believe in the equality of all beings and the Buddha-nature potential in every person. Through charitable hearts, the privilege obtain blessings and joy, and the impoverished receive security and peace.Tzu Chi members strive to bring forth the pure world Tzu Chi envisions; a world without suffering and obtained through love, compassion, joy and selfless giving. We invite all people in their goodwill to join us in purifying our minds, pacifying our society and working towards a disaster-free world.With offices in over twenty countries, the Tzu Chi Foundation is one of the largest charity organizations originating from Taiwan. For over thirty years, the organization has provided services for those in need worldwide. What began as simple charitable work with Master Cheng Yen and thirty housewives has gradually expanded into the eight fields of compassion in action. They are: charity, medicine, education, culture, international relief, bone marrow donation, environmental protection and community volunteerism. To this day, nearly all services are provided by foundation member volunteers, who labor with an attitude of love and gratitude towards all people.The twentieth century has been marked with increases in material possessions and unprecedented technological advancements. Even though we have been privileged with such advantages there are those who still suffer from the inequality of its effects. The closing of twentieth century should compel us to confront the fact that we have become further lost in a whirlpool of greed, belligerence and ignorance; that for this we have not improved our minds or spirits. Tzu Chi members aim to build a world of peace by purifying people's minds and activating the love and compassion within their hearts to end disaster and suffering.Purify yourself, respect all beingsThe cycle of natural disasters lead back to human kind. When people have less and less respect for Mother Nature, she will surely respond with endless calamities. The Buddha said, "All creatures share a common karma because we all receive the results of our actions."Why have we forgotten to treat one another first with gratitude, contentment, good will and understanding? In our loss of respect for each other, there is not enough love or an awakening of our innate universal love. Should we remember that all creatures in the universe are one, we would then know to let go of our egotism, set aside our mutual misunderstanding, and eliminate our selfishness. From the depths of our hearts will arise a reverent love for all beings and we will return to the true, clear essence of our human nature.Everyone has great loveThe Buddha's teachings are neither so difficult nor profound. They are simple directions for our daily lives. The Tzu Chi Foundation endeavors to put the spirit of Buddha's teaching into daily life. "We learn from what we do and we do what we have learned." In this way, we experience the meaning of the admonition, "Let the Buddha be in your heart, the dharma in your words and love in your deeds."Education in the essence of purifying human minds must not be overlooked. Tzu Chi teachers "treat all children with the hearts of parents and treat their own children with the wisdom of bodhisattvas." In this way, the love that they teach will truly sprout, grow and blossom. For over thirty years, millions of people have enthusiastically responded and joined in Tzu Chi's cause for compassion relief work, without complaint or regret. We deeply believe that in every heart there exists priceless, great love.Great love transcends all bordersIn a rare meeting with Master Cheng Yen, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama stated, "Why should we help people who are in pain and in need of help? It has nothing to do with religion, race or nationality. It has to do with the fact that they are our fellow human beings. Therefore, Master Cheng Yen's compassion, which transcends all borders, and the persistent efforts she makes in helping people fill my heart with respect and joy."Tzu Chi people, emanating the compassion and the thousand hands and eyes of bodhisattvas, immediately respond to calls for help regardless of who is in need of that help. Our international relief work demonstrates first hand the truth of the Buddha's teaching that "All beings are equal." This is the meaning of "Great mercy even to strangers and great compassion for all."Tzu Chi relief team members are honored for the opportunity to use their abilities and skills to help end suffering and give their time and financial resources to bring themselves to disaster areas to distribute relief supplies. Overcoming obstacles of time, distance, and politics, the Tzu Chi Foundation has provided compassion relief to victims of war, flood, and drought in such countries as Mainland China, Cambodia, Thailand, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, Jordan, Afghanistan and Serbia.Our servicesTzu Chi provides food, clothing, material necessities, medical care and spiritual consolation for victims of disasters, the sick, and the elderly. Tzu Chi strives to educate the rich by demonstrating that giving and service are more meaningful than pursuing wealth, power and prestige. Our hearts are full of gratitude in serving our long-term care recipients and disaster victims. Their misfortune is our occasion to use our ability to end their suffering and access our universal love. In our common karma we, the poor and the rich, help each other transcend misfortune wrought by human impurity.Tzu Chi's medical care network includes two hospitals in Taiwan and a system of free mobile clinics around the world. What is unique about Tzu Chi's medical service is the attitude of the personnel. Tzu Chi doctors and nurses treat patients as they would their own kin, and with the intent to heal patients in both body and mind. Tzu Chi does not only aim to treat the symptoms of a disease, but to address how a patient's illness affects daily life and family.Tzu Chi has established the world's third largest marrow donor registry, which has handled over one hundred marrow transplants both in Taiwan and abroad.Just do itTzu Chi people have walked on the path of love for more than thirty years. We have experienced success as well as disappointment, but we have always fearlessly upheld the attitude to "Just do it!" Having grown from its original thirty members to the millions of members from around the world, members of Tzu Chi have walked in one heart and one mind on one path to accomplish its four missions. If every person can give love without asking for anything in return, we can look forward to a world of certain peace. We encourage you and many more people to join us in lovingly creating a new millennium filled with goodness, beauty and truth.
