In 1944, when Master Cheng Yen was seven years old, Taiwan was still under Japanese occupation. Like all people in Taiwan, she constantly hid in bomb shelters from air raids. She noticed people around her praying to the Goddess of Mercy to divert the bombs into the sea. From this, she was introduced to the Goddess's compassion.
After Japan was defeated, she looked after her sick brother in a hospital for eight months. There she witnessed people's pain and helplessness when facing birth, illness, aging and death. She also began to admire the spirit of doctors and nurses in saving the patients.
Her father's unexpected death from a brain hemorrhage led to her realization that life was impermanet. From that point on, the Master became very interested in the study of Buddhism. Most monks and nuns at that time, however, were always preoccupied with various religious services, and Buddhist teachings were not promoted. Nonetheless, the decision to work for Buddhism was firmly planted in her mind. She chose to be self-reliant during her moral cultivation, not accepting any offerings from followers. She further felt that spiritual formation was not something to be done in isolation, but had to be put into concrete practice in order to benefit all human beings.
In 1961, Master Cheng Yen left home and wandered throughout Eastern Taiwan with a friendly nun, Master Hsiu Tao. She saw the misery of poor people in that area, and she vowed to help them. She settled down in Hualien, studied Buddhism by herself and adhered faithfully to the admonition of her mentor, Master Yin Shun: "You must constantly be committed to Buddhism and all living beings. "
Master Cheng Yen recalled that once she and Master Hsiu Tao were ridding their bicycles on the paths among the rice fields at dusk. The road gradually became narrower and narrower, until it finally ended altogether. Master Hsiu Tao suggested that they turn around and go back. Master Cheng Yen said that she would rather carry the bicycle and continue on foot than turn back. It was with this kind of determination and courage that she was later able to found Tzu Chi and spread its good works round the whole planet.
At a clinic in Fenglin, the Master saw a pool of blood left by a poor woman who could not afford the clinic's registration fee. The shock of seeing the blood was the catalyst for establishing the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation at Pu Ming Temple in 1966. The first members were 30 housewives who donated from their grocery money. Before going to the markets every day, these housewives put NT$0.50 [US$0.013] into a bamboo "piggy bank". One of the housewives suggested that it would be more convenient to deposit a lump sum of NT$15 a month. The Master replied that when they deposited 50 cents a day, they could have a compassionate thought each day rather than once a month. Those housewives brought Tzu Chi's spirit to the markets, so the news that "fifty cents can also help people" spread throughout Hualien.
Tzu Chi members did this worldly work with an other-worldly spirit. Making and selling an extra pair of baby shoes each day, the Master's followers in the early days stitched out the model of the future foundation. Although their lives were unsettled and full of disturbances, they considered their jobs training in learning Buddhism, and so they endured the hardships without any regrets or complaints. To make ends meet, they engaged in more than 21 kinds of handiwork. The first group of nuns who followed the Master firmly believed in the spirit of "no work, no meal," and their spirit bolstered the Master's determination to establish Tzu Chi. The first disciples - Master Te Tzu, Te Chao, Te Jung, and Te En - dedicated themselves with a spirit of complete offering and sacrifice, and they created an atmosphere of frugality and of appreciation for what they had. Their residence, the Abode of Still Thoughts, thus became the spiritual home for all Tzu Chi members.
The current appearance of the Abode is the result of nine expansions. Other than some financial support from the Master's mother, Mrs. Wang Yue-Kuei, the purchase of the land and the construction of the buildings were entirely paid for by the hard work of the nuns themselves. Through the changes in the Abode, we can see the historical tracks of Tzu Chi's development.
| The Beginning |
- Where is Father?
- Master Hsiu Tao
- Pu Ming Temple
- Work for Buddhism and All Living Beings
- Dogma Debate
- Tzu Chi's First Anniversary
- The Glove Factory
| The Nuns and Their Supporters |
