Our Founder

Venerable 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.