| Tzu
Chi History |
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The Origins of Tzu Chi
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 Nuns and Their Supporters |
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