| The
Still Thoughts Hall |
 |
| (Translated by Douglas Shaw) |
|
The Tzu Chi Still Thoughts Hall is located
in Hualien, to the right of the Tzu Chi General Hospital. Master
Cheng Yen hoped that this physical building would express the
Tzu Chi spirit of "great mercy even to strangers and great
compassion for all," and that it would be a historical landmark
for later generations of disciples.
The Master said that the Still Thoughts Hall
was built as a permanent spiritual fortress of Buddhism and an
exposition of Buddhist teachings. She hoped that both the visible
building and its contents would be a kind of "silent lecture
on the dharma," so that everyone could use their eyes and
hearts to personally experience the Buddha's spirit and teachings
and foster the Tzu Chi culture. Thus, the Still Thoughts Hall
would forever speak silently of the spirit of Buddhism and the
Tzu Chi world of goodness, beauty and truth.
The Master also said that if the Tzu Chi missions
of charity, medicine and education were "for all living beings,"
then the Still Thoughts Hall was "for Buddhism" [referring
to the instructions that she received from her mentor, Master
Yin Shun]. It is a combination of Buddhist and Tzu Chi culture,
gathering together the culture of Buddhist wisdom.
Ground was broken for the hall on August 17,
1986. The basic design includes a lecture hall that rises thirteen
stories, the Tzu Chi Companion plaza, the Lotus Sutra slope, international
conference hall, the Gratitude Hall, Tzu Chi World, Buddhist objects
exposition room, religious library, archives, sutra reading room,
and observation deck.
The Still Thoughts Hall is a Tzu Chi
historical museum, dedicated to a nun, born and raised in Taiwan,
who since 1966 had been bringing together people of all social
levels, races, nationalities and religions to practice the true
meaning of compassion and spread the Great Love of humanity.
