There is an old saying, “All things, good or evil, are created by one’s mind.” All acts of mankind are determined by their mind and hearts. With a good heart, a person would do good deeds. On the other hand, with an evil heart, a person would then perform bad deeds. All actions begin with a thought. Great virtue is accumulated from doing small good deeds
The people of Taiwan in 1966 were generally poor. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by Master Cheng Yen with five monastic disciples and thirty house wives. In order to raise money to help the poor, the dharma masters at the Jing Si Adobe made baby shoes to sell four dollars each. With an additional twenty-four dollars each day, they were able to save seven hundred and twenty dollars more per month. The medical expense of first care recipient cost more than six hundred dollars.Full story
Dharma Master Cheng Yen made three vows in the early years when she first became a Buddhist nun. The first was not to accept offering; the second was not to hold Buddhist Dharma services; the third was not to take disciples. What she wanted at that time was pure Dharma practices. Then she saw a poor aboriginal woman suffering from labor complications because she could not afford the medical deposi...
“Be well-rounded in character;” “Be well-rounded when dealing with things;” and “Be well-rounded in principles” are prerequisites that Dharma Master Cheng Yen asks of all Tzu Chi members when dealing with the public.
Forty years after Tzu Chi was established, Dharma Master Cheng Yen officially announced the formation of Tzu Chi’s dharma path. All disciples who have taken refuge are Jing Si Disciples and everyone is a Tzu Chi volunteer. The Jing Si Dharma-Lineage and the Tzu Chi’ dharma path, are all based on the essences of the Lotus Sutra and practices of the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings.