Jing Si Soap

by Han Huang September 13, 2019

Jing Si Soaps are handmade by the Buddhist nuns who reside at the Jing Si Abode in Hualien, Taiwan, and Tzu Chi volunteers who joyfully contribute many hours of labour.

While Jing Si soap is utterly pure and simple, the environmentally-conscious production process is complex to ensure that it’s entirely non-polluting and respects the precious life force of nature.

The process begins with gathering botanicals in the Jing Si Garden next to the abode. Protecting their living energy, the upper portion of each plant is cut in a way that won’t inhibit its continued growth. After 13 trims, seeds are harvested and re-planted, while the remaining root is composted to nourish the next generation of plants.

Then, a complex process begins at the Jing Si Soap Factory, perfected to uphold Master Cheng Yen’s strict demands of environmental protection. Knowing the health benefits of Cypress, wood shavings from construction that would otherwise be thrown away are gathered and cooked, the resulting condensed water forming the base for our soaps. The powder of the botanical plants, obtained naturally by drying them in the sun, is added, along with five types of oil, the combination of ingredients with different properties leading to a wondrous coalescence that creates Jing Si soap.

The soap is cut into bars by hand, then carefully tended and dried over two months.

No fragrances or colors are added, so the product is completely authentic.

Therein lies the message of Jing Si soap: To embrace what is genuine and real without seeking artificial excitement, and to appreciate nature’s gifts to their full potential. Even the scraps that remain from cutting our soap into bars are retrieved, as are batches that don’t coalesce and become laundry detergent.

Each bar of soap you purchase truly is imbued with blessings born from the positive energy of all the people whose hands crafted it with love, their good wishes coming directly to you.