[eBook] 50 Years on the Bodhisattva Path

[eBook] 50 Years on the Bodhisattva Path

Introduction

Tzu Chi Merit Association, founded in 1966, is the starting point of Tzu Chi’s charity work. With the vision and mission of “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings,” Dharma Master Cheng Yen resolutely led Tzu Chi volunteers to serve society. They give with loving-kindness without regrets, compassion without resentment, joy without worries, and equanimity without expectations.

The development of Tzu Chi over the last fifty years embodies a model of charity work in Buddhism. Master Cheng Yen encourages her disciples to persist diligently to walk the Bodhisattva-path, take the Buddha’s heart as their own with gratitude for everything, take their teacher’s mission as their own, and help all sentient beings. Saving the world begins with saving people’s hearts. When we light the lamp in our own hearts, we can gather the power of great love from many people and bring infinite light to the world, leading to many fifty years to come.

About Author

Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun, and was instructed by her mentor, Venerable Master Yin Shun, to work “for Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings.” In 1966, she founded a charity, which later turned into the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, to “help the poor and educate the rich”—to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanity in both givers and recipients.


In recent years, Master Cheng Yen’s contributions have been increasingly recognized by the global community. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute’s FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. In 2014, she was presented with Rotary International’s Award of Honor in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to world peace.