[eBook] Illuminations: Words of Insight from Dharma Master Cheng Yen Vol. 2: On Family and Interpersonal Relationships

[eBook] Illuminations: Words of Insight from Dharma Master Cheng Yen Vol. 2: On Family and Interpersonal Relationships

Introduction

This book series contains thousands of Master Cheng Yen’s teachings or responses to questions on all sorts of matters. The earliest teaching documented in this series was given in 1980, when then president, Mr. Chiang Ching-kuo, visited the Jing Si Abode in Hualien. During this visit, Master Cheng Yen shared about the groups Tzu Chi Merit Association helped, the kinds of help provided, and its operating process. The most recent teaching was given in April 2021, after a Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration derailed in and caused serious casualties. Master Cheng Yen expressed her empathy and compassion to the volunteers who went to the accident site right after the incident to provide help. The historical materials span as long as forty-one years and across two centuries.

Volume Two regards relationships within families and between individuals in groups such as the workplace. When
we are able to look beyond ourselves and have empathy for the viewpoints of others, when we treat each other with gratitude and mutual respect, our interactions will become harmonious. With the right perspective we can appreciate
each others’ virtues, and the world becomes spacious and broad.

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.