[eBook] Pure Wisdom

Introduction

What people worry about can often be summarized into three categories: family, business, and relationships. Greed and desire are often the root cause of people’s worries. People tirelessly pursue fame and fortune, material goods, family love, and romantic relationships, yet they completely forget that they live in the human world, where one cannot have everything as one wishes!

This book compiled questions and responses over the years between Dharma Master Cheng Yen and disciples or visitors: the questions may be about faith, suffering of illness, managing wealth, managing the household, etc. The words in this book will inspire people to bring out their inherent wisdom and learn to have fewer desires, so they will be able to live peaceful lives.

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.