Difference between revisions of "Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation Australia"
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== The Founding of [[Tzu Chi]] == | == The Founding of [[Tzu Chi]] == | ||
[[File:Taiwan mission.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Taiwan Mission]] | [[File:Taiwan mission.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Taiwan Mission]] | ||
| − | In 1966, at the age of 29, | + | In 1966, at the age of 29, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] founded [[Tzu Chi]]. At the time, the [[east]] coast of [[Taiwan]], where [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] first settled, was undeveloped and impoverished. [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] and her [[monastic]] [[disciples]] supported themselves by sewing baby shoes, making concrete sacks into smaller [[animal]] feed bags, knitting sweaters, and raising their [[own]] vegetables. |
One day in 1966, while [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was visiting a {{Wiki|patient}} at a small local clinic, she saw a pool of {{Wiki|blood}} on the floor. [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was told that the {{Wiki|blood}} was from an indigenous woman [[suffering]] from labor complications. Her [[family]] had carried her from their mountain village. They had been walking for eight hours, but when they arrived at the hospital, they did not have the NT$8,000 (then US$200) required fee. They could only carry her back untreated. Hearing this, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was overwhelmed with [[sorrow]]. She [[thought]] to herself: as an impoverished [[monastic]] barely supporting herself, what could she do to help these poor [[people]]? | One day in 1966, while [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was visiting a {{Wiki|patient}} at a small local clinic, she saw a pool of {{Wiki|blood}} on the floor. [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was told that the {{Wiki|blood}} was from an indigenous woman [[suffering]] from labor complications. Her [[family]] had carried her from their mountain village. They had been walking for eight hours, but when they arrived at the hospital, they did not have the NT$8,000 (then US$200) required fee. They could only carry her back untreated. Hearing this, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] was overwhelmed with [[sorrow]]. She [[thought]] to herself: as an impoverished [[monastic]] barely supporting herself, what could she do to help these poor [[people]]? | ||
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In 1961, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] left her [[family]] home to embark on the [[spiritual path]], giving up a relatively comfortable [[life]]. Within a few days, however, her mother found her and begged her to return home. She acquiesced, but with her [[spiritual]] convictions, she could not truly be content living her old [[life]]; several months later, she again left her [[family]] to pursue [[spiritual cultivation]]. That year, she was 24. From [[western]] [[Taiwan]], she traveled to eastern [[Taiwan]] and eventually settled down in Hualien, a small town in [[Taiwan's]] relatively undeveloped [[east]] coast. Though [[life]] was very hard, it did not {{Wiki|diminish}} her commitment to [[spiritual cultivation]]. | In 1961, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] left her [[family]] home to embark on the [[spiritual path]], giving up a relatively comfortable [[life]]. Within a few days, however, her mother found her and begged her to return home. She acquiesced, but with her [[spiritual]] convictions, she could not truly be content living her old [[life]]; several months later, she again left her [[family]] to pursue [[spiritual cultivation]]. That year, she was 24. From [[western]] [[Taiwan]], she traveled to eastern [[Taiwan]] and eventually settled down in Hualien, a small town in [[Taiwan's]] relatively undeveloped [[east]] coast. Though [[life]] was very hard, it did not {{Wiki|diminish}} her commitment to [[spiritual cultivation]]. | ||
| − | In late 1962, at the age of 25, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] shaved her [[own]] head to formally {{Wiki|renounce}} the lay [[life]] and start [[life]] as a [[Buddhist]] [[monastic]]. She was unaware that [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|rules}} required one to do so under a [[Buddhist master]] (a [[monastic]] [[teacher]]). Because of this, she could not qualify when she sought to receive | + | In late 1962, at the age of 25, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] shaved her [[own]] head to formally {{Wiki|renounce}} the lay [[life]] and start [[life]] as a [[Buddhist]] [[monastic]]. She was unaware that [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|rules}} required one to do so under a [[Buddhist master]] (a [[monastic]] [[teacher]]). Because of this, she could not qualify when she sought to receive [[full monastic ordination]] at Taipei's [[Lin Chi Temple]] several months later. These circumstances brought her into a chance encounter with [[Venerable Master Yin Shun]] at a [[Buddhist]] lecture hall in {{Wiki|Taipei}}. Having great [[respect]] for him, she asked if he would accept her as his [[disciple]]. He accepted, but as registration for [[ordination]] at the [[Lin Chi Temple]] would soon come to a close, there was little time for more than a simple instruction to the young {{Wiki|novice}}, "Now that you are a [[Buddhist]] [[monastic]], remember always to work for [[Buddhism]] and for [[all living beings]]." He gave her the [[Dharma name]], [[Cheng Yen]]. |
== How it started in [[Australia]] == | == How it started in [[Australia]] == | ||
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Soon after that, other members residing in {{Wiki|Sydney}} also took heed of [[Master Cheng Yen’s]] [[idea]] of localization and started to introduce [[Tzu Chi]] through {{Wiki|social}} gatherings at their homes and study groups. These gradually led to [[acceptance]] and endorsement of [[Tzu Chi’s]] basic {{Wiki|principles}} by an ever-increasing group of supporters. Offices were established in those two cities. In order to manage the increases in membership and [[activities]] more effectively, the [[Australian chapter]] was incorporated in {{Wiki|NSW}} on 1 March 1996 and became a national [[body]] in 1999. The aim is to promote and carry out [[Tzu Chi’s]] 4 main missions of [[charity]], {{Wiki|medical}} service, [[education]], and [[humanistic]] values. In 2000, we received endorsement from the [[Australian]] Taxation Office as a Deductible [[Gift]] Recipient. That affords us the privilege of accepting {{Wiki|donations}} for domestic [[charity]] works with tax deductions for the donors. | Soon after that, other members residing in {{Wiki|Sydney}} also took heed of [[Master Cheng Yen’s]] [[idea]] of localization and started to introduce [[Tzu Chi]] through {{Wiki|social}} gatherings at their homes and study groups. These gradually led to [[acceptance]] and endorsement of [[Tzu Chi’s]] basic {{Wiki|principles}} by an ever-increasing group of supporters. Offices were established in those two cities. In order to manage the increases in membership and [[activities]] more effectively, the [[Australian chapter]] was incorporated in {{Wiki|NSW}} on 1 March 1996 and became a national [[body]] in 1999. The aim is to promote and carry out [[Tzu Chi’s]] 4 main missions of [[charity]], {{Wiki|medical}} service, [[education]], and [[humanistic]] values. In 2000, we received endorsement from the [[Australian]] Taxation Office as a Deductible [[Gift]] Recipient. That affords us the privilege of accepting {{Wiki|donations}} for domestic [[charity]] works with tax deductions for the donors. | ||
| − | Apart from the {{Wiki|Sydney}} base, we have liaison offices in {{Wiki|Melbourne}}, Brisbane, {{Wiki|Gold}} | + | Apart from the {{Wiki|Sydney}} base, we have liaison offices in {{Wiki|Melbourne}}, Brisbane, {{Wiki|Gold Coast}}, and {{Wiki|Perth}}, with about 10,000 supporters Australia-wide. Jing-Si Hall in Eastwood, {{Wiki|NSW}} is the centre of our [[Australian]] operations. With a building area of 1,2202, its [[conversion]] from the old NRMA depot was completed in 2009. |
Our volunteers offer their free time to serve the local communities. Their regular presence can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice wards, school for [[deaf]] and [[blind]] children, and [[homeless]] centres. | Our volunteers offer their free time to serve the local communities. Their regular presence can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice wards, school for [[deaf]] and [[blind]] children, and [[homeless]] centres. | ||
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“Educating children to be [[moral]] and upright” | “Educating children to be [[moral]] and upright” | ||
| − | To foster outstanding and [[compassionate]] {{Wiki|future}} {{Wiki|medical}} professionals, [[Dharma Master | + | To foster outstanding and [[compassionate]] {{Wiki|future}} {{Wiki|medical}} professionals, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] established the [[Tzu Chi]] Nursing {{Wiki|College}} in 1989. The [[Master]] also wanted to address the lack of [[education]] and employment opportunities confronting aboriginal girls of Eastern [[Taiwan]]. In July 2000, [[Tzu Chi]] completed the establishment of its [[education]] program [[offering]] a well rounded {{Wiki|curriculum}} and runs the full {{Wiki|curriculum}} from kindergarten, elementary school and [[middle school]] to high school, {{Wiki|college}}, and graduate studies. The shared [[objective]] of [[Tzu Chi]] schools and [[universities]] is the delivery of {{Wiki|superior}} [[education]] where “[[kindness]], [[compassion]], [[joy]], and [[selfless]] giving” is the school motto, ”[[Respect]] for [[Life]] and [[Faith]] in [[Human Nature]]” is the guideline, and “[[Education]] of [[Virtue]], [[education]] of [[life]], and [[education]] of the entire [[person]]” is the goal. |
=== [[Mission]] of {{Wiki|Culture}} === | === [[Mission]] of {{Wiki|Culture}} === | ||
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[[File:International relief.jpg|thumb|250px|left|International Relief Mission]] | [[File:International relief.jpg|thumb|250px|left|International Relief Mission]] | ||
“[[Bodhisattvas]] [[exist]] to relieve the [[suffering]] of mankind”. With providing help to flood {{Wiki|victims}} of [[Bangladesh]] in 1991, [[Tzu Chi]] marked the start of its international relief efforts. International Relief not only provides emergency materials like [[food]], clothing, grain [[seeds]], and {{Wiki|medical}} materials, it goes further to rebuild houses and schools, set up [[water]] supply systems, and offer free clinics. Though the aid projects vary, the {{Wiki|ideal}} of “respecting [[life]]” is adhered to all the same. | “[[Bodhisattvas]] [[exist]] to relieve the [[suffering]] of mankind”. With providing help to flood {{Wiki|victims}} of [[Bangladesh]] in 1991, [[Tzu Chi]] marked the start of its international relief efforts. International Relief not only provides emergency materials like [[food]], clothing, grain [[seeds]], and {{Wiki|medical}} materials, it goes further to rebuild houses and schools, set up [[water]] supply systems, and offer free clinics. Though the aid projects vary, the {{Wiki|ideal}} of “respecting [[life]]” is adhered to all the same. | ||
| + | |||
From its beginnings as a local [[charity]] in [[Taiwan]], [[Tzu Chi]] has become a broad-based international humanitarian [[organization]]. In {{Wiki|recognition}} of its global aid programs across five continents, [[Tzu Chi]] became the first Non-Government-Organized [[charity]] group in [[Taiwan]] to attain association {{Wiki|status}} with the United Nations Department of [[Information]] in 2003. | From its beginnings as a local [[charity]] in [[Taiwan]], [[Tzu Chi]] has become a broad-based international humanitarian [[organization]]. In {{Wiki|recognition}} of its global aid programs across five continents, [[Tzu Chi]] became the first Non-Government-Organized [[charity]] group in [[Taiwan]] to attain association {{Wiki|status}} with the United Nations Department of [[Information]] in 2003. | ||
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“Practicising {{Wiki|environmental}} [[protection]] to live in [[harmony]] with [[Mother Earth]]” | “Practicising {{Wiki|environmental}} [[protection]] to live in [[harmony]] with [[Mother Earth]]” | ||
[[File:Environment care.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Environment Care]] | [[File:Environment care.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Environment Care]] | ||
| − | In a 1990 {{Wiki|speech}}, [[Dharma Master | + | In a 1990 {{Wiki|speech}}, [[Dharma Master Cheng Yen]] called on the public “to carry out {{Wiki|environmental}} conservation with applauding hands”. Since then, [[Tzu Chi]] volunteers have been earnestly practicing {{Wiki|environmental}} [[protection]]. To promote waste reduction and motivate recycling regardless of age or {{Wiki|social}} stature and without {{Wiki|fear}} of filth, conservation volunteers humbly and selflessly give all of their care to the [[earth]]. From protecting our [[earthly]] {{Wiki|environment}} to protecting our [[mental]] {{Wiki|environment}}, [[Tzu Chi]] advocates a healthy [[diet]] of more {{Wiki|fruits}} and vegetables and discourages meat consumption. If we live a simple [[lifestyle]] and reduce our {{Wiki|carbon}} footprint while constantly cherishing the [[earth]], we shall slow down the global warming crisis. |
=== {{Wiki|Community}} Volunteers === | === {{Wiki|Community}} Volunteers === | ||
Latest revision as of 04:08, 8 November 2015
| Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation Australia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Australia Tzu Chi | |
| Information | |
| Tradition/Linage | Chinese |
| Main School | Mahayana |
| Sub School | Chinese |
| Founded | Founded(when)::1966 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | BUORG-Names::Names::Dharma Master Cheng Yen |
| Teacher(s) | BUORG-Names::Names::Dharma Master Cheng Yen |
| Contact Infotmation | |
| Address | 20-22 Glen Street Eastwood New South Wales 2122 Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | service=google }} {{#geocode:20-22Glen StreetEastwoodNew South WalesAustralia|format=float|service=google}} service=google }}The "_geo" type of this property is invalid |
| Map | {{#display_map:{{#geocode:20-22Glen StreetEastwoodNew South WalesAustralia}}|height=250px|width=250px|zoom=18}} |
| Phone | Phone::(02) 9874 7666 |
| Fax | Fa(02) 9874 7611::(02) 9874 7611 |
| Website | Website::http://www.tzuchi.org.au/en/ "Website" has not been listed as valid URI scheme. |
| Email::sydney@tzuchi.org.auURIs of the form "Email::sydney@tzuchi.org.au" are not allowed., Email::tzuchisyd@hotmail.comURIs of the form "Email::tzuchisyd@hotmail.com" are not allowed. | |
The Founding of Tzu Chi
In 1966, at the age of 29, Dharma Master Cheng Yen founded Tzu Chi. At the time, the east coast of Taiwan, where Dharma Master Cheng Yen first settled, was undeveloped and impoverished. Dharma Master Cheng Yen and her monastic disciples supported themselves by sewing baby shoes, making concrete sacks into smaller animal feed bags, knitting sweaters, and raising their own vegetables.
One day in 1966, while Dharma Master Cheng Yen was visiting a patient at a small local clinic, she saw a pool of blood on the floor. Dharma Master Cheng Yen was told that the blood was from an indigenous woman suffering from labor complications. Her family had carried her from their mountain village. They had been walking for eight hours, but when they arrived at the hospital, they did not have the NT$8,000 (then US$200) required fee. They could only carry her back untreated. Hearing this, Dharma Master Cheng Yen was overwhelmed with sorrow. She thought to herself: as an impoverished monastic barely supporting herself, what could she do to help these poor people?
A short time later, three Catholic nuns visited Dharma Master Cheng Yen, and they had a discussion on the teachings of their respective religions. When Dharma Master Cheng Yen explained that Buddhism teaches love and compassion for all living beings, the nuns commented: Why have we not seen Buddhists doing good works for the society, such as setting up nursing homes, orphanages, and hospitals?
The nuns' message struck a deep chord with Dharma Master Cheng Yen. Buddhism, she responded, teaches people to do good deeds without seeking recognition. However, she knew in her heart that without organization, what could be accomplished was very limited. Dharma Master Cheng Yen considered: What if her disciples sold one extra pair of baby shoes per day? What if the thirty housewives that listened to her teachings could donate NT 50 cents (approximately US 1 cent) per day? In one year's time, she calculated, they would have enough money to have saved that indigenous woman. A small concerted effort, she realized, over time could make an enormous difference!
Thus, Dharma Master Cheng Yen founded Tzu Chi. Fashioning coin banks out of bamboo, she asked her lay followers to drop a NT 50 cent coin into the bamboo bank everyday before going to the market. "Why not simply donate NT$15 each month?" one follower asked. The amount was the same in dollars, Dharma Master Cheng Yen replied, but very different in spirit. Dharma Master Cheng Yen wanted each person to think of helping others every day, not just one day each month.
As word spread and more people participated, there came to be Tzu Chi commissioners who were responsible for collecting donations. Commissioners traveled to villages to collect the savings in each of the bamboo banks. On one occasion, a commissioner complained that a particular donor lived so far away that the cost of the trip was more than the amount donated. Dharma Master Cheng Yen, however, replied that giving people an opportunity to participate was as important as the donation itself. By collecting donations from people, the commissioners were in fact nurturing seeds of kindness in each donor. This kindness, not the donation, was Dharma Master Cheng Yen's true mission.
Dharma Master Cheng Yen deeply believes that all people are capable of the same great compassion as the Buddha. True compassion, however, is not just having sympathy for another's suffering—it is to reach out to relieve that suffering with concrete actions. In founding Tzu Chi, Dharma Master Cheng Yen wished to give ordinary citizens the chance to actualize this compassion, which will bring inner peace and happiness to the individual, and pave the way for world peace and harmony.
Biography of Dharma Master Cheng Yen
Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in Qingshui, a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. As her father's brother was childless, at a young age, she was adopted by him and his wife to raise as their own, a common practice in that era. Her new family later moved to Fengyuan City, Taichung County. When Dharma Master Cheng Yen was seven, the Second World War brought air raids upon Japanese-occupied Taiwan. What she witnessed deeply imprinted upon her young mind the cruelty of war. Throughout her growing years, she had many questions about life and its meaning.
In her town, the young Dharma Master Cheng Yen was known as a very filial daughter to her parents. When her mother needed surgery for acute gastric perforation, a very risky procedure in those times, the 15-year-old Dharma Master Cheng Yen prayed earnestly to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), offering to give up 12 years of her life in exchange for her mother's health. To express her piety, she undertook a vegetarian fast. When her mother later recovered without need for surgery, the young Dharma Master Cheng Yen, out of gratitude, chose to become a life-long vegetarian.
The Spiritual Calling
When Dharma Master Cheng Yen was 23, an event happened that would change her life. One day, her father suddenly took ill. Within 24 hours, he passed away. His death was a great shock to Dharma Master Cheng Yen and propelled her to seek many answers about life and death. That life could be taken away so precipitously made her reflect, "Why is life so transient? Where then lies its true meaning?"
At this time, Dharma Master Cheng Yen came into contact with Buddhism. Learning of the teachings, she gradually came to feel that one should expand the love for one's own family to the entire society and all humanity. She aspired to take care of the great family of humanity, instead of one small family.
In 1961, Dharma Master Cheng Yen left her family home to embark on the spiritual path, giving up a relatively comfortable life. Within a few days, however, her mother found her and begged her to return home. She acquiesced, but with her spiritual convictions, she could not truly be content living her old life; several months later, she again left her family to pursue spiritual cultivation. That year, she was 24. From western Taiwan, she traveled to eastern Taiwan and eventually settled down in Hualien, a small town in Taiwan's relatively undeveloped east coast. Though life was very hard, it did not diminish her commitment to spiritual cultivation.
In late 1962, at the age of 25, Dharma Master Cheng Yen shaved her own head to formally renounce the lay life and start life as a Buddhist monastic. She was unaware that Buddhist rules required one to do so under a Buddhist master (a monastic teacher). Because of this, she could not qualify when she sought to receive full monastic ordination at Taipei's Lin Chi Temple several months later. These circumstances brought her into a chance encounter with Venerable Master Yin Shun at a Buddhist lecture hall in Taipei. Having great respect for him, she asked if he would accept her as his disciple. He accepted, but as registration for ordination at the Lin Chi Temple would soon come to a close, there was little time for more than a simple instruction to the young novice, "Now that you are a Buddhist monastic, remember always to work for Buddhism and for all living beings." He gave her the Dharma name, Cheng Yen.
How it started in Australia
Tzu Chi’s Australian footprints first appeared in Brisbane in 1991 when one of our longtime members settled down there from Taiwan. Soon after that, other members residing in Sydney also took heed of Master Cheng Yen’s idea of localization and started to introduce Tzu Chi through social gatherings at their homes and study groups. These gradually led to acceptance and endorsement of Tzu Chi’s basic principles by an ever-increasing group of supporters. Offices were established in those two cities. In order to manage the increases in membership and activities more effectively, the Australian chapter was incorporated in NSW on 1 March 1996 and became a national body in 1999. The aim is to promote and carry out Tzu Chi’s 4 main missions of charity, medical service, education, and humanistic values. In 2000, we received endorsement from the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient. That affords us the privilege of accepting donations for domestic charity works with tax deductions for the donors.
Apart from the Sydney base, we have liaison offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Perth, with about 10,000 supporters Australia-wide. Jing-Si Hall in Eastwood, NSW is the centre of our Australian operations. With a building area of 1,2202, its conversion from the old NRMA depot was completed in 2009.
Our volunteers offer their free time to serve the local communities. Their regular presence can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice wards, school for deaf and blind children, and homeless centres.
Tzu Chi Missions
Mission of Charity
“Educating the rich to help the poor; inspiring the poor to realize their riches”
Tzu Chi pays attention not only to the effectiveness of its aid and assistance; it also focuses on bringing out the good in everyone. By helping the poor, the rich get to feel the happiness of giving and find the true meaning of life. Likewise, the poor are motivated to harbor love abundantly and help out those less fortunate than themselves, so that they break away from perceived helplessness and despair. Consequently, more people become willing to help out others while enriching themselves through contribution.
Mission of Medicine
“Patient-centered medical care that respects patients as teachers”
Among the four sufferings of life, illness is the most painful. During her charity visits, Dharma Master Cheng Yen realized that many families became poor after following some major illness. Therefore, she founded the Tzu Chi Free Clinic for the Poor in 1972, which began Tzu Chi’s mission of medicine. In 1986, the Hualien Tzu Chi General Hospital opened, and its guiding principles were “respect life” and “Patient-centered”. Tzu Chi Taiwan’s medical network was completed by the openings of additional hospitals in Yuli, Guanshan, Dalin, Taipei, and Taichung. The medical staff, supported by large teams of volunteers, aim to perfect the “Four Entireties” of patient care: the entire treatment process, the patient’s entire body, the patient’s entire family, and the entire medical team. The goal is to ensure proper care of the body, mind, and soul of the patient. From city to countryside, from the mountain to the sea, Tzu Chi’s comprehensive medical network provides the people of Taiwan with top quality medical service that consists of the latest technology and the warm human touch.
Mission of Education
“Educating children to be moral and upright”
To foster outstanding and compassionate future medical professionals, Dharma Master Cheng Yen established the Tzu Chi Nursing College in 1989. The Master also wanted to address the lack of education and employment opportunities confronting aboriginal girls of Eastern Taiwan. In July 2000, Tzu Chi completed the establishment of its education program offering a well rounded curriculum and runs the full curriculum from kindergarten, elementary school and middle school to high school, college, and graduate studies. The shared objective of Tzu Chi schools and universities is the delivery of superior education where “kindness, compassion, joy, and selfless giving” is the school motto, ”Respect for Life and Faith in Human Nature” is the guideline, and “Education of Virtue, education of life, and education of the entire person” is the goal.
Mission of Culture
“Recording the examples of goodness and integrity for future generations”
What is “Culture?” It consists of shining examples for the human character that becomes revered legacy in recorded history. Every one of Tzu Chi’s missions takes the individual human being as foundation. Each person is expected to behave in a moral way with proper manners and to have respect for Mother Nature. Each person is also expected to cultivate his inherent integrity and to maintain appropriate demeanor in interacting with others. When Tzu Chi first started its mission of charity, the seeds of humanity were planted deep. Later, the Mission of Medicine and the Mission of Education also carried integral connections with humanity.
The calling of the Mission of Humanistic Culture is to purify the human mind, to pacify our society, to help those who suffer, and to rectify frenzied and chaotic acts. The Mission of Humanistic Culture bears witness to historical eras, creates new history for mankind, and establishes cycles of love and goodness.
International Relief
“Caring for people in suffering in the global village”
“Bodhisattvas exist to relieve the suffering of mankind”. With providing help to flood victims of Bangladesh in 1991, Tzu Chi marked the start of its international relief efforts. International Relief not only provides emergency materials like food, clothing, grain seeds, and medical materials, it goes further to rebuild houses and schools, set up water supply systems, and offer free clinics. Though the aid projects vary, the ideal of “respecting life” is adhered to all the same.
From its beginnings as a local charity in Taiwan, Tzu Chi has become a broad-based international humanitarian organization. In recognition of its global aid programs across five continents, Tzu Chi became the first Non-Government-Organized charity group in Taiwan to attain association status with the United Nations Department of Information in 2003.
Bone Marrow Donation
“Donating your marrow to save a life without harming yourself”
The sight of patients suffering from blood diseases is unbearable for Dharma Master Cheng Yen. Therefore, after confirming that bone marrow transfer can save lives without harming the donor, the Master started the Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registry in 1993, which was renamed in 2002 to The Buddhist Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Stem Cell Centre. On top of its original marrow data bank functions, this institution has evolved to include ongoing stem cell research and gene therapy, as well as the establishment of an umbilical cord blood repository, all of which serve to usher in new hopes in human medical treatments. Through all out campaigns and enthusiastic participations by Tzu Chi volunteers, many kind hearted people have been motivated into taking the blood tests required for marrow matching. In every single case, the volunteers were there to encourage and support the donor, and their efforts demonstrate the intricate levels of compassion present in Taiwan. The contributions of Great Love from the generous marrow donors are a Great Love pure and pristine. It is a “love pure like clear water”.
Environmental Protection
“Practicising environmental protection to live in harmony with Mother Earth”
In a 1990 speech, Dharma Master Cheng Yen called on the public “to carry out environmental conservation with applauding hands”. Since then, Tzu Chi volunteers have been earnestly practicing environmental protection. To promote waste reduction and motivate recycling regardless of age or social stature and without fear of filth, conservation volunteers humbly and selflessly give all of their care to the earth. From protecting our earthly environment to protecting our mental environment, Tzu Chi advocates a healthy diet of more fruits and vegetables and discourages meat consumption. If we live a simple lifestyle and reduce our carbon footprint while constantly cherishing the earth, we shall slow down the global warming crisis.
Community Volunteers
“By supporting and caring for each other, they make a beautiful neighbourhood”
Since its campaign on Community Volunteering in 1996, Tzu Chi volunteers are encouraged to cultivate themselves intheir own community, through the sharing at group gathering, their professionalism and volunteering spirit are elevated. To recruit more volunteers, they will carry out "Spread the Seeds of Love" tea parties, encouraging the neighborhoods to join the Great Love activities. Also, they actively look for people in need in their community. The founding of the "Community Volunteering" system is a realization of the Confucius ideal "The Beauty of Community". Through the initiative of the volunteers, a network of inter-connected communities is set up, so the community residents can live at ease in the peaceful community, and they can also help and watch other communities.
