The world of Tzu Chi February 2021(Vol.131)

TZU CHI 131 29 By Koay Si Hui (Former Operating Head of KL & Selangor Jing-Si Books & Café) ‘Jing Si Aphorisms’ that all Malaysians can understand Jing Si Aphorisms has been in print for more than 30 years. In 2016, I was fortunate enough to participate in and witness the release of the first Malaysian version of Jing Si Aphorisms in Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English. I could say it was the most meaningful thing in my career as a staff of Jing-Si Culture Publications. T zu Chi has taken root in Malaysia for over a quarter century. Regardless of the numerous years that have passed, the pulse of charity has never ceased. The presence of Tzu Chi can be found in all corners of society, from providing long-term financial assistance and care to needy families, to assistance to needy patients, refugees, stateless children and students. Upon realizing through the charity home visits that many children could not go to school due to various family issues, Tzu Chi introduced Happy Schooling Scheme in 2012, in addition to the Tzu Chi study grant. Volunteers were mobilized to pay thousands of visits to the students’ homes, even trekking through mountains and crossing rivers to remote countryside, to ensure that the needy students could attend school with peace of mind. Most of the beneficiaries were Indians and Malays who could only understand their own mother tongues due to limited formal education. While interacting with them, it dawned on the volunteers that material assistance could only give temporary relief, but could not help these families break the shackles of generational poverty. Hence, the volunteers hoped to cross the language barriers and walk into the hearts of these beneficiaries from different races and religions—only by transforming their minds could they truly help them to be self-reliant. ‘Jing Si Aphorisms’ that is uniquely Malaysia’s A simple sentence can potentially change our thoughts, and a transformed mind can change our lives. The short phrases of Jing Si aphorisms by Master Cheng Yen are precisely the beacon, especially for those who are lost in the maze of life. Hence, in 2014, Echo Chien, CEO of Tzu Chi KL & Selangor felt that it was necessary to publish a Jing Si Aphorisms book in four languages—Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English—besides the widely circulated Chinese and English versions, in order to benefit a wider society in multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi- cultural Malaysia. Jing Si Aphorisms is an evergreen book that proved useful to many readers despite the lapse of time. Since the first edition, it has been published in 18 languages, and the most popular is the Collector's Edition in Chinese, English, Japanese and Spanish. Therefore, the Malaysian version used this as the blueprint, with 129 aphorisms mainly on self-cultivation and life attitude selected from this book plus The Teachings of Dharma Master Cheng Yen (Jing Si aphorisms for youth). Jing Si Aphorisms – Universal Language for a Good Life