The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

topics including time, kindness and compassion, greed and desire, ethical refinement and spiritual cultivation. The second part was presented in the context of questions and answers. For this part, Hsin-chiang and his wife visited the Master at the Jing Si Abode and sought her opinions and advice on various issues in life. This part was itself composed of two sections. One was titled “Human Affairs”, which was organized into topics on tolerance and gentleness, duty and responsibility, communication, mother- and daughter-in-law relationships and love. The other section was titled “Religion” and contained topics on faith, the practice of Buddhism, spiritual merits, the karmic law of cause and effect and similar topics. Gary and Hsin-chiang named the book Jing Si Aphorisms . The former paid for the printing of 20,000 copies, which were given as mementos to guests attending the grand opening ceremony of the Tzu Chi College of Nursing. The book was so popular that he printed an additional 20,000 copies to give away. Gary and Hsin-chiang agreed that the book should be made available to the general public, instead of just to Tzu Chi volunteers and donors. They subsequently met Wang Tuan-cheng, then the editor-in-chief of the Central Daily News and who later became a vice president of the Tzu Chi Foundation. The three discussed the publication of the book for sale. Eighteen languages and distributed worldwide In November 1989, Jing Si Aphorisms was launched by the Chiu Ko Publishing Company, a highly regarded publishing house in Taiwan. In just a week, 20,000 copies were sold and more had to be printed. It became the number one bestselling book in more than 30 bookstores in Taiwan. It experienced 30 printings within two short months, with 60,000 copies circulating. The book sold so well that when Tsai Wen-fu, the founder of Chiu Ko Publishing, met Master Cheng Yen not long after it was launched, he was able to hand over a large royalty payment to the Master. Instead of using the money on herself, the Master decided to share it with others. It thus became a tradition for the Master to give out red envelopes of wisdom and blessings every year to attendees of Tzu Chi’s Year-end Blessing Ceremonies; the money for making these red packets comes from royalties of her books (more of her books were published for sale after the publication of Jing Si Aphorisms ). Jing Si Aphorisms has since been translated into 18 languages and has sold over 7 million copies. Its fifth volume was launched in October 2019. Members of the Tzu Chi Teachers’ Association have designed teaching materials from the aphorisms to help volunteers in Taiwan and other countries share them with students in school, and through the students, the wise sayings have been brought into many families. Volunteers have also visited stores and, with the shop owners’ permission, posted Jing Si aphorisms on their premises to allow the good messages to reach more people. Over the past 30 years, Jing Si Aphorisms has had a profound positive influence on many people. “I hope that everyone who reads this book can attain freedom of the mind,” said Master Cheng Yen, expressing her hope for the book when it was published. Gems of wisdom lie within the pages of the book, waiting for you to discover. TZU CHI 121 29 Wise Words for a Good Life Three Decades of Jing Si Aphorisms