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

01 TZU CHI 131 By Dharma Master Cheng Yen Translated by Tzu Chi Translating Team aster’s Teaching Saving NT 50 cents a day for charity funds to help the poor and needy—that genuine aspiration marked the humble beginning of Tzu Chi. Fifty-five years later, today, wherever there are Tzu Chi people, there are “Days of the Bamboo Bank”, pooling together the little daily savings for major relief work, spreading love to every corner of the world. I set out from Hualien in early November 2020 for our first round of Year-end Blessing Ceremonies. My first destination was Taipei, travelling southward to Taichung, and then back to Taipei, returning to Hualien on December 6. I met many loving people during this month-long trip, and heard many stories of selfless giving. Some people shared how they had emerged from a difficult past after encountering Tzu Chi, and decided to break free from a small world dominated by personal concerns, to embark on a path defined by the all-embracing love of a bodhisattva. The life that we live and walk through is so real and vivid, and to have the courage to share it would be the most beautiful story! Everything I heard and saw during this trip spoke of such beauty that no words can fully capture. In Tzu Chi’s 55-year history, every chapter of the wonderful and touching stories of our volunteers and our work can serve as valuable humanistic education materials. In a blessing ceremony in Taichung, volunteers from Nantou shared the story of Cao Mei-ying, a dedicated Tzu Chi volunteer for over 20 years, who passed away on November 11. Upon her demise, she fulfilled her wish of “doing Tzu Chi to the very end”, by donating her body to Tzu Chi for medical education. She had said on her death bed that she had no regrets in doing Tzu Chi’s work, and she would follow me life after life on the Bodhisattva Path. Seeing her images in a video in the ceremony, I felt a profound sense of loss. At the same time, however, I knew she had lived a most beautiful life. She was unwavering in her commitment to do good for the world, even after being diagnosed with cancer. Examples like hers have been plentiful in Tzu Chi. The dedication of these volunteers has given me tremendous strength. Lately, I often say I have lived a life without regrets. I founded Tzu Chi 55 years ago after I saw how poverty and other forms of suffering abounded in this world. I really wanted to do something to help. I was living in Hualien at the time. My Master (Dharma Master Yin Shun) asked me to move to Chiayi, but a group of people in Hualien who often listened to me expound the Dharma asked me to stay. I told them staying in The Days of the Bamboo Bank— That Aspiration to Help