Tzu Chi: Devotion to welfare of others from heart of Taiwan

Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, literally 'Compassionate Relief', is an international humanitarian organization and a non-governmental organization (NGO) with an international network of volunteers that was awarded a special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.^[1]

Tzu Chi volunteers and relief workers are mostly recognizable worldwide by their blue and white uniforms, often referred to as "blue angels" -

And the Tzu Chi headquarters is an amazing place to visit, as EU Reporter had the chance to do recently while in Taiwan.

Tzu Chi Foundation has several sub-organizations, such as the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), composed of professional medical personnel who travel overseas to volunteer their services in poor communities without access to medical care and during international disaster relief; and also the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association or Tzu Youth. Their job includes the four missions of Tzu Chi, in particular charity work. Their work also includes the promotion of vegetarianism and the awareness of world issues and environmental protection. The Foundation has built many hospitals and schools worldwide, including a network of medical facilities in Taiwan and an education system spanning from kindergarten through university and medical school. Schools were also rebuilt globally in the aftermath of earthquakes in Iran, China and Haiti. The organization maintains a small number of nuns, who are self-sufficient, including growing their own food.

The Tzu Chi Foundation was founded as a charity organization with roots in Buddhist origins and beliefs due to poverty and the lack of services by Dharma Master Cheng Yen, a Buddhist nun, on 14 May 1966 in Hualien, Taiwan. She was inspired by her master and mentor, the late Venerable Master Yin Shun (Yìn Shùn dǎoshī) a proponent of Humanistic Buddhism, who exhorted her to "work for Buddhism and for all sentient beings". The organization began with a motto of "instructing the rich and saving the poor" as a group of thirty housewives who donated a small amount of money each day to care for needy families. The group has grown to become a civil society actor, with approximately 10 million members, and chapters in 47 countries.

Four notable causes of Tzu Chi are Charity, Medicine, Education, and Humanity, as highlighted by the official motto, or concept of 'Four endeavors, eight footprints'. The eight footprints are charity causes, medical contributions, education development, humanities, international disaster assistance, bone-marrow donation, community volunteerism, and environmental protection.

The official website for the organization states that the organization started with Charity, and then extended its aims to include Medicine, Education and Culture. Its stated goal is to promote sincerity, integrity, trust, and honesty.

Logo

Consisting of a ship that also simultaneously bears the lotus fruit and flower, the Tzu Chi logo symbolizes that the world can be made a better place by planting good karmic seeds. Followers believe that these seeds are required for flowers bloom and bear fruit, which is a metaphor for their beliefs that a better society can be created with good actions and pure thoughts. The Ship represents Tzu Chi steering a ship of compassion, representing their goal in saving all beings that suffer, while the Eight Petals represent the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism, which Tzu Chi uses as their guide.

The Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right View
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Behavior
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Global presence

Tzu Chi's headquarters are in Hualien County, Taiwan.

• 

  Jing Si Abode of Tzu Chi Foundation

• 

  The Hall of Still Thoughts. The Tzu Chi General Hospital is on the right

• 
• 

  The Great Awakened of the Universe is the depiction of Buddha of Tzu Chi Foundation. In the statue, Buddha is letting the world witness his enlightenment

• 

  The usual set up for the Tzu Chi 3-in-1 Celebration.

  Portfolios

  Tzu Chi's portfolios include case management, medical, educational and disaster relief.

The organization builds and operates many hospitals and schools, with outreach efforts that range from visits to nursing homes to providing bone marrow surgery, as well as offering items such as washing machines to struggling single mothers. The television "Da Ai" network operates with its own news and television programming. Chinese schools have also been established abroad, such as in Australia and the United States, which apart from teaching Chinese and sign language also guides students in ways of compassion and community service.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the organization announced on 18 November 2012 a donation of $10 million in the form of $300 and $600 Visa debit cards to those affected in the New York and New Jersey area. Volunteers handed out these cards in parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

Recycling

A significant fraction of funds raised by Tzu Chi revolves around environmentally friendly goals in encouraging the recycling of items such as water bottles as well as using reusable items or reusing items to reduce waste.

The foundation operates over 4,500 recycling stations throughout Taiwan. One of the foundation's projects is the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles for textiles. The project, which was started in 2006, collects PET plastic bottles and recycles them into cloth.

As of September 2008, some 11,856,000 bottles were used to make more than 152,000 polyester blankets, many of which have been distributed as part of Tzu Chi's disaster relief programs. Other items made with the recycled resins include thermal underwear, t-shirts, hospital bed sheets, medical gowns and uniforms for Tzu Chi volunteers.

Dharma

The teachings of the Buddha and founder Master Cheng Yen play a core role in the workings of the organization. "Tzu Chi Day" is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May which generally coincides with Vesak Day and Mother's Day (as recognised in Taiwan), celebrations during Tzu Chi Day include the bathing of the Buddha that suggests a message that it is the people that needs cleansing before becoming better individuals. Tzu Chi promotes many of the teachings of Buddhism in particularly the Lotus Sutra, and also has sutra adaptations through the use of sign language on the Sutra of the Innumerable Meanings suggesting that sentient existence is challenging and filled with disasters in the absence of observations of virtue, as well as the Sutra of the Water Repentance that advocates and symbolizes the need to repent karmic transgressions. It has a policy of not proselytizing the religion directly in its public activities; members of any religious belief are welcomed to maintain their religious belief without discrimination. Apart from being non-proselytist, Tzu Chi's adaptation of Buddhist principles is apolitical, remaining aloof from the political segmentation notorious in Taiwan.

In disaster regions where a particular religious faith is prominent, Tzu Chi regularly works together with local religious organizations. Tzu Chi has re-built mosques and churches in disaster zones where faith plays an important role in local society.

Share this article: