Renewal of the Spirit of the Bamboo Bank Era
Great virtue is accumulated from doing small good deeds
The people of Taiwan in 1966 were generally poor. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by Master Cheng Yen with five monastic disciples and thirty house wives. In order to raise money to help the poor, the dharma masters at the Jing Si Adobe made baby shoes to sell four dollars each. With an additional twenty-four dollars each day, they were able to save seven hundred and twenty dollars more per month. The medical expense of first care recipient cost more than six hundred dollars.
Later on, the number of care recipients increased but the charity fund did not increase. With the wish to save even more lives, Master Cheng Yen asked the thirty housewives to save fifty cents (NTD) a day from their daily grocery money. This money was saved as emergency fund.
Fifty cents seemed small but the principle behind the gesture was very significant. Master Cheng Yen used the bamboo in the space behind the Jing Si Abode and cut them into thirty tubes to use as piggy banks. She gave every follower one bamboo bank and asked them to deposit fifty cents a day. Someone asked Master Cheng Yen, "Why don't we just donate fifteen dollars a month?” The Master replied with, "I hope when you pick up the grocery shopping basket everyday, you will deposit fifty cents to the bamboo saving bank. Before leaving the house, you have already made a commitment to help other people. Saving fifty cents each day raises a thrifty and loving heart. When these feelings are put in the bamboo bank, the effect is tremendous.” The thirty housewives went grocery shopping everyday and saved fifty cents. They also told other people that they were saving fifty cents every day to save lives.
Creating a peaceful society with good thoughts
As Tzu Chi entered its 41st year of operations, its four missions had been fully developed and established. Even so, with a string of natural disasters such as the South Asia tsunami, the Chinese Sichuan Earthquake, the Central American hurricanes and the European forest fires, the power of compassion and kindness is still not strong enough. As such, with the renewal of the spirit of the ‘bamboo bank’, everybody can nurture a loving heart each day. This daily accumulation of well wishes has the power to prevent natural disasters.
Tzu Chi volunteers all over the world are spreading the message. The “New Bamboo Bank Era” takes small amounts of money and turns it into great love. It is not just one action but is an ongoing campaign. “It takes many drops of water to make a river; it takes many grains of rice to make a bushel.” With good thoughts all the time, one would make good wishes constantly and do good deeds daily.
In life, we cannot ignore a single act of kindness and not to do them, because every small act counts and contributes to the force of compassion, which ultimately will nurture peace in the world. More importantly, the happiness that we feel in doing good deeds is immeasurable.
(Source: Master Cheng Yen’s talks at volunteer’s morning assembly, 2006)
The Vow of Tzu Chi Commissioners
The Vow of Tzu Chi Commissioners
Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation carries out the missions aiming to help the poor and educate the rich by reverently accepting Buddha’s teaching of "expressing great kindness to all sentient beings, and taking their suffering as our own", and bearing in mind Venerable Master Yin Shun’s aspiration of "being committed to Buddhism and to all living beings". With loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, we dedicate ourselves to helping the afflicted by bringing them happiness and relieving their suffering, as well as creating a pure and clear world of Tzu Chi. With well-rounded wisdom in handling everything and facing everyone, we invite people around the world to cultivate a field of blessings, and to plant tens of thousands of lotus heart to build a loving society. Our work is to carry out charity, medical care, education and humanities concurrently.
Our spirit is sincerity, integrity, faith, and honesty. We believe that all beings are equal and everyone has an innate Buddha-nature. Practicing kindness and compassion, one can see Buddhism clearly; carrying out the missions, the rich gives and feels joyful from giving, the poor receives and experiences relief from receiving.
The world is impermanent and the life dwindles every day, we shall cherish the life to plant good seeds and enjoy the harvest, thus, we won’t be feeling void with our lives.
Tzu Chi commissioners are united by wisdom and support each other with love, and we walk on the Bodhisattva path hand in hand. The commissioners constantly keep in mind to take the Buddha's compassion, thus, our thousand eyes can see the sufferings; we dedicate ourselves to the Master’s commitment as to our own, therefore, the thousand hands can reach out and help. We hear the cries of all sufferings and provide the aids with peace and joy, and it is no difference from Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
We take part in four missions with pure hearts and clear minds. Buddha sees all beings with kindness and teaches everyone the Dharma; thus, everyone is inspired to bring out the best. What a compassion and wisdom it is! All commissioners shall carry out the missions of Tzu Chi with right belief and right mindfulness. We will serve others, come to realize the essence of birth, aging, illness, and death, and understand the meaning of formation, continuation, destruction, and extinction. Working together to carry out the missions and pass on the tradition, we are going to leave our footprints today and our coming generations will be proud of what we are doing.
“What was done in the past dictates the present, and what is done in the present determines the future.” We are most blessed to be born human, and we shall proceed vigorously with courage on the Bodhisattva path. May our society be filled with love and cycled with virtues. It is our responsibility to have the right belief and the right mindfulness, and to continuously cultivate the blessings and wisdoms.
I wish to share these beliefs with all Tzu Chi commissioners.
History
Master Cheng Yen firmly believes that suffering in this world is caused not only by material deprivation but, more importantly, also by spiritual poverty. She feels that the lack of altruistic love for others has been the root of many problems in this world. Thus, the foundation’s guiding principle on charity is to “help the poor and educate the rich.”
Tzu Chi’s missions focus on giving material aid to the needy and inspiring love and humanity to both givers and receivers. In addition to charity, the foundation dedicates itself in the fields of medicine, education, environmental protection, international relief work and the establishment a marrow donor registry. It also promotes humanistic values and community volunteerism. Through helping those in need, Tzu Chi volunteers take on the path of bodhisattva practices, the way to Buddhahood.
The Tzu Chi Story
Spreading Love Around the World
Tzu Chi Canada
WHO WE ARE
Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Canada (also known "Tzu Chi Canada" for short) is founded by its CEO, Mr. Gary Ho, in 1992 under the inspiration of Dharma Master Cheng Yen to inaugurate Tzu Chi’s good works in Canada. From the national head office in Vancouver, BC, Tzu Chi Foundation Canada’s regular donors and volunteers have expanded their unconditional love and contributions across the nation through the missions of charity, medicine, education, culture, international relief, and environmental care. Currently, Tzu Chi Canada has over 40,000 regular donors and over 2200 volunteers with 9 offices coast to coast including Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Calgary, Toronto, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Montreal, and Ottawa.
WHAT WE DO
In the past 22 years, volunteers of Tzu Chi Foundation Canada have brought the essence of Buddhism into practice by delivering charitable and humanitarian services to 81 distinct projects. By cooperating with local community organizations and service facilities, such as the Food Bank, Salvation Army, senior residences, shelters, and Emergent Social Service programs, Tzu Chi volunteers have been dedicated to the constant and active service for seniors and other people with disadvantages. In British Columbia alone an average of 108 Tzu Chi volunteers provide services every single day.
In addition, by donating to hospital fundraising projects, bursary programs and breakfast programs in school districts, Tzu Chi Foundation Canada brings support to hospital patients and underprivileged students. Protecting our Mother Earth, Tzu Chi volunteers in local communities across Canada have applied the core value of universal compassion to all living beings by acting as “green ambassadors” helping with recycling, site clean-up, and advocating environmentally-friendly initiatives.
Impressed by the constant and dedicated involvement in the community events and services, Tzu Chi volunteers have been recognized by local governments in Canada as responsible and compassionate citizens throughout the country.