There is a mural in the Still Thoughts Hall at the Tzu Chi headquarters in Hualien that tries to depict the modern image of the Buddha. When Yao Jen-lu, general manager of Tzu Chi TV, first saw it, tears rolled down his face.

The painting presents the Buddha standing behind the earth in the middle of the universe. He looks attentively at the planet. In his left hand is a glass of water and in his right hand a bodhi leaf, symbols of compassion and wisdom in Buddhism. The fresco embodies the Buddha's wish to wash the earth clean and to purify the souls of all human beings with great compassion and wisdom.

It may be no more than an ordinary Buddhist painting to most people, but it touched the deepest chord in Yao's heart. He took it as a penetrating statement of the Tzu Chi spirit.

"When I was a young man, the most important thing for me was world peace," said Yao with his steady, peaceful voice. "People might have thought that I was simply putting on a high moral tone, but I really meant it. Watching TV and seeing how people killed each other in wars, I couldn't help feeling keenly the cruelty of mankind. Why do people do such things to each other?"

But at that time, as much as he wished it, Yao couldn't find any way to fulfill his lofty dream. It was not until he got in touch with Master Cheng Yen and Tzu Chi that he came to realize that there might after all be a way, a method, of making his dream come true. That method is shown in the painting. "Compassion and wisdom can be combined into one word--love. Or, to put it more specifically, great love. Love is the method to relieve and eliminate the suffering in the world. It is as simple as that, but we all know that it will take many lifetimes and the efforts of a lot of people to make this dream come true."

A busy life

A successful architect, Yao once planned to retire when he reached forty years of age. But now he has entered the fifth decade of his life, and he works sixteen hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year--because of Tzu Chi. Besides being a TV station general manager, he is also the manager of the Tzu Chi Cultural Publishing Company. Furthermore, because of his expertise in architecture, he is also responsible for several Tzu Chi construction projects.

"Before I joined Tzu Chi, I had planned to retire at an early age. At that time, my ability as an architect was acknowledged and I had branch offices in many countries. I thought that was enough for me." He wanted to save some time for things he enjoyed doing, like reading and travelling. "My greatest enjoyment in life has been reading. What can be a greater delight than sitting under the sun in the wintertime and reading until one falls asleep? In the wintertime I can read, and then in the summertime I can go travelling. How wonderful life would be!"

But since he joined Tzu Chi and found that the most important dream of his life could indeed be fulfilled, retirement and life's enjoyments have no longer been so important to him. "Of course I still love reading. But now my time is so limited that I can only read on trains or airplanes."

Yao's first direct contact with Tzu Chi happened eight years ago when he and several other architects were invited to design the Still Thoughts Hall. It took him five years to complete the conference room in the hall, an incredibly long time for one who placed such a high value on efficiency. Because of those five years, he had the chance to spend time with the Master and see what she was doing. Touched by her sincere efforts in helping people, he made up his mind to follow in her footsteps and become a lifetime Tzu Chi volunteer.

"Nonetheless, when I first joined Tzu Chi, I wasn't that enthusiastic," Yao confessed. "I just thought it was fun to be a volunteer. But then, after seeing how all the other Tzu Chi people pitched in, I was moved and decided to help as much as I could. Now I look upon my work in Tzu Chi as a means of self-cultivation."

As the general manager of Tzu Chi TV, Yao has numerous affairs to attend to every day. His ideas unavoidably conflict with those of others. Especially when an architect takes on the role of TV station general manager, his ways of doing things will inevitably be challenged by some people.

"When working in a group, it is hard to avoid differences of opinion. What is important is to maintain a peaceful mind when a conflict arises. That's why I regard my work in Tzu Chi as a means of self-cultivation. I'm trying to find a balance between how to have my own opinions and yet at the same time be as selfless as possible."

Yao expects himself to be like an ocean. To him, problems or disturbances in life are like waves. If one is as deep as an ocean, the waves that arise on the surface of the ocean will not affect the calmness and serenity underneath. On the other hand, if one is as shallow as a washbasin, a slight shake will agitate the water in it. "To be like a deep, vast ocean is the goal of every person who sets his heart on spiritual cultivation. When you have a mind full of peace, you can see problems more clearly and tackle it with wisdom."

An accomplished architect and interior designer

Even though Yao's life is focused on Tzu Chi, he still owns an interior design company and has to find time to take care of his own business. Because his volunteer work at Tzu Chi takes up most of his time, he can now only do design work early in the morning or late at night. But he has no complaints and even thinks that his work at Tzu Chi helps him take his professional expertise to a higher realm.

"The Tzu Chi work expands my mind and broadens my perspective of things." He was inspired by Master Cheng Yen's teachings to respect every human being and living creature. "Whenever I am engaged in a construction project, instead of trying to show off my creativity and designing skills, I think of the people who are going to live in the house and design it for their best interests."

Majoring in architecture, Yao opened his first interior design company even before he graduated from university. He planned and supervised the design and execution of numerous architectural interiors and buildings both at home and abroad. In his partners' eyes, he is smart, sharp and attentive to detail. "His mind works so fast," said one of his coworkers. "He can complete in one day a job that would take others five or six days." His business thrives as his ability wins the trust and admiration of his clients.

Yao mentioned an episode in his life that helped him build confidence in his design work. When he was a sophomore in university, he devised a model called "A Design without Design" and submitted it to his teacher. He thought it very creative and was sure his teacher would praise his work. Unexpectedly, the teacher criticized it harshly. Yao sat at his desk looking at the model, bewildered and a little disappointed. All of a sudden he heard someone walking towards him from behind. It was Han Pao-teh, chairman of the department and the teacher he admired the most. "Don't you worry about your design, Yao Jen-lu," he said to him. "They didn't understand it, that's all."

For a young designer, this was a great compliment, especially when it came from someone whom he so looked up to. It cheered him up and encouraged him to express his own views and thoughts. "At that time, I had high expectations for design work and was full of ideas. If it weren't for the encouragement of Prof. Han, my dream might have been nipped in the bud."

Because of this episode, Yao was later ready to make all kinds of experiments in his design work. "Maybe that's why when I decided to step on the path of spiritual cultivation, I was sure that this was what I wanted. Because I had tried out every way and made every experiment, I believed that spiritual cultivation was the only way left to find the meaning of life."

A delightful personality

Anyone who sees Yao can't help being attracted by his warm smile and gentle manners. One would expect that such a busy person would always be in a hurry, but on the contrary he has a leisurely manner and is always polite and courteous.

A staff member at Tzu Chi TV talked about her boss. "He is easy-going and has no bossy airs. When he wants to ask you to do something, he comes to your desk instead of telling you to come into his office. He thinks we are a family, and he treats every one of us like his family members."

People may wonder how a man like him was brought up.

Yao's parents were open-minded people who treated their children with trust and love. Unlike traditional Chinese parents, they seldom interfered with what their children wanted to do. Yao remembers that when he was in high school, he was on the rugby team and he often had to stay late at school for practice. No matter how late it was when he got home, he would find his mother waiting for him in the living room. She would not go to bed until she saw him, but she never asked him why he came home so late. "It meant a lot to me that my mother would do this. It represented her love and trust for me. I could grow up happily and comfortably because she never put any pressure on us."

In his father's eyes, Yao has always been thoughtful and sympathetic. When he was a child, his parents told him that his brother was in delicate health and asked him to be especially nice to him. Yao, keeping their words in mind, never argued or fought with his brother.

"Jen-lu is magnanimous and quite a natural leader," said his father, Yao Wang-lin, who is a Tzu Chi volunteer Japanese translator. "But he is also a little stubborn. When he decides to do something, he doesn't give up until he has reached his goal."

Tzu Chi TV

Many people questioned why Tzu Chi wanted to establish its own TV station. Is it worthwhile to spend so much money on such an expensive enterprise?

According to Yao, we are living in a time dominated by the mass media. We must keep up with the times if we want to find a way into people's hearts. "Tzu Chi's mission is to save the planet, to purify society and awaken the love hidden in every heart. If we want to influence people, we must find a way to communicate our ideas to them. Now television is the most predominant form of communication and the most important source of information. It is the most efficient way to convey our ideas. The Internet is important too--that should be our next step."

In order to spread the ideas of great love and respect for all life throughout the world, Tzu Chi TV is stepping up its efforts to bring its programs to as many families as possible. Now with the exception of Europe and Africa, the whole world can receive broadcasts from the station.

Under Yao's leadership, Tzu Chi TV is producing programs of highly acclaimed quality. He hopes that with the efforts of all the staff and volunteers, the station will produce programs that will be loved by both Tzu Chi members and others.

Although the heavy workload which Yao has to face every day strongly taxes his strength, he still feels happy because he feels that he is amply rewarded in spirit by taking part in the work of the foundation. He is grateful to be able to help Master Cheng Yen develop the Tzu Chi cultural mission. In Yao, we can see that a person who has found the meaning of life can live ever so happily and contentedly.