Early in the morning, as the first rays of the rising sun gild the waters off the eastern coast of Taiwan, the campus of Tzu Chi University is already filled with vitality. Fresh air permeates the campus; the flowing rooflines of the Still Thoughts Hall give one a feeling of stability and endurance; the dewdrops on the bamboo leaves sparkle like crystal.

In September, Tzu Chi University celebrates its tenth anniversary. It is one of the youngest of more than a hundred colleges and universities in Taiwan, yet it already enjoys an excellent reputation among the public. The four colleges--Medicine, Life Sciences, Humanities and Sociology, and Education and Mass Communications--contain 22 departments.

With up-to-date equipment, an excellent faculty, small group counselors, the Tzu Cheng "Fathers" and Yi Teh "Mothers"... Tzu Chi University is like a big family, providing students with an excellent environment for study and research.

Young lives are full of infinite possibilities, but they need sufficient nutrition to grow. With Great Love as the compass and wisdom as the oar, the Tzu Chi Foundation does not count the cost of education. We only hope to nurture specialized personnel with excellent characters who will be able to give love and care to society.

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Exploring with an Open Mind

By Chen Po-chou
Translated by Teresa Chang
Photographs by Yen Lin-chao

We hope the graduates of Tzu Chi University will not only find decent jobs, but above all, will know how to lead decent lives. Many people are unaware that a philosophy for leading a respectable life serves as an important course for college students to undertake.

"Education is a project of hope and schools are cradles for the development of society," said Hung Su-chen, the secretary-general of Tzu Chi University. Master Cheng Yen believes that education is the cornerstone of ones wisdom life. A solid education is a torch that permanently guides a person through the darkness. To achieve that end, Tzu Chi provides students from elementary to graduate schools with the best teachers, facilities, and teaching environments possible. Hung stated slowly yet firmly, "The Master is determined to establish the best schools, including Tzu Chi's reconstruction of 50 schools toppled during the September 1999 earthquake in Taiwan, and to hire the best teachers at all costs."

Nurturing students at all costs

Over 70 percent of Tzu Chi University's operating budget is supported by the Tzu Chi Foundation. The school's tuition, the lowest among Taiwan's private universities, covers only five to ten percent of the school's total expenditures. In upholding its belief that a small student body ensures quality education, Tzu Chi University has maintained a maximum student body of around 2,000 even ten years after its establishment. No other university in Taiwan can be compared to that standard.

To many people, a university education is the gateway to finding good jobs, but very few people see it as an opportunity for shaping youngsters into respectable human beings. That was the reason Tzu Chi decided to establish a university in 1994, even though Taiwan was not short of universities at the time. "The Master believes that education is an art that involves great giving without expecting anything in return," remarked Hung. "If anything at all is to be expected from our investment and endeavors, we hope that our ideals toward education will be realized and that our students' academic performance and quality of life will be improved. Most people are concerned about work opportunities after the students leave school. But only a few people are concerned whether the students will lead quality lives with kindness and love in their minds."

As job professions become increasingly specialized, society becomes more function-oriented and less humanized, less loving and caring. Because of this, Tzu Chi aims at preparing students with both professional knowledge and the ability to love. After the students graduate and begin working in different professions, they thus bring love to various sectors of society.

"Tzu Chi's educational ideal is best summed up in the motto, 'Love yourself and others.' Those who love themselves will surely make others feel comfortable; those who love others will wholeheartedly and unconditionally perform their duties to benefit others in whatever fields they work in."

To illustrate the Master's concept of unconditional giving, Hung gave the following example. Tzu Chi University is preparing to set up surgery simulations for its physicians and medical students by using donated bodies. It will be the first endeavor of its kind in Taiwan's medical colleges. In the future, the university plans to let doctors from other hospitals have opportunities to participate as well, but this endeavor will cost considerable human resources and money. Hung recalled a meeting of doctors and teachers at Tzu Chi Medical School to discuss the fees to be charged for doctors from other schools. The Master, who was sitting beside them, looked on and sighed, "Let's charge nothing. Why do we need such money? My disciples have donated their priceless bodies to Tzu Chi for medical research. If we can help other hospitals nurture better doctors, then it will benefit more patients. Do you not agree that restoring patients' health is Tzu Chi's primary concern?"

The Master's remark had a strong impact on Hung. Everyone at the meeting had only been concerned about how costly and time-consuming the project would be. The Master promptly reminded them that education should involve great and unselfish giving.

Service-oriented students

The Tzu Chi humanistic culture and life education are unique features of Tzu Chi University.

In 1989, when Tzu Chi established its nursing school, many people were curious to know how "Buddhist" the school, founded by a Buddhist nun, would be? "Will students attend morning prayers or wear nuns' robes to class?" many people asked.

The truth is that Tzu Chi University emphasizes instilling the spirit of religion into daily affairs, not performing Buddhist rituals.

What is the spirit of religion? It is to love oneself and others. Visiting representatives from various organizations and schools such as the University of Colorado and Peking University were all impressed with Tzu Chi's humanistic culture, including the friendly, refined demeanor of the students, the simple yet stately interior structural designs, and the gray buildings amidst the backdrop of the green mountains and blue sky.

Exchange students from the University of Colorado studied at Tzu Chi University for three months. A teacher from Colorado remarked that American students would not hesitate to utter their complaints if they found their stay unpleasant and unrewarding. But all the exchange students at Tzu Chi University found it comfortable. "Maybe it was because Tzu Chi students made them feel very much at home. Since the school educates its students with love, the students naturally treat others with love."

Wu Chi-pan, a Peking University vice president, said that his school hoped to emulate Tzu Chi's humanistic quality. During a visit to the Tzu Chi Still Thoughts Hall, Chao Wei-min, vice director of Peking University's School of Journalism and Communications, once squatted in front of the entrance to arrange the many pairs of shoes in order [visitors take off their shoes when they enter the hall]. Hung told him that she was embarrassed for letting him, as a guest, do so. But he answered that he had wanted to anyway because he had noticed that all the visiting volunteers arranged their shoes facing outwards. Apparently, the vice director had seen everything with his eyes and felt everything accordingly with his heart. "The spirit of life, although intangible, can be felt with the heart," said Hung.

When professors from Catholic Fu Jen University visited Tzu Chi, they noted that although no Buddhist symbols or icons were present on campus, they could sense a strong religious atmosphere from the operating principles and spirit of the school. The spirit of religion, manifested in goodness, beauty, and truth, is what the school tries to teach students. This spirit is also what fosters good etiquette in developing a "complete person."

In order to nurture students to become complete people, the university requires all students to take humanities classes such as flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and meditation. In its belief that students also learn from their environment, the university carefully built the classrooms for these courses in the exquisite style of the Tang dynasty. The use of wood and bamboo and a miniature garden serve to calm students' minds, allowing them to reach deep within themselves amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Flower arrangement courses guide students to appreciate beauty and to care about nature. Tea ceremony courses teach students how to treat guests courteously and take care of others. Meditation courses allow students to learn how to reflect upon and care about themselves.

"We do not require our students to become Buddhists; we just hope that they will learn to love themselves and others. Like other universities, we pursue high achievements in professionalism and academics, but we also insist on teaching students some of the school's ideals, such as the spirit of serving others."

The university has a special anatomy class that teaches medical students how to respect patients as human beings, not case histories. To most medical students, a cadaver is an object waiting to be taken apart. In order to teach students about respect, Tzu Chi holds a meeting between the medical students and the relatives of the body donors before the anatomy class begins. From listening to the donors' relatives, looking at photographs, and reading brief stories about the cadavers, the bodies become meaningful to the students. A relative once conveyed a meaningful message that would be remembered by all students taking the course: that she would rather the students make many wrong cuts and mistakes on her beloved husband's body than make even one wrong cut on a future patient. Indeed, the bodies are "silent teachers" that show future doctors the mysteries of the human body. At the end of the nine-month anatomy class, the students and relatives reunite to remember and express gratitude to the "silent teachers." All students write letters to them, and then sew back every piece of skin, bone, and organ that they have cut to restore the cadavers to their former completeness again. Then they clothe the cadavers in white robes designed by Master Cheng Yen and escort them to the crematorium. Afterwards, the ashes are placed in crystal urns to be forever remembered and honored in the university's Great Giving Hall. Below are a few sentences excerpted from a letter written by a student.

"Thank you for giving me knowledge. Thank you for everything. After you are laid to rest in the coffin, I will never be able to see you again. But I will not forget, I dare not forget your face, your skull, your body, your limbs, your heart, and blood vessels.

"You pulled me into the realm of medicine with your hands. With the power you have given me, I will use my hands to fight diseases and bring patients back to life. I pray that in the next life, I will still be able to meet you as a good teacher, good friend, and soul mate."

Other features of Tzu Chi University include the promotion of vegetarianism and the requirement of wearing school uniforms. Many universities provide their students with much freedom and autonomy. However, Master Cheng Yen feels that students between the ages of 18 and 22 may not yet be mature enough to control and discipline themselves. So Tzu Chi stresses the importance of a life education. The school brochure, provided especially for prospective students, even clearly states that all students must wear uniforms. Wearing uniforms teaches students about simplicity, orderliness, and equality. Because students don't need to rack their brains deciding what to wear to school every morning, their lives become more simple. Furthermore, since everyone, even the teachers, wears uniforms, students cannot judge or compare each other through their attire. To insure that all students can wear uniforms comfortably, the university constantly makes improvements to their style and quality.

"Students can choose not to attend our university, but they cannot choose to study here without putting on our uniforms," said Hung. "On our campus you will not see students dressed in outlandish attire. Simplicity has been engraved in students' minds so that when they take off their uniforms after school and change to casual clothes, they continue to dress neatly and plainly."

Vegetarianism helps to foster a person's compassion and understanding that all life is equal. The school does not force students to stick to a vegetarian diet, but the cafeteria only provides vegetarian food. Since each meal costs only NT$20 [US$0.58], many students still choose to eat at school.

Affection is based on understanding. People want to stay in a particular place after they understand its special culture and customs. Affection towards a place usually develops after one stays there long enough. Most Tzu Chi students have voiced their opinions on almost every school rule before, but after they graduate and begin to work, they gradually come to realize what positive effects their learning experiences have had on them. At work, their behavior is different from others and they are often highly praised. Chris Wu, a graduate from Tzu Chi Medical School, told Hung that her colleagues felt that she was diligent and helpful. At work, when some colleagues told Wu that there was no need for her to meddle in some business, she couldn't help asking herself curiously, "Shouldn't we try to offer help to others whenever we can?"

Hung almost cried when she heard Wu's response because she saw how the students had spontaneously developed love for themselves and others through their studies at Tzu Chi. What could be a more successful education?

"A university is a place to learn with an open mind. Through interactions with people, events, and the environment, one gains knowledge and opportunities to reflect on oneself and grow."

One graduate of the Tzu Chi College of Nursing wrote to Hung from the United States. She said that although Hung might not remember her, she had kept all her notes from the Tzu Chi humanities classes all these years. At the lowest and loneliest point in her life, she decided to serve as a volunteer at her local Tzu Chi office. After participating in Tzu Chi activities, she came to realize that "Every person is like a stone and Tzu Chi is like an ocean. The stone will eventually weather and crack when it leaves the ocean. Only when the stone returns to the ocean will it be nurtured, embraced, and loved."

Hung has read that letter many times. "It's been almost ten years since the student graduated. As an educator at our school, I never thought I would experience such touching feedback. We have always tried to convey messages of love and care and to plant seeds of kindness in our students' minds. We believe that one day the seeds will sprout. When that day comes, we will still be waiting."



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With Full Devotion
Dr. Hsu Nanly

By Fan Yu-wen
Translated by Lin Sen-shou
Photographs by Yen Lin-chao

"We can't teach yesterday's knowledge to today's students and ask them to face tomorrow's challenges with it. Instead, we hope that the students will learn to change and grow along with time." Hsu Nanly, director of the School of Nursing at Tzu Chi University, expects this for herself and her students.

There is an oil painting on the wall in Hsu Nanly's office. In the painting is a dazzling woman in a blue-and-green military uniform holding a trophy designed by Yuyu Yang [please refer to his story in our Summer 2003 issue]. This is a portrait of Hsu herself, when she was 26 years old. Her book, Flight Nursing, made her one of the "Ten Most Outstanding Women of Taiwan" and a "Military Heroine." She also became a cover model for Battle, a magazine published by the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan.

Hsu said that the oil painting was done by a professor at National Normal University. The Ministry of National Defense then gave it to her. She never expected to become a cover girl.

More than 20 years have passed. Now she has short hair and looks more professional and mature.

After serving as a flight nurse in the air force for 12 years, Hsu was transferred to the Taipei Veteran General Hospital as a nursing supervisor and a deputy director. Hsu thought she would be working in the hospital as well as teaching nursing management at various universities for the rest of her life; however, five years ago she discovered she had breast cancer, so she retired early from the hospital after serving there for 20 years.

One and a half years ago, Hsu became the director of both the School of Nursing and the School of Nursing graduate division at Tzu Chi University. She said, "At that time, Master Cheng Yen simply told me to devote myself completely to the new job." So she quit all her othe r teaching positions and came to work at Tzu Chi University.

Hsu continued: "Florence Nightingale promoted the quality of nursing and set up the first nursing school in the world. The Master not only set up the medical and educational missions, she also pushed for the establishment of the missions of charity and culture. In the past, I was proud to be a veteran hospital staff member; now, I am proud to be a Tzu Chi member."

A "relaxation expert"

"I'm glad to be able to share my years of experience working at hospitals with the students," said Hsu. Having adjusted to differences between teaching and working at hospitals and at the nursing school, Hsu is now completely devoted to teaching. She teaches in six areas: nursing, communication, administration, teaching, research, and self-growth.

Among the six areas, enthusiasm for research is the main impetus for fulfilling all other areas. "Basically, what nurses must have is enthusiasm for research," Hsu added. "I hope that all of our students can become more attentive. If they treat all patients as their own family members, they will find ways to solve the patients' needs and to establish good relations with them."

Hsu uses the term "relaxation expert" to describe a nurse who can make patients feel relaxed. She remembered that one time a patient had a serious rash all over his body. Even the doctor couldn't figure out the cause. When a nurse was bathing this patient, she discovered that he had a tendency to scratch his genital area, so the nurse took a sample of his pubic hair and discovered that the patient had crab lice. The doctor was then able to prescribe the right medicine. The patient even wrote a thank you letter to the nurse for her keen observation skills.

Hsu feels that research in nursing is inexpensive and furthermore often leads to brilliant results. She received top research grants from the National Science Council of Taiwan for seven consecutive years. Her efforts have allowed nursing work to gradually become more recognized.

In addition, Hsu promotes a combination of Western and Chinese medicine in nursing. She pointed out that traditional Chinese therapies such as massage and acupressure do not intrude on people's bodies and should be recognized. She suggested that such therapies be quantified through measurement by using proper equipment and research methods.

Hsu also added that cultivating the humanities is very important in the Tzu Chi education system. She said, "The arts allow nursing students to learn more about aesthetics and music therapy. Sign language allows students to communicate with deaf and mute patients..."

In order to teach these lessons, Hsu herself spends a great deal of time learning more about the Tzu Chi humanities.

No pain, no gain

Hsu said, "The students come into Tzu Chi University during the first year. In the second year they receive their nurse caps. In the third year they are interns, and in the fourth year they have to prepare for their license tests. I enjoy watching them develop along the way."

Each year, an increasing number of nursing school graduates has passed the license test, starting from 50 percent when the school first opened to 64 percent in the following year. This year, Hsu set the percentage to 80. She feels that the passing rate is an indication of teaching results and the students' expectations for themselves.

"We can't teach yesterday's knowledge to today's students and ask them to face tomorrow's challenges with it. Instead, we hope that they will learn and grow along with time," Hsu said. She always expects herself to keep up with the changing world as well.

After graduating from university, Hsu worked as a flight nurse in the air force. She felt that if patients were not taken care of properly while being transported, serious injuries would occur. Therefore, Hsu went to Chinmen [Quemoy], an island near the Chinese coast, to learn more about transporting patients and to establish a protocol for flight nursing. Her book, Flight Nursing, is the first professional book on the topic. The book not only initiated current research in flight nursing, but also won her praise as a "Military Heroine" and one of the "Ten Most Outstanding Women of Taiwan."

While working in the air force hospital and the Taipei Veteran General Hospital, Hsu never stopped studying. She won a scholarship from the National Science Council to study for her doctoral degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In school, she spent all of her time studying, except when she was sleeping. When her classmates went out on Sundays and holidays, she went to the hospitals to learn how to take care of patients. Her life there also revolved around studying, researching for her dissertation, and interning.

"No pain, no gain!" That's how Hsu describes her time in university. It took her two and a half years instead of the usual four years to receive her Ph.D. Even her supervisor marveled at her progress.

Hsu feels that back then, her studies at the National Defense Medical Center in Taiwan taught her how to manage her time well. Militarized management, such as physical education and rules and regulations that included three-minute showers, allowed her to use her time more efficiently for work and study.

When Hsu was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, she tried to adjust her mentality to face and solve her problems. She also tried to find ways to reduce the side effects, including vomiting and hair loss, from chemotherapy.

Hsu points out that while she was a cancer patient, she was able to ponder the various roles that nurses could play to help patients. In her meetings with other cancer patients, she became an excellent teacher because she was able to share with other patients the combined experiences of her nursing profession and her own illness. She feels that inner beauty is more important than external beauty. Patients need to face their illnesses bravely and to trust that they will still be physically intact.

Turning an unpolished jade into an emerald

Hsu remembers that when she first met Master Cheng Yen, the Master asked her when she would "return home." Afterwards, whenever she returned to the Abode, the nuns would always greet her warmly by saying, "Welcome home." Hsu remarked, "I really enjoyed the homey feeling there. I hope to instill and bring out similar feelings between faculty and students in the nursing department."

There was a case concerning a student in the department who was about to graduate. She had quarreled with three teachers over some misunderstandings. Hsu talked with this student many times and led her to discover where her problem was. Then the student was able to accept suggestions from her teachers. Since then, she has actively participated in activities such as making posters, graduation speeches, and onstage performances. Hsu remarked that because she saw the student's potential, she never stopped encouraging the student, who gradually improved.

Hsu believes that all human beings have love and that all plants have feelings. All students are like unpolished jade stones waiting to be refined.

Nurse Chou Ming-li said that while she was an intern, she observed that some nurses couldn't manage their emotions well because of their workload. She asked herself whether she would be capable of taking care of patients' physical and mental health when also faced with a heavy workload. "I expect myself to be a good nurse in order to show my gratitude to Tzu Chi," Chou said.

Hsu said that some of her students wanted to become nurses because they were once hospital volunteers or because family members were sick and they wanted to learn nursing skills to help them. These motivations are different from those of the past, when students chose nursing because of their parents' expectations or because they couldn't pass the tests for anything else. Hsu is happy that this trend has changed. Since students are joining nursing school through their own will, Hsu has deeply influenced them by encouraging them to do more studying and thinking.

Graduating means entering a new stage of life. Hsu and the other professors in the nursing department had a meeting with the graduates to learn what they thought of their four-year college life and to get any suggestions they had for future improvements.

When Hsu walked into the meeting room, she was showered with greetings from students expressing their love to her.

At the meeting, every graduate had a chance to speak as the microphone was passed around from one to another. In the end, the graduates expressed their appreciation to Hsu and all the professors in the department.

Hsu, like a mother, reminded the graduates that their facial expressions would affect their work attitude and the patients' mindset, so it was important for them as nurses to learn how to smile. She also reminded them to always ask questions so they would continue to learn and prevent themselves from making irreparable mistakes.

Finally, Hsu informed them that whenever they ran into any problems, the school would keep its doors open so that they could "come home" any time they wanted.

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With Full Devotion
Dr. Hsu Nanly

By Fan Yu-wen
Translated by Lin Sen-shou
Photographs by Yen Lin-chao

"Medical knowledge is so vast and profound that no one can really master it in an entire lifetime. What a teacher can do is to help students nurture the idea of lifelong learning so that they will continue to surpass themselves at every stage of learning." Wang Pen-jung, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Tzu Chi University, feels that in-depth knowledge and compassion will allow a doctor to become a true professional.

According to Wang Pen-jung, medical care is not purely a science, but also an art. More importantly, it is a sophisticated profession. "Since doctors are empowered to handle human lives, they must have higher expectations for themselves as well," he said.

Whether it be at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital (HTCH), or Tzu Chi University, Wang is always working on something crucial for the moment. At NTUH in Taipei, he was a famous attending pediatrician and an associate professor. When he joined Tzu Chi Hospital as the director of the pediatrics department, he brought the department back on track. In 2001, he became the chairman of the Department of Medicine at Tzu Chi University.

Making a permanent vow

Wang received his Ph.D. from the Tokyo Women's Medical University, which is famous for its studies in neurology. After returning to Taiwan, he served as an attending doctor at the pediatrics department at NTUH, where he specialized in pediatric neurology, child development, pediatric epilepsy, and neurometabolism. He was also an associate professor at NTUH and wrote hundreds of articles. Every day parents from all over Taiwan would bring their children to see him. He saw at least 1,000 patients each month.

His wife, Liu-hsiu, is a Tzu Chi commissioner, so Wang became quite familiar with the Tzu Chi Foundation. In order to help Master Cheng Yen improve the quality of medical service in eastern Taiwan, Wang went to HTCH to see patients there once a week from 1987 to 1998.

During that 11-year period, HTCH kept asking Wang if he could work full-time. But Wang didn't want to leave his patients and students back in Taipei. In 1998, when the first medical graduates of Tzu Chi Medical College were in need of a good professor to guide them in their internships at HTCH, Wang finally agreed to work there full-time, though he kept on teaching and doing clinical work one day a week in Taipei.

Wang said, "Frankly, I was debating whether I should come to Hualien or not. However, when I learned what the Master had done and how many challenges she had gone through without ever changing her determination to help the needy, I really admired her."

Wang pointed out that he was deeply inspired by the Master's conviction of "making permanent vows." Most people continue to make new promises every day but never abide by any of them. However, the Master makes permanent vows. Once she makes a vow, she will uphold it to the very end. No obstacles can deter her from keeping her commitments.

Because of this, Wang decided to join the Tzu Chi medical team and to start over with a full-time job in Hualien.

When Wang first arrived, there weren't enough resident pediatricians at HTCH, so attending pediatricians including Wang had to work every day without rest. Wang also spent two months setting up the teaching system at the pediatric department in the hospital. Now the pediatric department at HTCH has been divided into the fields of pediatric neurology, hematology, cardiology, gastroenterology, and genetics.

Never forgetting a doctor's duties

Two years ago, Wang took over as chairman of the Department of Medicine at Tzu Chi University. He spent a lot of time planning ways to improve the students' professional skills and their appreciation of the humanities. Because of his efforts, the Tzu Chi humanities courses are now arranged in accordance with the students' development from the first year to the seventh year.

What is a "profession?" Wang thinks of it as entailing both in-depth knowledge and compassion so that doctors can truly become experts.

Medical education includes human cultivation, which can be likened to length (medical treatment and health care), width (humanities and ethics), and scope (general knowledge and practice). Tzu Chi University covers each of these in its curriculum, thus enabling medical knowledge to become more professional and humanities courses to become more in-depth, diversifying common courses, realizing an ethical education, and encouraging students to participate in community service.

An example of this is the Introduction to Clinical Medicine class, which is a required course for first-year students in the Department of Medicine. Ten students from the Department of Medical Technology can also take the course. The course conducts eight pre-job training lessons by inviting people from every medical field to give talks on medical care from patients' and volunteers' viewpoints. These lessons allow students to become acquainted with every profession in the medical care system and also teach them how to look beyond their own subjective views when carrying out their duties as doctors in the future. Eight weeks of internship at hospitals allow students to see the reality of the medical care system and the relationships between patients and doctors from a patient's point of view.

A second-year course, Medical Care and Career, discusses the importance of medical education and introduces Taiwan's best medical professionals to students by inviting them to give talks. A fourth-year course, Medical Ethics, is a series of courses on understanding and respecting life, including issues on international relief, illness and culture, palliative care, and so forth. In the fifth and sixth years, courses provide real-life case studies in medical ethics. An example is the topic of life extension for patients. The course invites doctors, students, anthropologists, law experts, and religious members to contribute to discussions in order to expand students' thinking.

The third year Anatomy class and the seventh year Clinical Anatomy truly develop the humanitarian spirit of the university. Wang stated, "The anatomy class offers medical students their first glimpse into the wonders of modern medical studies. No doctor, including myself, wants to look back or remember the anatomy classes of our time."

Wang recalled the dark anatomy classrooms for students of his time. No one knew where the cadavers came from, and the rooms were full of the choking smells of formalin and other things.

Now at Tzu Chi University, cadavers are provided by donors who vow to give their bodies over to medical research after they die. Students are taught to show the highest degree of respect to these "silent teachers." Before attending anatomy classes, students come to know the deceased body donors better by talking to the donors' families. Wang feels that this helps the students improve their skills and confidence in helping other people and also nurtures their compassion. Many things in Tzu Chi, including the majestic architectural design of the anatomy lab and the Great Giving Hall (where the ashes of the body donors are kept), the treatment of cadavers, and the respect and gratitude shown in dissecting the bodies, can't be covered by just medicine and science. This is the best education on life and death.

Before students graduate, they are also required to take a Humanities and Ethics class. Speakers are invited to give talks to the entire graduating class in hopes of reminding the graduates not to forget their aspirations and duties as physicians in the future.

PBL teaching

Life is so tiny and fragile that it comes and goes like the wind. Medical professionals have the duty to fight against diseases and to save lives; however, the medical knowledge needed for this can be overwhelming while responsibilities can become extremely heavy.

This is how Wang feels about doctors, but at the same time he feels that they are quite fortunate because they are able to witness the true meaning of the Buddhist concepts that all things are impermanent and have no individual existence.

"Medical knowledge is so vast and profound that no one can really master it in an entire lifetime. What a teacher can do is to help students nurture the idea of lifelong learning so that they will continue to surpass themselves at every stage of learning," Wang observed. After becoming the department head, Wang set up large class seminars and clinical topic-based teaching for small classes. He also pushed for Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to inspire in his students a desire to learn.

An example of PBL can be seen in the university's pediatrics class. The large class gives introductions to various divisions within pediatrics: child development, endocrinology, neurology, cardiology, etc. For topic-based teaching, the class is divided into groups of seven students. Each group has to examine sample smears, diagnose a patient's illness history, and find solutions to the patient's problem.

Real case teaching is meant to present students with a problem so that they can design a logic-controlled illustration to discuss the problem. The course also includes issues in medical science, humanities, and ethics to help students develop direct response, problem solving and thinking abilities.

Wang pointed out that PBL put a lot of pressure on the students at the beginning, but feedback was generally good. The most recent survey showed that students had a very high positive learning index.

Wang is confident that the well-established medical training at Tzu Chi University and the nurturing of the humanities on campus will enable medical students to become professionals who possess both necessary skills and ethics. Sure enough, the rate of Tzu Chi University graduates who pass the national licensing exams supports Wang's words.

Wang remarked, "The students are surprisingly successful on the national exams. When the department had just started, the graduates from the first two years were ranked second and fifth in the national exams. Back then, the percentage of our graduates passing the exams was less than one percent of that from the number one school."

Compared to the other ten medical schools in Taiwan, Tzu Chi University's students receive higher scores in the national exams, even though its medical school was only recently founded. These results really mean something.

Wang remarked that Tzu Chi University provides students with outstanding resources, including the classrooms and equipment; even simulation operating rooms are designed exactly the same as real ones. Tzu Chi University thus does its best to teach students, regardless of the expenses involved, and hopes that after these students graduate they will effectively help patients and make great contributions to society. Wang is also grateful to all teachers in the department for instructing and guiding the students. Harmony between faculty and students is indeed a special feature at the Tzu Chi medical school.

Gentle, honest, and sincere

Wang feels that even though Tzu Chi University is located in Hualien on Taiwan's remote east coast, the university doesn't seem very far away.

Medical schools in Taiwan accept about 1,300 new students every year; the quality of students does not differ much each year. The question, however, is whether the schools have the ability to teach these students and whether they have their own unique features. With regard to this, Wang is positive that Tzu Chi University stands out as the best.

Each university has its own distinct style, and Tzu Chi University is no exception. Tzu Chi University gives the impression that its students are gentle, honest, and sincere. They are always grateful and have a clear idea about working together as a group.

Wang believes that Tzu Chi University combines five essential aspects of education--virtue, intellect, physical well-being, interdependence, and aesthetics. He feels that Tzu Chi manifests virtue through its emphasis on spiritual cultivation and helping the needy through concrete actions. The students' national exam scores are a good example of their intellectual capabilities. Tzu Chi University also cares about its students' physical health; in addition to regular physical education courses, the school holds a 10-kilometer run every year to test the students' physical strength. The university also conducts team teaching and volunteer service (led by Tzu Cheng Fathers and Yi Te Mothers) that foster learning and living together in groups; this helps students with their daily lives and studies. This system can only be found in Tzu Chi University. Students learn to interact with other people through their relations with the volunteers. Aesthetically, the beauty of Hualien and the arts and humanities classes at the university transform the students as well. The university hopes to nurture a new generation of medical experts imbued with professionalism, virtue, and openness.

A different stage in one's life means different duties and challenges. Wang maintains his passion for medical science and education both in Hualien and Taipei. His common goal with his students is to strive towards doing right things and doing them right to the end.

Although he has been in Hualien for many years now, he has no time for sightseeing. His days are very busy but his mind is unencumbered and relaxed. He says, "When I drive around Hualien, the gorgeous Central Mountain Range is not far from me. Although I haven't explored it yet, I can still perceive its beauty."