Thirty years ago, Master Cheng Yen called upon a handful of housewives and started the difficult mission of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association * to help the poor and educate the rich.

Now, these senior bodhisattvas are getting old. At their old age, they could be enjoying a carefree and contented life, staying home and playing with their grandchildren. Instead, they walk from door to door, raising funds just like they have been doing for the past thirty years. They have sworn to "take Buddha's compassion as their own compassion and the Master's commitments as their own." Because of the very wisdom of their stubborn dedication, they persistently and diligently sow the seeds of charity so that the younger generations are able to follow in their footsteps and plant more seeds of love and compassion.

Most of the commissioners in the early days were housewives. According to the social values at that time, a woman was virtuous if she didn't study. Therefore, the commissioners were mostly illiterate and had little social experience. All they knew was that Master Cheng Yen wanted to help the poor. Sincerely and ardently, they used direct, simple words to introduce Tzu Chi to other people.

How did they manage to write down Tzu Chi members' names and addresses?

Sister Ching Hung had a good way to solve her problem of illiteracy. In order to remember how to get to the members' homes again, she observed the surroundings very carefully and drew symbols representing landmarks. For example, if there was a big stone in front of the member's home, she would draw a big circle in her collection receipt book. If the member grew cucumbers in the garden, she would draw a cucumber. If the member sold chickens, she would draw a chicken head, etc.

For most housewives in the old times, the market was the only place to socialize with people. It was in the market, a place full of genuine human warmth, that the legend of the Tzu Chi Association spread quickly from mouth to mouth.

In those early days when telephones were not yet common, it was impossible to make an appointment in advance to see someone. It happened all the time that in order to collect a contribution of ten dollars [US$0.40], some commissioners had to go back and forth five or six times.

Although female commissioners played a very important role in raising relief funds in Tzu Chi's early days, the contribution of some of the male commissioners cannot be left unrecognized. Especially at a time when the old idea that men were superior to women still prevailed, the male commissioners' successful careers and high social status tremendously helped Tzu Chi's fund-raising work.

Wang Tien-ding, a commissioner in Taitung, didn't know how to do fund-raising at first. As a school principal, he felt it was really hard for him to open his mouth to ask for money. As an educator, however, he understood deeply that it was essential to put down the roots of education at a young age, and the roots of charity were no exception.

Wang decided to use the motto of the Scouts: "Do a good deed every day." He appealed to the students, faculty and staff to save some pocket money every day to help the poor and the sick. In this way, he not only raised funds, but also achieved the educational purpose of raising people's awareness.

"Old Earth God," Brother Wang Cheng-chi, a commissioner in Yuli, planned to ask an old friend of his for a donation. When he got to the friend's home, he was welcomed with familiar, warm greetings and hospitality. However, when he indicated the purpose of his coming, his friend said, "I still need donations myself. How could I have any extra money to give away?" Without further discussion, his friend threw cold water on his hopes.

But "Old Earth God" didn't get discouraged by this . "Though it didn't work out there, I can always try somewhere else! Not everybody is like him. If everyone were like him, there wouldn't be any Tzu Chi!"

"To help others is much better than to be helped by others," Wang always says. Maybe it's because he himself once lived in poverty that he can better realize how difficult it can be.