When they walked to the front of the stage and let Master Cheng Yen personally clip on the commissioner or honorary board member tags, their faces were bathed in tears and their chests were filled with joy. Whether they were certified as commissioners, Tzu Cheng Faith Corps members or Honorary Board members, it was an affirmation that they had earned through the continuous efforts they had made on countless days, their generous giving of themselves, and the training and observation they had received.

Secret Recipe for a Good Relationship

By Chiang Shu-yi

In 1994, Chiu Hsin-hsin went to mainland China to help her husband run a factory. Unable to adapt herself to the new environment, she had a relapse of her heart disease and was forced to return to Taiwan for an operation. During that time, her husband had an affair. Exhausted in body and mind, Chiu had to rely on sleeping pills. Emotionally, she was at a low ebb and she could hardly control herself. Although her husband eventually broke off his affair and came back to her, she could never stop being suspicious of him. She frequently made telephone calls to the mainland to trace his whereabouts. Whenever she suspected something unusual, she would yell at him.

One day, her husband went to China and she saw him off at the airport. For the first time, she noticed how lonely and desolate he looked from behind. She thought of his hard work, running a factory on the mainland by himself and traveling between both sides of the Taiwan Straits. All he got from her was fussy demands. A feeling of regret crept into her heart.

During this struggle in her heart, she recalled she had read Master Cheng Yen's Still Thoughts at the National Taiwan University Hospital. She made a phone call to the Tzu Chi Foundation. With the companionship and the guidance of Sister Hung Kuei-mei, she worked out her own small world. Hung's husband had just passed away at that time. Hung's perseverance and courage touched Chiu and made her feel grateful to her husband, who worked hard to provide a comfortable life for the whole family.

Chiu bravely decided to apologize to her husband. After that she felt relieved and at ease. Although they are often separated because of the business, she sends Master Cheng Yen's words to her husband by fax every day. With pleasure, her husband fully supports her in doing Tzu Chi work.

Reflection on certification as a commissioner (by Chiu Hsin-hsin):

I am grateful to Master Cheng Yen. I am grateful to all Tzu Chi members. I am grateful to my husband.

The Second Time Around

By Lee Hsiao-wen

Two years ago, Chi Ke-ming was certified by Master Cheng Yen as a Tzu Chi commissioner. However, his mother demanded that his certification be revoked. In November 1996, Ke-ming was again certified as a Tzu Chi commissioner by Master Te Hsuan in Texas, USA.

That strict mother was the famous Mama Chi of Tzu Chi. Although she was very pleased that her son was so enthusiastic about working for Tzu Chi, she felt after a period of observation that he was still too young to take on the full responsibility of a Tzu Chi commissioner. That was why she took back his commissioner's tag.

After such a trial, Ke-ming better understood the Tzu Chi spirit. "I'm still doing Tzu Chi work like I did before. But as a commissioner, I have to be a good example for other people and I have to take on heavier responsibility."

Ke-ming went abroad to study at the age of 14. His mother's change after she joined Tzu Chi made a deep impression on him. "When I was a little boy, I often saw my mother complain in tears to friends over the phone. After she joined Tzu Chi, however, she became the one who listened to complaints from others." His mother's newfound happiness aroused his curiosity about Tzu Chi.

"I've been living abroad for a long time, and I haven't been able to be with my mother. I thought if I joined Tzu Chi, she would be very pleased and would stop worrying about me. This was the best way I could show my filial piety to her." Ever since his childhood, when people asked him whether he wanted to be like his father or his mother, he would always say positively, "I want to be like my mother, because she's doing Tzu Chi work."

Ke-ming went to Hualien twice to do volunteer work at Tzu Chi Hospital. There, he deeply realized the impermanence of life. "Too many things are out of our control. Why don't we make the best use of our lives while we are young and have the ability to walk and work?" After his return to Texas, he actively joined in Tzu Chi activities.

In the past two years, Ke-ming has been the leader of the Tzu Chi Youth Corps in Texas, with his wife as his deputy. Together they lead the Youth Corps members to visit nursing homes for children and senior citizens, and they take part in other charitable activities.

Their enthusiasm and dedication moved Brother Chi En and Sister Tzu Ming, executive directors of the Texas branch, who recommended them for certification as commissioners so that they could take on more responsibilities.

Duri ng the certification ceremony at the Texas branch, Mama Chi personally lighted the "heart lamp" for her son. At this turning point in his life, Ke-ming had higher expectations for himself. "If I have more money or time, I'll contribute more."

Reflection on certification as a commissioner (by Chi Ke-ming):

With the Buddhist spirit and the Tzu Chi conviction of love, I hope I can organize my family, my business and my devotion to the Tzu Chi missions. Whatever difficulty I may encounter, I'll do my best to overcome it.

Stingy Honorary Board Member

By Huang Hsiu-hua

Wu Tsang-sheng had always been stingy. Who would expect that he could save the money and donate it to Tzu Chi to become an honorary board member? He was supposed to buy car with that money. What was it that made him do that without a second thought?

Wu sold eggs in Taoyuan. He and his wife played the roles of boss, driver and deliverer. Almost every day, they had to deliver the eggs to the appointed places. Because they were honest and hardworking, many shops, convenience stores and breakfast restaurants had become their regular customers.

At 6:00 in the morning, they took their children to school. Then they plunged into their busy daily work. After they delivered all the eggs, they had to prepare the shipments for the following day. They couldn't rest until 10:00 at night.

Every day they worked like this and they seldom had holidays. That was what his wife complained about the most. Because they had too much business, because they were short of assistants, their nerves were always on edge and they often had big arguments. He finally promised his wife that he would buy a car and take her and their children out for sightseeing on weekends.

However, he changed his mind after his sisters-in-law took him to Tzu Chi. "I was really puzzled. Those two sisters used to quarrel with each other all the time. After they joined Tzu Chi, they got along with each other much better. They even did resources recycling together with pleasure. What made them change?"

Out of curiosity, he and his wife went to Hualien with his sisters-in-law. "People in the Abode of Still Thoughts live so simply. At each meal, they leave nothing on their dishes." This was a shock to the extremely frugal Wu: "To think that there are people who 'appreciate their blessings' more than I do!"

Later, Wu participated in the celebration of the tenth anniversary of Tzu Chi Hospital. "Three years ago, I had a duodenal ulcer. The pain was killing me. However, there was no bed available in the hospital I went to. I had to wait for eight hours before they could operate on me." Because of this, he realized why Master Cheng Yen had to build a hospital in such a remote area.

He knew how difficult it was to build a hospital, and when he saw Tzu Chi people raising money everywhere, he decided to donate to Tzu Chi the savings with which he had planned to buy a car. That was how he became an honorary board member. "I couldn't contribute any time, but at least I could contribute some money." Although it was inconvenient for him to take his family out without a car, he felt that after all a good family atmosphere depends on the heart, not on a car.

Reflection on certification as an honorary board member (by Wu Tsang -sheng):

It's not important to buy a car. It's more important to do good deeds.

The Way to Spiritual Relief

By Yeh Wen-ying

Master Cheng Yen asked, "Can you let everything go now?" "Yes, I think so." Li Ho-cheng's voice was very low and his smile was very gentle.

"Let everything go lightly, like a dream. Don't let anything else divert you. Just focus on walking on Tzu Chi's Path of the Bodhisattvas. Death is to leave everything behind and to reach a new beginning."

On the morning of January 9, 1997, in the palliative care ward of the Tzu Chi Hospital, Master Cheng Yen certified Li Ho-Cheng as an honorary board member and gave him the religious name Chi Ching (meaning "clean the body and the soul"). Li, who was in the final stage of cancer, fulfilled his two wishes * to become an honorary board member by donating his NT$1 million [US$36,360] retirement pension and to sign a body donation card.

So that his body would be more useful to medical students after his death, Li refused any invasive treatment. On the day of his certification, the nurses removed his nasogastric tube and drip tube. They put some chocolate in his mouth just in case his blood sugar dropped too low. He put on formal clothes and waited for the memorable moment.

Freshmen of the Department of Medicine and Department of Medical Technology at the Tzu Chi College of Medicine were at the certification ceremony to witness Li's great character of generosity and sacrifice. They got a lesson in humanitarianism, in which their lives were shaken by one noble soul.

"You should be happy that your life has some extra value and that you can give the students an everlasting memory," observed Master Cheng Yen. "Dust we are and to dust we shall return. But if your entire life, from beginning to end, has been one of offering, it will be such a great release from suffering."

"We Buddhists emphasize the importance of giving with our own hands," said Mrs. Li. "I hope his giving will bring him health in his next life." She had both laughter and tears as she accompanied her husband in the final part of his life. Although she was a Tzu Chi commissioner, she was still hesitant when she faced her husband's decision to donate his body. "After all, he's only 51!"

In order to let go of their attachment to each other, she shared with her husband what she had read in religious books on life and death. She remembered one paragraph which said that an ordinary Buddhist faced death with no regret, a mid-level Buddhist faced death with no fear, and a Buddhist of the highest level faced death with pleasure. She said to her husband, "We are ordinary practitioners * as long as we don't have any regret, that will be enough." He agreed with a nod.

No More Drinking

By Huang Hsiu-hua

A drunkard can never see what bad shape he is in, but he still makes his family worry about him.

Tai Chu-teng frequently came home around midnight, stinking drunk. For his safety, his wife Su-yueh invited his friends to drink at home with him. But then she thought that his friends' wives would worry about their husbands too. The best way to solve the situation was to persuade him to quit drinking. Therefore, she contacted Tzu Chi.

Through her sister-in-law, they met a Tzu Chi couple, Chou Cheng-chung and his wife Chiu-hsiang, who took them to visit Tzu Chi headquarters in Hualien. The evening before they left for Hualien, Tai tried to escape. However, after he came back from Hualien, he praised Tzu Chi again and again. He said, "Those nuns really appreciate their blessings * they never waste anything."

"In the past, I always thought that after a day's hard work, I should reward myself with a big dinner and a hearty drink. When I took my children to the supermarket, I would let them buy whatever they wanted." Tai related his bad habits of extravagance.

With the success of the first contact, Mr. and Mrs. Chou frequently invited him to join them in visiting poor families, chanting "Amitabha" for the dead or attending group meetings. They intended to occupy all his leisure time so that he wouldn't have time to drink. After a while, their strategy worked. Tai gradually stopped drinking.

"In the past, he never knew how to say no to his friends," said Tai's wife. "Whenever anyone proposed a toast, he always drained his glass. Now he has learned to say no."

"My old drinking buddies still get drunk all the time. Sometimes they're so plastered that it's hard to drag them home. When I see this, I can realize what a difficult time my wife had before." Having successfully quit drinking, Tai became more and more active in Tzu Chi. He was no longer so listless. Instead, he was like a Duracell battery: wherever he was needed, he would be there. Now Tzu Chi sustains the whole family. They talk about Tzu Chi and they work for Tzu Chi. Mr. Tai set up a basketball frame in front of his house so that neighborhood children could come and play. Mrs. Tai applied for 600 potted plants from a city beautification program and distributed them to their neighbors.

In 1995, Tai was certified as an honorary board member. This year he also helped his seven-year-old son, Tsung-yen, get the same honor by donating NT$1 million [US$36,360] in his name.

Reflection on his son's certification as honorary board member (by Tai Chu-teng):

I feel that I've fulfilled myself.

A Reason to Leave the Meeting

By Lien Chien-hsin

Chen Mao-hsiung is just over 50. His body is slightly bent, and there is a sprinkling of gray in his hair. He always speaks with a smile.

The Tzu Cheng Faith Corps is a busy organization. There are all kinds of meetings. As an apprentice to the corps, Brother Chen went to every meeting. However, if the meeting took place in the evening, he would always leave in the middle of it. Sometimes, he even took one or two other members with him. There was something suspicious about all this.

Once in a warm small-team gathering, the puzzle was finally cleared up. A stout young man came in a wheelchair pushed by his wife. After all the members had taken their turns to speak, the young man raised his hand and told his story.

"Three years ago, I had an accident while skin diving, and my lower body was paralyzed. I weighed about 180 pounds, and my wife wasn't strong enough to take care of me by herself. It was okay at the beginning because some of my friends and relatives came to help, but gradually they stopped coming. What was worse was that some of my best friends ran off with all the money we had invested in business.

"Sister Chiang Yu-hsia heard about this, and she took some Tzu Chi brothers to help bathe me. I was very hostile and defensive against those brothers. I despised Chen Mao-hsiung because he looked like a country bumpkin.

"In the past year, every other evening at 8:00, even on holidays or rainy days, even on the day when Typhoon Herb attacked Taiwan, Brother Chen and Brother Huang Chi-hsiang always came to wash me and talk to me.

"At the Chinese New Year, Brother Chen saw I had no money to buy new clothes for my children, so he brought several sets of new clothes for them. He told me he had a children's clothing store. He often brought fruits and sweets*" At this point, the young man was choked with sobs and could not go on .

Someone asked Brother Chen why he had not mentioned all this before. He replied lightly, "He lives nearby. I can handle it with the help of a few brothers. There is no need to bother everybody."

Reflection on certification as a Tzu Cheng Faith Corps member (by Chen Mao-hsiung):

I am filled with Buddha's joy to be a member of Tzu Chi, a trustworthy organization.

Put the Sutras Into Practice

By Lee Shu-hui

Yen Ching-pen observed, "Yi-hui was so thrifty that you could even have called him a miser." From her description, we learned that at the time when Yi-hui was courting her, he always took her to fast-food restaurants. They could spend half a day there for the price of a soft drink. He even rented the wedding ring.

Yi-hui had been to many temples. When his wife, Ching-pen, introduced Tzu Chi to him, he said sarcastically that Tzu Chi was indeed an organization which emphasized cultivating blessings instead of wisdom. He meant that Tzu Chi members never studied Buddhist dogma. Later, when he got to know more Tzu Chi people, he gradually realized that if he really wanted to learn Buddhism, he should put what he studied into practice. He also learned that people were rich because they were generous in giving, not because they kept a tight grip on all their money.

One day, Ching-pen discovered that her husband had more than NT$300,000 [US$10,900] in his bankbook. She made a wish that he would give his money away in exchange for peace and ease in his heart.

Her wish was fulfilled: Yi-hui really donated NT$1 million [US$36,360] to Tzu Chi and became an honorary board member. Because he had somewhat shorter than average working hours as a government employee, he had time for a part-time job so that he could make more money. In order to minimize family expenses, he and his wife practiced "appreciating blessings"* they went to the market to pick up vegetables and fruit discarded by peddlers. "There is so much hunger in the world just because people waste too much." They wore old clothes that others didn't want. In less than one year, Yen Yi-hui earned the honorary board membership.

"It's a blessing to enter the Tzu Chi World." When he understood more about Tzu Chi, Yi-hui realized that giving was the best way for moral cultivation. In 1995, he joined the Tzu Cheng Faith Corps as a trainee. His enthusiasm even surprised his wife, who was a Tzu Chi commissioner.

Reflection on certification as a Tzu Cheng Faith Corps member (by Yen Yi-hui):

It is a real blessing to enter Tzu Chi.

Clear Cut Line Between Brothers

By Huang Hsiu-hua

Lin Chao-fu was a taxi driver and his younger brother, Lin Chin-cheng, was the boss of a big company. Although they had developed in different ways and had made different achievements, they still helped and cared for each other.

Chao-fu said his brother had always been very clever and very filial to their parents. However, although Chin-cheng had a Rolls Royce, a nice family and a prosperous business, he was not happy. He was addicted to gambling. "He could lose millions of dollars in one night," his wife remembers. "I once saw him write a check. I was so upset that when I went to bed, I couldn't get up again." Mrs. Lin even thought of divorce to get away from it all.

In order to pull him away from gambling, his wife, brother and sister-in-law did everything to help him. "I made a vow that if he could reform and join Tzu Chi," Chao-fu said, "I would donate NT$1 million [US$36,360] on his behalf to make him an honorary board member." Although Chao-fu had failed many times, he never lost faith in him. Chin-cheng was not unaware of his brother's intention. In 1995, he joined the Tzu Cheng Faith Corps. Chao-fu kept his promise and borrowed money from friends in order to donate NT$1 million to get his brother membership in the Honorary Board Members Association.

Then one day, Chin-cheng came and returned the money to his brother. After that, he dropped out of the Tzu Cheng Faith Corps training course. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7:00, he waited for the lottery drawing. This time, Chao-fu despaired and decided that his brother was beyond hope.

"One day at 6:00 a.m.," remembered Mrs. Lin, "Chin-cheng phoned home from a police station and said that his car was missing. I said calmly that it didn't matter as long as he himself wasn't missing." Hearing his wife answer calmly and without any reproach, Chin-cheng realized that they were gradually drifting apart.

In October 1996, Chin-cheng went to the Tzu Chi Taipei branch office again with his wife and sister-in-law. The Honorary Board Members Association happened to have a meeting on that day. Chin-cheng met Brother Li Cheng-fu, the convener of the association. They got along very well together. Perhaps because they both had had similar experiences, they found that they had a lot to talk about.

Chin-cheng was somehow invited to give a short speech to the association. Unexpectedly, all he talked about was repentance for his past mistakes, and he announced that he would donate his Rolls Royce to Tzu Chi. After that, he became a completely different person. He not only quit gambling, but he started to raise funds for Tzu Chi. He said one day, "I owe Tzu Chi a tremendous medical bill, because Tzu Chi cured the hearts of my whole family."

When his Rolls Royce was driven away by its new owner, Chin-ching became a bit melancholy: "I don't seem to own anything now." His brother said wisely, "Although you gave away a car, you've won back the love of your wife and children, so it's worth it." Chin-cheng then felt much better about it. He used the money to get honorary board memberships for his wife, brother and sister-in-law.