"Good books should never be lonely." Liao Hsi-tzu believes that Buddhist books will all be the bestsellers in the long run. Therefore, at each of her New Schoolmates bookstores all across Taiwan, there is always a section reserved for books on Zen and Buddhism. By doing so, she hopes that more people will learn something about Buddha's teachings.

From the window of the fourteenth floor headquarters of the New Schoolmates Group on Jenai Road, one of the fanciest districts in Taipei, Liao Hsi-tzu points to the words "I LOVE TAIPEI" spelled out with red-leafed plants in the traffic circle below. Standing before a huge round window curtained in lace, she looks as happy as a little girl who has found a secret garden. To my surprise, she is over sixty and she works more than twelve hours a day. As I interview her, I wonder how a busy lady like her can remain so enthusiastic about life. What's her secret?

"Without my religious beliefs, it would probably be hard for me to have a clear mind to solve all the many problems in life," says Mrs. Liao as she takes out a fine white china teapot from a cloth-covered basket to pour a cup of tea.

Bestsellers

Liao Hsi-tzu is well-known in the publishing community. Her parents owned the Nan Yi Bookstore, a major publishing house in Taiwan. At the age of twenty-six, she married Liao Chun-jung, president of the New Schoolmates Group. For the past thirty-seven years, she has maintained a deep interest in managing the bookstore chain and publishing books.

Mrs. Liao has her own philosophy on managing bookstores. She doesn't purposely put the hottest books in a prominent place to draw shoppers' attention. Instead, she insists that the most visible areas in her stores belong to those profound, inspiring books which are very often neglected.

"Good books should never be lonely. I remember way back more than ten years ago, I proposed reserving a special section at each of our stores to exhibit books on Zen and Buddhism. At that time, the proposal was strongly opposed by the management staff. They argued that nobody would want to buy those books. However, in my view, Buddhist books will all be bestsellers in the long run. I believe that those who have read these books and have been touched by them will keep coming back for more in order to get a deeper understanding of Buddhism. Moreover, they might introduce these books to their friends. In this way, more and more people will come to know Buddha's teaching."

Mrs. Liao points out that the number of readers will gradually increase. Therefore, she doesn't worry at all whether Buddhist books will bring her any economic benefits. What she really cares about is how to help people learn more about Buddhism.

Today, there are nearly thirty New Schoolmates bookstores across Taiwan. When you walk into any of them, you will immediately notice a section on Zen and Buddhism. Mrs. Liao's unusual policy of prominently displaying these books comes from her experience in learning to behave like Buddha.

Inspiration from Her Father

Mrs. Liao started her journey of learning to behave like Buddha through inspiration from her father. In the beginning, her father thought Buddhists were superstitious because he thought they were making deals with the deities. He felt uncomfortable when his wife asked him to offer incense to the gods. In such circumstances, embarrassed by what he was doing, he would finish the ritual as soon as possible and then quickly walk away. One day, Mrs. Liao's brother happened to find a copy of the Heart Sutra on the street and brought it home. When her father read the booklet, he felt his heart fill with joy. From then on, he held a totally different attitude toward Buddhism.

"It seemed that only old people would show up in a Buddhist temple at that time," Mrs. Liao recalled. "In order to make more people familiar with Buddhism, my father invited several monks to come to our hometown, Tainan, to give lessons on Buddhist sutras. Usually on these occasions, over one hundred men and women came to listen to the lectures. In addition, my father imported the Dictionary of Buddhism from mainland China and reprinted and published it in Taiwan, so that people here could have a reference book to turn to when they had trouble with Buddhist terminology."

After Mrs. Liao got married and moved to Taipei, her father sent her an annotated edition of the Heart Sutra. One month later, he called her to ask whether she had read the book. She answered that she'd been too busy to read it yet. He reminded her that she should run her business rather than let her business run her. These words woke her up. She determined to take some time to study the sutra.

Mrs. Liao's father retired at sixty. After his retirement, he founded the Kuang Chi Charity Association to promote Buddhism in Tainan. Through this organization, he established friendly relationships with many people interested in Buddhism. Since he was a vegetarian, he ate simple, light meals. Although his children suggested that he deserved a better life, he was quite satisfied with his life as it was. In his opinion, having an undefiled soul was the best blessing anyone could ask for.

"After my sister and I got married, we couldn't listen to my father's lectures on Buddhist sutras in person," said Mrs. Liao. "So, he recorded his lectures on tapes and sent them to us. Those tapes were our bedtime stories. We listened to them every night before going to sleep."

Mrs. Liao described how her father looked after he became a Buddhist. "He looked dignified and peaceful. He always wore a smile on his nose, eyes, and his whole face."

In the Workplace

"Do things with a clear mind and treat people with a warm heart. Keeping this in mind, everyone will find it easier and more enjoyable to deal with people and situations." This is what Mrs. Liao has learned from Buddha's teachings.

In the workplace, she always tells herself not to entertain such thoughts as "You should perform just as well as I do" or "You should equal me in ability." As a top manager, she must constantly remind herself not to speak so sharply as to hurt people's feelings. "One good thing about learning to behave like Buddha is that I've learned to be more open-minded. I try not to do things arbitrarily, not to argue with people if they disagree with me, and not to insist on my own way."

Even though Mrs. Liao has to work over twelve hours a day, she never complains about it. "I really enjoy what I'm doing . That's why I never feel tired no matter how busy I am. Besides, I'm lucky to work in such a quiet, beautiful environment." This is her attitude toward work-to cherish each and every day with gratitude.

One of her friends once said to her that since she was over sixty, she should retire to enjoy life and not push herself so hard. However, Mrs. Liao would rather use the time she is given to do meaningful things to benefit people than waste it living in ease and comfort.

Family Life

Mrs. Liao applies Buddha's teachings to her family life as well. Her housekeeper once asked her why, in ten years, she had never seen Mrs. Liao and her husband quarrel. With a smile on her face, Mrs. Liao told her housekeeper, "We respect each other, and that's why we never argue."

I asked her how she educated her three children. "Every child is a different individual. It's impossible to ask them to be the same. What really matters is to help them sow good causes in their childhood. When I was little, I used to go to different temples to worship Buddha with my father. At that time, I did this simply because of the delicious vegetarian noodles they served at noon. But, this was also how I discovered that worshipping Buddha made me calm and joyful."

Having been exposed to Buddhism since childhood, Mrs. Liao's son chose to be a vegetarian after he had attended a Buddhist summer camp in college. "Maybe it was because my little boy was specially blessed by Buddha. I didn't quit eating meat until one year later."

Cherishing Blessings

Even though she is a distinguished publisher and the wife of the president of a major bookstore chain in Taiwan, Mrs. Liao lives simply and economically. For instance, she cuts up scrap paper and uses its blank side for writing notes. She repairs worn-out furniture, and she has even worn the same suit for more than ten years.

"Take a look," Mrs. Liao said to me as she pointed to a table which had been sent to a repair shop several times. "With a colorful tablecloth on it, it looks just as good as new. Some people might wonder why I don't throw it away and get a new one, since buying a new piece won't cost me more anyway. I'm happy that at least I don't have to produce another piece of junk to pollute our environment." This concept stimulated Mrs. Liao to open a do-it-yourself section at her branch store on Tunhua South Road in Taipei. The whole idea is to provide people with parts and materials so that they can repair furniture themselves.

"We should keep things as long as possible," Mrs. Liao explained. "For example, we can give an old sweater new life simply by choosing a scarf that goes well with it."