The Master's personal example teaches even more than her words. The nuns at the Abode feel that every word and action of the Master tells the dharma.

Little things

When Master Te Yu first came to the Abode of Still Thoughts, there were not many people or buildings there. The dormitory was close to the workshop. Late one night when all was quiet, she left the workshop but forgot to close the door carefully. It slammed shut with a bang.

In the dormitory, Master Cheng Yen heard the sudden noise. She walked out and said to Master Te Yu, "Mind your feet when walking, and mind your hand when opening a door."

"It was only one simple sentence, but I have always kept it firmly in mind." From then on, Master Te Yu demanded herself to be extra careful with every little thing in life.

Persistence

Master Te Chao remembers the one-month retreat during which she was initiated into the Buddhist precepts many years ago. In order to experience the spirit of "no work, no meals," she vowed not to eat or drink anything but herbal tea for the whole month.

In the last week, she became so weak that she panted when she walked, but she still persisted to the last day. When she had fulfilled her vow, she was so happy she cried. However, when the Master learned about her month-long fast, she told her, "It is not enough!"

At that moment, Master Te Chao realized that persistently abiding by the precepts day after day is more important than just promising in a formal ceremony to keep them.

Be mindful

Master Te Ro remembers the time when she had just learned to use a video camera. One morning she filmed Master Cheng Yen's sermon, but afterwards she found that she had forgotten to record the sound.

"That was supposed to be broadcast on the Tzu Chi television station. Without it, the Master would lose one chance to help people." Master Te Ro regretted her mistake and wanted to apologize to the Master in person, but she was very nervous. Late that evening, she finally got up her courage and knelt down in front of the Master. "Master, it was all because of my carelessness this morning that there was no sound on the tape."

The Master did not blame her. Instead, she encouraged her to be more patient, careful and attentive. Ever since then, Master Te Ro has kept reminding herself to be mindful in everything she does.

Too "sharp"

Master Te Hsin was quite good at calligraphy. When Master Cheng Yen heard about this, she asked her to copy a few things that she could give people as presents.

One day Master Te Hsin saw that the board on which a verse from Still Thoughts was written each day was blank. She assumed that the person who was responsible for copying the verse must have forgotten that morning, so she did it. The Master happened to see her doing this, and said, "That's not your job."

"The Master loves her disciples, so she was reminding me that we all have to get along with each other," said Master Te Hsin. In calligraphy, it is called "hiding the sharp point." If you show off your own "sharp" points too much, you may hurt others.

Humble oneself

One time when Master Te Ro was cutting the grass, she abruptly understood what Master Cheng Yen often taught: "You have to humble yourself." Grass that stands tall and thick is easy to cut. A lawn looks beautiful only when it is flat and tidy.

The beauty of Tzu Chi lies in the fact that everyone regards each other as equals. Thus no matter what one's status in society is, in Tzu Chi everyone must humble themselves and get along with the group.

Self-cultivation

Mail had been piling up in the reception room, and no one had sorted it out. The Master said, "What is self-cultivation? To cultivate oneself is to tidy up." [The Taiwanese words for "cultivate" and "tidy up" are homonyms.]

Master Te Yu happened to overhear the Master's remark, and she suddenly realized that self-cultivation is a kind of responsibility. Ever since then, in everything she does, she has always reminded herself that "you only get out of it what you put into it."

The origins

The Master often says, "Don't forget the origin!" Master Te Pu, an excellent flower arranger, came to understand the meaning of this phrase through the process of arranging flowers. She says that most people pay attention to whether or not the flowers are beautiful and the leaves are green. However, she always tells her students to notice the origin of a flower--its root.

"The root is the foundation of everything. Only when the root is strong and firm will a tree or plant grow up well. Without the foundation laid down by the hard work of the early nuns thirty years ago, Tzu Chi would not be what it is today. Therefore, we should always be grateful and never forget our origins."

Cherishing blessings

"The Master couldn't bear to tear down and rebuild the reception room," said Master Te Tien, who is in charge of writing the Master's journals. The old reception room was built with the sweat and tears of the first nuns. With more and more nuns in the Abode, the sanctuary had to be expanded and the reception room beside it had to be torn down.

"It simply had to be done, and the Master had no choice but to accept the inevitable. However, she had them use the bricks and rubble of the reception room to fill the ground for the new sanctuary." What Master Te Tien learned from the Master was to love and cherish all material things. "We should love not only human beings, but all things as well."

Extraordinary perseverance

Master Te Tun, who has long acted as Master Cheng Yen's secretary, remembers that one year the Master travelled to all the Tzu Chi offices around Taiwan to hold Chinese New Year blessing ceremonies. She became exhausted and weak, and she finally caught the flu. In Hualien, eight thousand Tzu Chi members were waiting for the Master. Many of them had come from overseas, and many were waiting to be certified as Tzu Chi commissioners. Master Te Tun was quite worried about the Master's health, and she privately discussed with others whether or not to put off the certification ceremony.

Somehow, the Master found out about their discussion. "You can't change things just like that. You should realize how hard it is for the overseas Tzu Chi members to come to Taiwan. Some of them had to take time off from their jobs so that they could come and be certified as commissioners. How can I waste their time just for my personal reasons?"

The Master's extraordinary perseverance has been a model for Master Te Tun.

A spring of wisdom

There are not many people in the world who can speak a lot and listen a lot and who do everything not for themselves, but for all people. But Master Cheng Yen serenely listens to people's hearts by "looking with her ears and hearing with her eyes."

"The Master really listens," said Master Te Hsin. In the daily volunteers' morning meeting, the Master always concentrates on what the volunteers say. At every moment, she ceaselessly absorbs and learns. As a result, when anyone comes to her with a problem, her wisdom flows as if from a spring.

Teaching to the occasion

"You are with the Master all day long," someone said to Master Te Fan, who writes Master Cheng Yen's journals. "Don't you feel that you keep recording the same things?"

"Of course I do. For example, the Master constantly and patiently repeats the development of our missions in the hope that those who listen to her will be more merciful. But the Master is a person of great wisdom. She teaches her followers in different ways depending on the occasion. She can prescribe a remedy for every kind of sickness of the human mind. You can never finish recording all those prescriptions."

A slap in the face

Master Te Jen is responsible for counselling the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association. She studied abroad, so she is quite independent. Even when she has a problem, she never reveals her weakness or helplessness.

One time, the Master told her, "You don't think of this place as your home." These words were like a slap in the face to wake her up. Master Cheng Yen was telling Master Te Jen that she did not need to stubbornly depend on herself, but that she could always get help from the other nuns at the Abode.

"The Master is like the kind mother of a large family," said Master Te Jen. "She gives me spiritual comfort, inspiration and encouragement." The Master views every disciple as her child and guides each one with a soft heart.

The best quality

Master Te Mao is in charge of the art design for Tzu Chi publications. When she first started to do this work, she often felt she had no inspiration and several times a day she would run to the Master for advice.

"The Master gives me a lot of space to develop," said Master Te Mao, who had been a professional art designer before she became a nun. Master Cheng Yen always patiently reminds her to express the essential spirit of Tzu Chi as well as she could. Nevertheless, she strictly demands the best quality. Master Te Mao said, "I never met a customer so particular about perfection as the Master."

Silent teaching

"As kind as the Master is, she is still very strict with her nuns," Master Te Hsuan reveals. All the nuns in the Abode know this, and so they take care to handle all kinds of daily details without the Master having to tell them to.

"The Master has no time to particularly teach the nuns, but when she gives her morning sermons or speaks at volunteers' meetings, she is teaching us." Master Te Hsuan says that she has been following the Master for over ten years. However, the total number of words the Master has spoken to her personally may be fewer than those she delivers in just one of her public speeches. "But it is impossible to compare the two situations. After all, the Master has guided us into the door of Buddhism. Whether we are well-cultivated or not depends on our own efforts. The Master teaches us by her own example. This 'silent teaching' is even better than using words."