From a little sentiment to a vast vow, from the small Abode to over one hundred and twenty chapters all over the world, the Tzu Chi World has persistently developed little by little.

Most Tzu Chi commissioners say that they originally decided to join Tzu Chi because of the Abode of Still Thoughts. They are moved by the small, modest scale of the Abode, the thin but strong figure of Master Cheng Yen, and even the simple, thrifty way of life of the nuns. The commissioners are also inspired by the Master's words and personal example to be content with and grateful for everything in the world. Because of all this, they join in her work of helping human beings all over the world.

From a single brick, Tzu Chi began to form the Taiwan provincial medical service network. From the humble Abode of Still Thoughts in remote Hualien, Tzu Chi now has branches and chapters all over the world. Thirty years ago, fewer than a hundred families relied on Tzu Chi's long-term aid. The organization now supports over twenty thousand recipients. The persistence of many people has been the driving force behind the growth of the Tzu Chi World.

Reasons for becoming part of Tzu Chi

"The Abode is so small--let's raise money to build a bigger one," Wang Cheng-chih suggested to Master Cheng Yen when he first visited the Abode of Still Thoughts. The Master replied that there was enough space in the Abode, and she advised Wang to use the money to help the poor. "Her words moved me so much. Tzu Chi needs money to help others."

When Tung Ling-chai was in high school, she once heard others talking about the well-equipped Christian hospitals in Taiwan. She asked her father, a doctor and a pious Buddhist, why there was no Buddhist hospital. He told her that Taiwan was extremely poor before the 1950s. Since most Taiwanese hardly ate enough to keep body and soul together, how could there be enough money to build a hospital? "As long as the economy keeps improving, there will certainly be a Buddhist hospital someday," he said. Ling-chai bore her father's words in mind. Many years later, she heard that Tzu Chi was preparing to build a hospital. She promptly offered her support, even though she had already immigrated to Chicago.

Lin Sheng-sheng was originally trying to find a temple to perform a Buddhist memorial ceremony for her deceased mother-in-law. She got in touch with Tzu Chi and started to learn more about Buddhism. She observed that ordinary people burned incense and prayed to gods merely to fulfill their own wishes, even though their wishes might not in fact be fulfilled. However, Master Cheng Yen does not pray for herself, but for all human beings. Sheng-sheng says, "To learn Buddhism, the most important thing is to learn to give one's time, money and strength, and to increase one's self-confidence through that process of giving."

"At first I was skeptical of the organization," said Lin Ta-tung, who had studied many Buddhist sutras and theories before he went to the United States for advanced study. He learned that there was a Tzu Chi branch in San Jose, California. He decided to visit it and learn whether the organization was indeed the one that was said to persuade its members to cultivate not only their blessings, but wisdom as well. At the branch office, he saw a videotape describing how Tzu Chi members help the poor in many places in the world and share their experiences of practicing Buddhism. "I finally realized that Buddhism should be learned through concrete practice."

Be an evergreen

It is easy to be enthusiastic, but difficult to be persistent. How to solve the problems created by individuals, families, and one's surroundings so as to keep walking on the Path of the Bodhisattvas without any retreat is a lesson that many Tzu Chi people have to learn.

"Compared to the obstacles and hardships the Master faced when she decided to build the hospital, my frustrations are nothing." Many commissioners often relieve their depression and distress by looking at Master Cheng Yen's picture, because the Master is their spiritual support.

He Jui-chen, who converted to Buddhism many years ago, was very enthusiastic about making pilgrimages or taking part in Buddhist ceremonies. However, her husband was angry with her for running off to visit Buddhist masters everywhere in Taiwan and even abroad while neglecting to take care of her family.

"The Master teaches us to take good care of our family before we do Tzu Chi activities. As a result, no matter how busy I am in Tzu Chi, I still have to properly attend to my family first." Sometimes when she gets home late after collecting donations or attending a meeting, she rushes straight to the kitchen without even changing out of her sweaty commissioner's uniform, so that she can have dinner ready when her husband and children come home. She has developed her own way of dealing with things through the experience of these years.

Resigning from her teaching job and making the Tzu Chi missions her lifelong career, Lin Hsiu-fen was once frustrated with many problems in getting along with others. "The Master is my teacher in this life and many lives to come. But is it necessary for me to deal with so many imperfect people and walk together with them on the Path of the Bodhisattvas?" Every time she questioned her devotion to her husband, he always reminded her to remember that she was cultivating herself through difficulties. "We are in our prime," he said to her seriously. "It is the best time for us to serve others. If we slow down just because of a few setbacks, when will we get the chance again?" She understands that one should steel one's mind through trials and tribulations in daily life, instead of doing one's own spiritual cultivation far off in the mountains and caring about nobody but oneself.

Devoting themselves completely to Tzu Chi disaster relief missions overseas, Wei Hsin-fen and her husband, Tseng Tun-hua, also experienced disagreements with others and lack of support. "Why should it be so hard to do Tzu Chi work?" she complained. "You must be willing to follow the Master," her husband reminded her. "Over the past thirty years, whether she had any support or not, the Master always clung to her original commitment."

"I still face a lot of difficulties, but I don't care about them any more," Hsin-fen said. "What I care about is whether I am wiser and purer in mind than I was yesterday."

Tzu Chi commissioners come from all different families and different backgrounds. They learn to purify themselves, reach a consensus of opinion and eradicate their attachments by communicating, loving, trusting and cooperating with each other. "What frustrates me most is the dark side of my mind, such as my doubts about others," said Huang Ai-chen. "As soon as I am aware of my weakness, I begin to examine myself and the original commitment I made when I joined Tzu Chi." That is why she can continue.

"I couldn't do without Tzu Chi!" Chen Ming-chi, now in his sixties, has devoted himself to Tzu Chi for over ten years. He thanks the organization for making his later years more fulfilling. As he gets older, he feels that the blossoming and withering of flowers, the budding and falling of tree leaves, and the coming and going of human generations are all part of nature. "One can choose to be a rose or an evergreen." Wouldn't it be a pity to quit just because one becomes old and cannot communicate with the next generation?

"There are too many things for us to do in Tzu Chi," he says. "We do what others do not want to do. I can go any place I am needed." There may be wind, rain, frost, snow and fog on the journey of self-cultivation, but all will pass by. That's life.