Some people laughed at her as being a silly, unrealistic dreamer. But she believed that when Heaven closes a door, it always opens a window, and that as long as she worked hard enough, things would work out.

Shih Chin-shih is an ordinary woman, but the hardships she has suffered would be difficult for any ordinary person to endure. After her irresponsible husband deserted her, leaving behind large debts, a friend cheated her out of a large sum of money. She could do nothing except muster up her strength and continue working to repay the debts and feed her four children. But even more misery was in store...

Misfortunes never come alone

When she was married to a sailor, Chin-shih felt insecure enough already. Then she found that her husband was an inveterate gambler who gambled at every port he went to. In the end, even the most valuable object he had with him--his watch--was gambled away. There was nothing Chin-shih could do about his profligacy. She could only restrain her temper and keep quiet.

Some time later, her husband quit his job and came home to help her sell children's clothes at night markets. Relieved, she thought that good days were finally ahead. Little did she know that her husband's behavior would get even worse. He not only continued to gamble, but also began an affair with a masseuse. After that, he only came home when he was short of money.

In four short months, Chin-shih's husband not only squandered every penny she had scrimped so hard to save over the years, he also began to borrow money from every person he could think of. When he found that he had no way out, he demanded a divorce and then walked out, leaving her with the large debts he had run up and four children to raise.

They had been married for twenty years. When her husband walked out on her and their children, she was bitterly heartbroken and disappointed.

Misfortune seemed to be dogging her. After her husband left, a "friend" cheated her out of nearly NT$300,000 [US$ 10,000]. She was so devastated she almost felt like killing herself. In order to clear the debts that now amounted to almost one million dollars, she went to a market every morning at six to sell children's clothes. She would then hustle to an afternoon market, and then on to a night market at eight to continue doing business.

After five or six years of toil and struggle, Chin-shih was finally able to pay back a large portion of the debt. But just when things were getting better, a thief stole her truck and all the clothes on it. Chin-shih felt as if she had been struck by lightning. "I bought that truckload of clothes on credit. The money hasn't even been paid yet. What am I going to do now?"

Full of anxiety, she related her predicament to the wholesaler who had sold her the clothes. Considering that she had always had good credit, the wholesaler decided to let her take another batch of clothes without having to pay for them first.

Two years later, the same thing happened again. This time she nearly had a nervous breakdown. At this desperate crisis, the wholesaler helped her out again. "He is really my benefactor. I wanted to give him my house to pay off the debt, but he refused to take it. He was worried that my family would have nowhere else to go."

Chin-shih will always remember what the wholesaler said to her when she was in distress: "Whether you keep on selling clothes or not, there is no hurry about repaying me the money."

A change of mind, a change of fortune

The series of setbacks did not destroy Chin-shih's will. She believed that when Heaven closes a door, it always opens a window. As long as she worked hard enough without complaining, things would get better. She felt that a divine power must have been helping her along the way.

She decided to stop selling clothes and open a retail grocery store. After changing her trade, she was no less busy and had almost no days off. The grocery wholesaler she bought from was a Tzu Chi trainee commissioner. Seeing that Chin-shih was a diligent, kind-hearted person, the commissioner-to-be told her about the foundation and its work. Thereafter, Chin-shih became a Tzu Chi member and began to make regular contributions. "Although I'm still rather pinched for money, I still donate two hundred dollars every month. As long as I'm able to help, I will continue to do so."

Shortly afterwards, she began to receive the Tzu Chi Companion, a biweekly Tzu Chi newsletter, and she always took time to carefully read it through. In addition, she also listened to Master Cheng Yen's lectures on the radio program, "Tzu Chi World." Gradually, she came to realize that "people should learn how to use money wisely, instead of being used by it."

Reflecting on her life, Chin-shih realized that she had been busy making money for the past ten years, yet she was still running up ever larger debts. Wasn't she the one who was being used by money? When she made a donation of one hundred thousand dollars to Tzu Chi, a friend of hers who ran a fruit stall by her store was very surprised. "You've had such a hard life and yet you still give so generously. That's really something."

Unselfish giving makes you free

Before she learned about the foundation, Chin-shih could never take her mind off her business. But after entering the Tzu Chi world, she learned to let go and to give unselfishly. Now whenever Tzu Chi needs her, she puts her business aside and rushes to help.

"Our Master often quotes from the Buddha: 'Those who come to me will never be poor.' Now I deeply understand what that means." It is also said in the Earth Treasury Sutra, "When you give even a little, you will get a lot in return." "If we think good thoughts every day, our hearts will change," Chin-shih believes. "When our hearts change, our fortune will change too. That way, we will be happy every day."

As a businessperson, Chin-shih knows that it is easy to earn thirty or forty thousand dollars in one morning by selling twenty-dollar items. It confirms her belief that "Money has four legs, while man has only two legs. If money is set on following you, you will soon be rich. If it does not want to be with you, you will never catch up with it, no matter how hard you try."

She no longer feels hatred towards her ex-husband. When her former mother-in-law fell sick, she even went to take care of her. She bathed her, changed her clothes, prepared her meals and cleaned her rooms for her.

Chin-shih's former mother-in-law was so touched by her actions that she hugged her and cried. "Let bygones be bygones," Chin-shih assured her. "You may still treat me as your daughter-in-law. If anything should happen, call me immediately and I'll be right there." Three days later, her mother-in-law passed away. When her ex-husband told her the news, she hastened to her mother-in-law's home to help arrange for the funeral.

Chin-shih believes that if she can part with her property and even her body (by donating it to the Tzu Chi medical school), then there is nothing more she needs to cling to in life. When she made a commitment to donate one million dollars to become a Tzu Chi honorary board member, people laughed at her for having such a high goal when she was still in debt. Friends and relatives worried that she would have no money left when she got old, and they told her that she was being a silly, unrealistic dreamer.

"I'd rather bequeath good karma than money to my son." Chin-shih thinks that no matter how much money she leaves him, if he doesn't manage it well, the money will soon be wasted. She might as well just teach him to be more down-to-earth. As long as he works hard enough, he will earn more than he can spend.