To cultivate the quality of “humanism” means to generate great concern for the welfare, value, and dignity of all peoples. Here at Tzu Chi, humanism is implicit to our culture, even synonymous with our name. The guiding morality to behave in accordance with “respect for life” with “great love” and “dignity for all” is inextricably instilled in our followers as a founding core principle. Nobody questions the worthiness of another, or assumes themselves inherently better. Rather, with open hearts and helping hands, they ask: “what can I do to serve your true needs, so that together we may raise the vibration of the entire planet?” It is a call to action to work for the good of all, inspired by a sense of the intrinsic worthiness of all; that is the natural embodiment of Tzu Chi’s Humanistic Culture. In this way, we hope to broaden the love of the whole world in an effort to heal and empower everyone, sowing the seeds of great love and kindness in an everlasting cycle of replenishment.

In 1989, Dharma Master Cheng Yen founded the Tzu Chi Nursing College in order to nurture outstanding medical professionals who truly “care” for their patients; and fill in the educational and employment gaps for underprivileged locals within the community, most notably young aboriginal women. The project was so successful that by July of 2000, it had expanded into a total educational pathway offering a comprehensive curriculum from preschool to postgraduate studies, and everything in between. Today, Tzu Chi students are conscientiously raised to conduct themselves in accordance with the 4 pillars of the True Buddha Dharma: indiscriminate loving kindness, boundless compassion, joyous gratitude, and mindful equanimity. Brought up within a holistic culture of selfless giving, our students are instilled with the principles of “Respect for Life” and “Belief in Human Nature” through “Virtue Education,” “Life Education,” and “Total Human Education” along the entirety of their academic careers at Tzu Chi.

Confronted with the agony of patients suffering blood diseases, Dharma Master Cheng Yen established the “Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registration” in 1993, after confirming that bone marrow transfers could save lives without harming donors. Renamed “The Buddhist Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Stem Cell Center” in 2002, the institute has grown to include ongoing stem cell research, gene therapy, and an umbilical cord blood repository. Here, donors are identified and matched with patients through blood tests, often moved to action by the tireless campaigning and outreach efforts of our own Tzu Chi Volunteers. Here, such kindness is referred to as “love as pure as clear water,” and has been instrumental in changing fates and saving patients’ lives.

Moved by the suffering of illness she encountered in her charitable visits to the poor, Dharma Master Cheng Yen founded the first Free Tzu Chi Clinic in 1972; beginning the mission of Tzu Chi Medicine. In 1986, Hualien Tzu Chi General Hospital was opened with the guiding principle to uphold patients as venerable “teachers,” prioritizing a compassionate, holistic approach to treating not only the body, but also the mind and spirit. Today, from city to countryside; mountain to coastline; Tzu Chi’s comprehensive medical network continues to serves the people of Taiwan with optimal medical care utilizing the latest technology in combination with healing hands of great love.

At a time before Taiwan’s government had the means to implement social safety nets (when the island was only beginning to transition from a rural agrarian to urban industrial society), poverty and illness pervaded the population with little hope of relief. Addressing the immediate need, Master Cheng Yen entreated her 30 followers at the time (mainly housewives) to raise donations for the poor by setting aside $0.50 TWD (now equivalent to $0.02 USD) of their daily grocery budget, which then translated to critical material assistance for the underprivileged. That small, local investment went on to ignite a movement of charitable Tzu Chi Relief missions worldwide, exemplifying the awesome ripple effect a simple act of kindness can have. Today’s charitable missions have expanded and evolved to emphasize empowerment through spiritual fulfillment and altruism alongside direct material support, addressing the deeper roots of the suffering of lack.

In 1990, Dharma Master Cheng Yen finished a public speech on environmental conservation by instructing her applauding audience to instead use their hands to “pick up trash, sweep the streets, and recycle [together]” in order to “convert this piece of land into pure land… trash into gold… [and] gold into compassion.” Her call to action sparked a movement of renewed vigor to save the Earth, jolting her followers to initiate sweeping “Green” reforms and widespread protection campaigns to reverse trends in climate change in order to avert a spiraling course of natural disasters and save lives.

Through a culture of conscientiousness galvanizing concrete revolutions in recycling and sustainable practices, Tzu Chi has championed an implicit guardianship in awe of nature, which continues to uphold the future of the planet, today. At Tzu Chi, the free will to act to preserve nature and its cherished resources is considered fertile ground for spiritual cultivation; reflected in our advocacy of vegetarianism, reusing and recycling with gratitude; and a simple, “green” lifestyle to reduce our carbon footprint. With full hearts and open hands, we work to do what we can, where we can, and lead by example, for the welfare of the entire planet.

Community Volunteers are the backbone of our foundation’s charitable efforts, the helping hands delivering direct relief on the ground with great love, worldwide. When disaster strikes or a great need suddenly arises, it is the Community Volunteers who rally members within their locale to arrive first on the scene with tireless immediate and ongoing support. They also host local Tzu Chi events, organize projects, and conduct community outreach to raise more resources and helping hands to better serve their communities. Senior volunteers expertly coordinate donation gathering and distribution within their operations, while overseeing the training of new recruits working for certification. Certification as a Tzu Chi Volunteer requires a minimum of 2 years of training and a passing evaluation by a Senior member; Trainees are then personally certified by Master Cheng Yen through ceremony, bestowed a ribbon reading “With Buddha’s heart and Master’s convictions.” Our Community Volunteers represent the essence of Tzu Chi; spreading the seeds of great love through focused and collaborative acts of kindness to bring healing to the world, wherever they go.