I have been wondering and wanting to know more about Tzu Chi organization. In Penang, they are well know and have a very big building to carry out their charity work. I have visited their blog and read up their mission and the biography of Master Cheng Yen.
Master Cheng Yen is a Buddhist disciple and is residing in Taiwan. She started the Tzu Chi organization to provide help to the poor and to educate the rich in the great compassion and loving kindness. The organization believed in giving rather than receiving.
Buddhism is practiced in the form of temples and its deovtees will donate money and food to the monks and money for the operation of the temples. Devotees are welcome to pray and learn Buddhism from these places of worship. The temples do not carry out charity works and only in the event of disater, the monks are despatch to help the needy in non monetary ways. Very rarely, the temples gives out money to the poor except to give free food and lodging to the needy.
Tzu Chi is not a temple but a charitable organization which is based on the Buddhism dharma to help all living beings. The members are not monks but laymen and women who volunteer to carry out charity work at their own time and own resources. Master Cheng Yen was the founder of Tzu Chi and the organization evolves around Buddhism. Buddhism have long been a passive religion and in recent times, the Buddhism masters are engaging in pro-active Buddhism and they become more engaging to the welfare and goodness of all living beings.
This is a good start and it will move the religion from a self centered ie promoting self development to cater for all living beings as the whole religion evolves in this direction. Rather than to concentrate on achieving enlightenment and reaching nirvana, it puts into life the teaching of Buddhs, that is, loving kindness to all living beings.
Namaste.
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