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Tzu Chi — From a Single Thought of Kindness to a Global Journey of Compassion and Love 

Tzu Chi is a life story that began in Hualien, built little by little through countless acts of kindness. In 1966, Dharma Master Cheng Yen and her disciples and followers began helping the poor and those in need through the spirit of the “Bamboo Bank Era”—making an extra pair of baby shoes each day and setting aside fifty cents a day.

Over the decades, Tzu Chi gradually developed its missions in charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture, extending its care and humanitarian work internationally. 

What Tzu Chi conveys is more than material assistance. It represents a philosophy of life centered on doing good, caring for others, and contributing to the world—a belief that even the smallest act of kindness, when sustained with sincerity, can gradually become a force of compassion that reaches far beyond ourselves.

✦ Fo Guang University — A Humanistic University Between Mountains and Sea, Bringing Education Back to the Human Being 

Fo Guang University, located on Linmei Mountain in Jiaoxi, Yilan, is a university that places humanistic values and the spirit of the residential college at the heart of its educational philosophy. Planning for the university began in 1993, and it opened its doors in 2000 as Fo Guang Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences before officially becoming Fo Guang University in 2006. Nestled between the mountains and the Lanyang Plain, the university has forged its own distinctive path in education.

Its focus extends beyond professional knowledge to encompass character, critical thinking, compassion, and meaningful action. In this way, the university strives to make higher education not only a place where students acquire knowledge, but also a place where they learn how to become thoughtful, well-rounded human beings.

✦ Bodhidharma — After Crossing the Yangtze on a Single Reed, What He Left Behind Was a Heart Turned Inward in Self-Awareness

Bodhidharma, known as the First Patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, is one of the most legendary figures in the history of Chinese Zen tradition. According to tradition, he traveled from India to China and introduced teachings that emphasized directly perceiving the mind and realizing one’s true nature. Later generations further shaped his image through stories such as “Crossing the Yangtze River on a Single Reed” and “Facing a Wall in Meditation for Nine Years.”

As history and legend became intertwined, Bodhidharma gradually came to symbolize the spiritual essence of Chan Buddhism. His significance lies not merely in the image of a mysterious martial arts patriarch, but in a deeper wisdom of practice: turning inward, breaking free from attachment, and personally experiencing the nature of life. His story reminds us that true awakening is not simply something to be explained through words, but something that must ultimately be discovered within ourselves.

✦ Master Xuanzang — A Journey Across Thousands of Miles in Search of the Dharma

In the history of Chinese Buddhism, Master Xuanzang is one of the most revered eminent monks. In search of more complete and accurate Buddhist scriptures, he embarked on a long journey to India, crossing deserts, mountains, and foreign lands while enduring countless hardships along the way. 

After returning to China, he devoted tremendous effort to translating Buddhist scriptures and organizing Buddhist teachings, allowing many precious texts to be preserved and widely transmitted. His translations became an important part of the development of Chinese Buddhism.

His life was more than a historical journey in search of the Dharma. It was also a remarkable story of faith, wisdom, scholarship, and perseverance—a journey across thousands of miles in pursuit of knowledge and truth.

✦ Buddhist Dharma — In a Single Moment of Awareness, Seeing Ourselves and Seeing the World

Buddhist Dharma is not merely the sound of temple bells and the chanting of scriptures, nor is it simply something people turn to for comfort when they encounter difficulties. Rather, it is like a path that leads us back to our inner selves—a path that teaches us to observe our thoughts, understand impermanence, face suffering, learn to let go of attachment, and treat ourselves and others with compassion.

When we are willing to slow down and recognize ourselves in every arising thought and moment of awareness, we may gradually come to understand that true peace does not necessarily come from changing the world, but from learning how to find stillness within ourselves.