The Power of a Giving Heart

I set out from Hualien in early November 2020 for the first round of our year-end blessing ceremonies. I visited northern and central Taiwan, then returned to Hualien on December 6. I met many loving people during this month-long trip, and heard many stories of selfless giving. Some people shared how they had emerged from a difficult past after encountering Tzu Chi, and decided to break free from a small world dominated by personal concerns to embark on a path defined by the all-embracing love of a bodhisattva.

Everything I heard and saw during this trip spoke of such beauty that no words can fully capture. In a blessing ceremony in Taichung, volunteers from Nantou shared the story of Cao Mei-ying (曹美英). After retiring as a teacher, Cao volunteered for our foundation for over 20 years before passing away on November 11. Upon her death, she fulfilled her wish of donating her body to Tzu Chi for medical education.

Cao had said on her death bed that she would follow me life after life on the Bodhisattva Path. Seeing her images in a video in the ceremony, I felt a profound sense of loss. At the same time, however, I knew she had lived a most beautiful life. She was unwavering in her commitment to do good for the world, even after being diagnosed with cancer. Examples like hers have been plentiful in Tzu Chi’s 55-year history. The dedication of these volunteers has given me tremendous strength.

I often say I have lived a life without regrets. I founded Tzu Chi 55 years ago after I saw how poverty and other forms of suffering abounded in this world. I really wanted to do something to help. I was living in Hualien at the time. My master (Dharma Master Yin Shun) hoped I could move to Chiayi, but a group of people in Hualien who often listened to me expound the Dharma asked me to stay. I told them staying in Hualien would only be meaningful if they assisted me in doing charity work. So, just like that, 30 housewives began dropping 50 Taiwanese cents (1.2 U.S. cents) into a bamboo bank every day before going to the market. The money would be used to help the needy. Tzu Chi’s charity work was thus launched.

Fifty cents might not seem much, but when many 50 cents are put together, a lot of things can be done. Starting with a handful of housewives each saving a little of their grocery money every day, Tzu Chi has now grown into an international charity organization with branch offices in 63 countries and regions. Our footprints of care can be found in 119 countries.

Everyone, no matter how poor, can help others. The Syrian refugee children at El Menahil International School (established in Turkey by Tzu Chi and the government of the Sultangazi district of Istanbul) serve as a good example. For several years now, students there have donated what pocket money they could to help with Tzu Chi’s disaster relief operations. Even those with no money to spare show their love in other ways. One child, for instance, wrote “a one dollar check” on a sheet of paper to donate. Though he had no money to give, he had a giving heart. That heart to give is what matters the most, and is profoundly moving.

My heart to give 55 years ago was like that child’s, and I have held firm to that original aspiration ever since. My heart might grow heavy whenever I see suffering in the world, but I’m filled with a renewed sense of hope and purpose when I see Tzu Chi volunteers around the world working together with one heart to relieve that suffering.

If I had not acted on my desire to help the needy 55 years ago, if I had not tried to pool together people’s love, we would not have been able to help so many people over the years. What matters even more than the concrete aid we have given is the love we have inspired in those we have helped. That love has prompted them to help even more people.

Let us all do our best to create blessings every day by doing good. Our life may become shorter with each passing day, but if we keep on doing good, our blessings will continue to grow. Please be ever more mindful.