Translated by Teresa Chang
Tzu Chi began in Taiwan more than 50 years ago. Today, its footsteps span the globe. We sprinkle drops of love through our work, like rain nourishing the earth. We hope the seeds of kindness we plant will sprout, grow strong, and one day flourish into a forest. Our deepest wish is for love to fill the skies, the earth, and human hearts around the world. No act of love, however small, should ever be underestimated—for when taken together, they create a boundless power that can bring about great good.
I often talk about how Tzu Chi began when I encouraged 30 housewives to each save 50 NT cents (about 1.2 U.S. cents) from their daily grocery money in a bamboo coin bank to help those in need. Why did I ask them to save 50 cents a day instead of 15 dollars once a month? Saving once a month would have sparked the thought of compassion only once, whereas setting aside 50 cents each day nurtured the intention to help others every single day. In this way, compassion was cultivated daily, and their kindness became a habit in thought, word, and deed.
To spread this idea further, the housewives were encouraged to ask the marketplace vendors they bought from to put 50 cents less worth of vegetables into their baskets, rather than saving the money silently from their own household budget. This created an opportunity to share the message in the market: “Saving 50 cents a day can help others.” Because it was simple and easy, many people responded. This is how Tzu Chi’s mission of relieving poverty began.
This spirit of sparking compassion in daily life continues today. In recent years, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan have walked through streets to promote the Loving Store campaign. They share messages of kindness, explain Tzu Chi’s philosophy, and invite shop owners to place Tzu Chi coin banks in their stores, giving customers a chance to create blessings as they shop. Shop owners willing to participate can also share the story of Tzu Chi’s Bamboo Coin Bank Era, inspiring customers to drop coins into the bank.
Even if customers do not contribute, shop owners are already spreading kindness and benefiting humanity by introducing Tzu Chi and encouraging others to join in doing good. Whether coins are placed in the bank or not, the shop owners have already helped blessings grow.
To further highlight the spirit of compassion, I later added the word “Rich” to the Loving Stores, calling them “Rich Loving Stores.” This was not to indicate the size or wealth of the shop, but to show the richness of love: These shop owners have generous hearts and willingly allow Tzu Chi to place donation banks in their stores so that good deeds can be done together. Each participating store fosters opportunities to do good, becoming a focal point for cultivating blessings and planting seeds of love in people’s hearts. Some customers may have heard of Tzu Chi before and had a basic understanding, but had not yet had the opportunity to participate personally. Now, seeing Tzu Chi’s banks in the stores, they can contribute coins themselves. When they give with joy, it also reveals the richness of their own hearts.
A Chinese proverb says, “A family that accumulates virtuous deeds will have blessings in abundance.” If we wish for a harmonious and peaceful society, each of us must cherish our time and seize every opportunity to contribute to the common good. The purpose of “saving 50 cents a day” and the Loving Store campaign is not about money, but about providing an easy and meaningful way for everyone to take part, harnessing the power of love to benefit all. I hope everyone will continue encouraging others to contribute, however small the contribution—for drops of water can form a mighty river. Each person who participates adds another drop of compassion, and every drop helps to purify the human world and bring greater peace to society.
When small acts of love are combined, they become a boundless force for good. Huang Xiao-zhe
