38 Facts About Tzu Chi

1.

Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by Cheng Yen, a Taiwanese Buddhist nun, or bhikkhuni, in 1966 as a Buddhist humanitarian organization.

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2.

Tzu Chi gradually expanded its services over time, opening a free medical clinic in 1972 and building its first hospital in 1986.

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3.

Tzu Chi is known for undertaking long-term projects such as building new homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship for victims following a disaster.

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4.

Tzu Chi has a policy of being secular in its humanitarian work; however Buddhist teachings are often integrated into its practices for volunteers.

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5.

Cheng Yen is considered to be one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Taiwanese Buddhism, and Tzu Chi itself is considered to be one of the "Four Great Mountains", or four major Buddhist organizations of Taiwan along with Fo Guang Shan, Dharma Drum Mountain, and Chung Tai Shan.

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6.

Tzu Chi Foundation was founded as a charity organization with Buddhist origins by the Buddhist nun Cheng Yen in 1966 in Hualien, Taiwan after Cheng Yen saw the humanitarian work of Christian missionaries in Taiwan in the post World War II period.

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7.

Tzu Chi was inspired by her master and mentor, the late Yin Shun a proponent of Humanistic Buddhism, who exhorted her to "work for Buddhism and for all sentient beings".

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8.

From 1987 to 1991, Tzu Chi membership doubled in size each year, by 1994, it boasted a membership of 4 million members.

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9.

Tzu Chi's expanded its aid work to the People's Republic of China in 1991, during the eastern China floods.

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10.

Tzu Chi has grown to become a significant actor in civil society, Tzu Chi is not only the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan, but Taiwan's largest owner of private land.

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11.

Four major causes of Tzu Chi are Charity, Medicine, Education, and Humanity, as highlighted by the official motto, or concept of "Four endeavors, eight footprints" .

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12.

Tzu Chi is notably distinct from the other Four Great Mountains in respect to three main unique characteristics.

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13.

Tzu Chi nuns follow the monastic rules for Buddhist nuns, but are not ordained in the traditional communal ritual typically done at Buddhist monasteries.

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14.

Tzu Chi has a special status between layperson and monastic known as qin xiou shi or 'pure unmaterialistic people'.

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15.

The ship represents Tzu Chi steering a ship of compassion, representing their goal in saving all beings that suffer, while the Eight Petals represent the Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism, which Tzu Chi uses as their guide.

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16.

Tzu Chi has its own customized version of the Buddhist Precepts as formulated by Cheng-Yen.

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17.

Tzu Chi has since built hospitals in Yuli, Hualien County; Dalin, Chiayi County; Guanshan, Taitung County; Tanzi District, Taichung City; and Xindian, New Taipei City.

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18.

Tzu Chi created a bone marrow registry, the Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Bank, in 1993 after a young follower of Cheng Yen was diagnosed with Leukemia.

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19.

Tzu Chi is most well known for its disaster relief efforts worldwide.

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20.

In carrying out these projects, Tzu Chi has a policy that forbids public gatherings for the sole purpose of specific political, economic, and religious groups.

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21.

Tzu Chi volunteers are not to discuss business, politics, or preach religion while giving aid.

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22.

In March 2008, Tzu Chi became the first organization represented by a non-Mainland resident to be registered with the Chinese government.

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23.

Tzu Chi was one of the few organizations the Chinese government allowed to bring in aid workers from overseas to join the relief effort.

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24.

Tzu Chi volunteers were one of the first responders in the Chi-Chi earthquake of 1999, mobilizing within 2 hours to provide thousands of sets of food and relief supplies to victims.

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25.

Tzu Chi raised more relief funds for the earthquake than any other religious organization in Taiwan, raising nearly sixty times as much funds for the relief effort than the next largest fund raiser, Fo Guang Shan.

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26.

The 921 earthquake was credited for prompting Tzu Chi to create a disaster relief coordination center at its headquarters to organize quicker disaster response services.

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27.

Tzu Chi was active in providing aid after Typhoon Nepartak struck Taiwan in 2016, providing relief supplies, rebuilding communities, and providing medical care through its medical support staff in Taimali, Taiwan which have been holding medical outreach free clinics in the area since 2006.

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28.

Tzu Chi has participated in numerous other relief projects around the world, including sending teams to Indonesia and Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake as well as to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake in their northern mountains.

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29.

Tzu Chi was active in providing aid following the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

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30.

Tzu Chi was active in relief efforts during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the group provided aid, as well as cash gifts for those who helped the community during the disaster.

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31.

For example, after months of searching, in December 2020 the Tzu Chi found a location for a pandemic-related food distribution event, partnering with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Echame La Mano Pura Vida Foundation to provide food, water, and other essentials.

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32.

Tzu Chi's portfolios include case management, medical, educational and disaster relief.

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33.

Significant fraction of funds raised by Tzu Chi revolves around environmentally friendly goals in encouraging the recycling of items such as water bottles as well as using reusable items or reusing items to reduce waste.

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34.

Celebrations during Tzu Chi Day include the bathing of the Buddha ceremony, the tradition's message is that it is the people that need cleansing before they become better individuals.

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35.

Tzu Chi promotes many of the teachings of Buddhism, in particular the Lotus Sutra, and has sutra adaptations through the use of sign language on the Sutra of the Innumerable Meanings, which teaches that sentient existence is challenging and filled with disasters in the absence of observations of virtue, as well as the Sutra of the Water Repentance, which advocates and symbolizes the need to repent karmic transgressions.

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36.

Tzu Chi has re-built mosques and churches in disaster zones where faith plays an important role in local society.

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37.

Tzu Chi nuns do not rely on donations for their livelihood, something uncommon among most Buddhist orders.

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38.

Tzu Chi has branches in 63 countries and regions including USA, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and various locations in Asia, Europe and Africa.

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