Cheng Yen (; born Chin-Yun Wong; 14 May 1937) is a Taiwanese Buddhist nun ( bhikkhuni), teacher, and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. She is the founder of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, ordinarily referred to as Tzu Chi, a Buddhist humanitarian organization based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. In the West, she is sometimes referred to as the "Mother Teresa of Asia". Cheng Yen was born in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. She developed an interest in Buddhism as a young adult, ordaining as a Buddhist nun in 1963 under the well known proponent of humanistic Buddhism, master

Yin Shun Master Yin Shun (印順導師, ''Yìnshùn Dǎoshī''; 5 April 1906 – 4 June 2005) was a well-known Buddhist monk and scholar in the tradition of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Though he was particularly trained in the Three Treatise school, he ...

. After an encounter with a poor woman who had a miscarriage, and a conversation with Roman Catholic nuns who talked about the various charity work of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, Cheng Yen founded the Tzu Chi Foundation in 1966 as a Buddhist humanitarian organization. The organization began as a group of thirty housewives who saved money for needy families. Tzu Chi gradually grew in popularity and expanded its services over time to include medical, environmental, and disaster relief work, eventually becoming one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world, and the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan. Cheng Yen is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the development of modern

Taiwanese Buddhism Buddhism is one of the major religions of Taiwan. Taiwanese people predominantly practice Mahayana Buddhism, Confucian principles, local practices and Taoist tradition. Roles for religious specialists from both Buddhist and Taoist traditions e ...

. In Taiwan, she is popularly referred to as one of the "

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the ...

" of Taiwanese Buddhism, along with her contemporaries

Sheng-yen Sheng Yen (), born Zhang Baokang (), (January 22, 1931 – February 3, 2009) was a Taiwanese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. He was one of the mainstream teachers of Chan Buddhism. He was a 57th generational dharma heir of Li ...

Dharma Drum Mountain Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM; ) is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation founded by late Chan master Sheng-yen (1931 – 2009). The center focuses on educating the public in Buddhism with the goal of improving th ...

Hsing Yun Hsing Yun () (born 19 August 1927) is a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order as well as the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association in Taiwan. Hsing Yun is considered to be one of the most ...

of Fo Guang Shan and Wei Chueh of Chung Tai Shan.

Early life

Cheng Yen was born "Chin-Yun Wong" () in 1937 in Kiyomizu Town, Taikō District,

Taichū Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Japanese Taiwan. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Taichung City, Changhua County and Nantou County. It is also the origin of the name of modern-day Taichung. The Taichū Prefecture was the scene ...

Japanese Taiwan The island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu Islands, became a dependency of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War. The sho ...

(modern-day Qingshui,

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...

). Unlike most of the other prominent Taiwanese Buddhist leaders, Cheng Yen was born in Taiwan rather than mainland China. Her uncle was childless, so she was given to be raised by her aunt and uncle. Cheng-Yen grew up during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, where she witnessed the devastating effects of war and experienced the bombings in Taiwan. These experiences were credited as contributing to what she regarded as the truth behind the concept of

impermanence Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies. In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhist three marks of existence. It ...

. In 1945, when she was eight years old, she looked after her sick brother in a hospital for eight months, and so learned more closely about people's pain and helplessness. At the age of 23, her father died suddenly from brain blood vessel disorder that brought about hemorrhaging and stroke. It was in searching for a burial place for him that Cheng Yen first came into close contact with the Buddhist

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

, associated doctrines, and Buddhist scriptures (

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...

s). After her father's death, Cheng Yen took over managing her father's theaters and became financially responsible for her family.

Bhikṣuṇī ordination

Upon deciding to become a nun, Cheng Yen ran away to a temple in 1960, fearing that if she were to ask for permission in advance, she might not be permitted to go. After her first attempt at running away, her mother found her three days later and brought her back home. She ran away from home a second time in 1961. She left to travel through eastern Taiwan with a friendly nun by the name of Xiūdào (修道法師; ). Cheng Yen followed a nontraditional route to becoming a nun, traveling for two years with Xiūdào. Cheng Yen even shaved her own head before she had been officially ordained a nun. After traveling for two years, Cheng Yen decided that she needed to become an ordained nun in order to continue her lifestyle. She went to the Linji Huguo Chan Temple to register for ordination, but was turned down because she did not have a master. Typically, to become a nun in Taiwan, one must be the disciple of a master for two years before ordination. Cheng Yen encountered

, whom she asked to be her mentor. He accepted her request, an hour before the registration closed. In February 1963, she became the disciple of her mentor, Yin Shun, who gave her the

dharma name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ...

of Cheng Yen and the courtesy name of Huìzhāng (慧璋; ). Yin Shun also gave her the expectation of "doing all for the Buddhist religion and for all beings", which is written with six characters in Chinese. These six characters became the highest ideals for Cheng Yen in belief, teaching, and practice. In May 1963, shortly after receiving her ordination as a nun, she went to Pu Ming Temple (普明寺; ) in

Hualien County Hualien County ( Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. I ...

to continue her spiritual formation. As a part of that formation, she recited the

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...

, which she revered, every day and transcribed every month. It was during her six months there that she vowed to commit herself to the Lotus Sutra and the " Path of the Bodhisattvas".

Tzu Chi

Lotus Sutra

Cheng Yen was heavily influenced by the

, which she called the culmination of the Buddha's teachings. Cheng Yen's initial exposure to the Lotus Sutra happened when she left her family in

Fengyuan Fengyuan District () is a district located in north-central Taichung, Taiwan on the south bank of the Dajia River. Fengyuan district is the third most populated district among former Taichung County, ranking after Dali and Taiping district. Fen ...

, Taichung County, and stayed away from the world by lodging in a small hut in

Taitung County Taitung County (; Mandarin pinyin: ''Táidōng Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island ...

, in eastern Taiwan. While in Taitung, she accidentally found a Japanese version of the Lotus Sutra, and was pleased with what the book said. Later, she had a friend bring back a Japanese copy of the Lotus Sutra ( Myoho Renge Kyo) from Japan, and was inspired by the Muryōgi Kyō, or what is better known as the

Innumerable Meanings Sutra The ''Innumerable Meanings Sutra'' also known as the ''Sutra of Infinite Meanings'' (Sanskrit: अनन्त निर्देश सूत्र, ''Ananta Nirdeśa Sūtra''; ; Japanese: ''Muryōgi Kyō''; Korean: ''Muryangeui Gyeong'') is a ...

, which is traditionally regarded as the prologue to the Lotus Sutra. The Innumerable Meanings Sutra addresses human problems, weather behavior, and psychiatric, psychological, and spiritual issues.

Miscarriage of Taiwanese aborigine

There were two watershed events that occurred in 1966 that are credited with having inspired Cheng Yen to found Tzu Chi. The first event occurred while Cheng Yen was visiting a hospital in Fenglin. After seeing blood on the hospital floor, she learned that a Taiwanese aborigine woman had a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemica ...

. They were forced to carry the pregnant woman back up the mountain after they could not afford the 8000

New Taiwan dollar The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dol ...

deposit. The aborigine woman later died. This story actually became the source of a legal case in the early 2000s. While Cheng Yen never mentioned the name of the doctor when telling the story, one of her followers did, resulting in a defamation suit against Cheng Yen by the doctor's family.

Encounter with Roman Catholic nuns

The second event was a now-famous discussion Cheng Yen had with three

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

nuns at Pu Ming temple in 1966. While the nuns admitted the profundity of Buddhist teachings, they noted that the Catholic Church had helped people around the world by building schools and hospitals and inquired, "But what has Buddhism done for society?". The discussion is credited with having made Cheng Yen realize that Buddhism had to do more than simply encourage the private cultivation of people's souls.

Founding the Tzu Chi Foundation

Influenced by the Lotus Sutra, and the encounters with the Taiwanese aborigine woman and the Roman Catholic nuns, Cheng Yen established the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation on 14 May 1966 in an endeavor to help the poor of east Taiwan. The organization started when Cheng Yen encouraged her followers, consisting of thirty housewives, to save fifty

cent Cent may refer to: Currency * Cent (currency), a one-hundredth subdivision of several units of currency * Penny (Canadian coin), a Canadian coin removed from circulation in 2013 * 1 cent (Dutch coin), a Dutch coin minted between 1941 and 1944 * ...

s ( US$0.02) from their grocery money every day and store them in bamboo savings banks to help needy families. When posed with the question, "Why can't we give once a week?", Cheng Yen replied, "Because giving is a practice and we need to give every day. If we have a yearning or a positive desire in us, we must nourish it and bring it to fulfillment. Just as Buddha was guided by a noble desire to help others, we too can listen to those who are sad or help those who are in pain." In the first year, fifteen families were provided with aid by the initial thirty followers. Tzu Chi expanded its work from helping needy families to medical aid in 1970. In 1986 Tzu Chi established its first Hospital in Hualien. Tzu Chi has since built hospitals in Yuli, Hualien County; Dalin,

Jiayi County Chiayi County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''jiā yì xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Ka-gī-koān'') is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. It is the sixth largest county in Taiwan. Name The former Chinese placename ...

; Guanshan,

; and Xindian,

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

. Tzu Chi experienced modest growth in the first two decades of its establishment, it grew to 293 members in 1968 and by 1986 had just 8,000 members. However, with the surge in popularity of Humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan in the late 1980s and 1990s, Tzu Chi enjoyed a rapid expansion in membership alongside several other major Taiwanese Buddhist organizations. From 1987 to 1991, Tzu Chi membership doubled in size each year, by 1994 Tzu Chi membership was estimated at 4 million members. Tzu Chi Foundation in Hualien (3991128820)

Tzu Chi Foundation in Hualien (3991128820)

Tzu Chi is most well known for its work in disaster relief, Cheng Yen's philosophy includes the notion that not only are those receiving assistance benefiting materially by receiving the aid, but those delivering the aid are also spiritually rewarded when they see the gratitude in the eyes and smiles of the recipients. Tzu Chi's first major disaster relief effort was in 1991, when it undertook relief operations after severe floods hit central and eastern China. One of the most iconic attributes of Tzu Chi disaster relief efforts is that volunteers not only provide short term aid but also partake in long-term projects to rebuild the communities affected. Tzu Chi often builds new homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship (including churches and mosques for non-Buddhists) for victims following a disaster. As of 2015, Tzu Chi has provided disaster relief aid to over 85 countries worldwide. A significant fraction of funds raised by Tzu Chi revolves around

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that cl ...

goals such as the encouragement of recycling and using reusable items to reduce waste. As of 2014, the foundation operates over 5,600 recycling stations. Tzu Chi has grown to become a significant actor in civil society, Tzu Chi is not only the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan, but also Taiwan's largest owner of private land. As of 2013, the organization was estimated to have approximately 10 million members worldwide, and chapters in 47 countries.

Da Ai Television

In January 1998, Cheng Yen launched Da Ai (literally "Great Love") Satellite Television (慈濟大愛電視台; ''Chû-chè Tāi-ài Tiān-sī-tâi'') a 24-hours in daily of

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the ea ...

. Da Ai is commercial free and operates twenty-four hours a day. It is funded by donations as well as partially by Tzu Chi's recycling programs. Da Ai features non-political news, lectures from Cheng Yen and serial programs focused on the virtues, often profiling people who made major changes in their life for the better.

Daily schedule

Cheng Yen makes a broadcast every morning in an address known as "Wisdom at Dawn" and makes another address in the evening. She wakes up around 3:45 am to start her activities, such as receiving visitors, and overseeing Tzu Chi's projects throughout Taiwan. She often makes monthly trips around the country to check in on Tzu Chi's projects and activities.

Awards and recognition

*1986: "Huashia Medal of the First Order" in Taiwan *1986: Good People and Good Deeds representative, Taiwan *1989: Social Service and Social Science Achievement Award from the Taiwanese-American Foundation, Taiwan & United States *1989: Social Service Award from the Wu San-Lian Foundation, Taiwan *1991:

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award ( Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic ideal ...

for Community Leadership in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

*1991: Outstanding Leadership in Social Movement Award from the Social Movement Association, Taiwan *1991: Honorary Citizen & Honorary Mayor of St. Antonio & St. Antonio Honorary Territory Award, Texas, United States *1992: International Communication Award from the Government Information Office, Taiwan *1993: Honorary Doctorate Degree by the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...

*1994: Eisenhower Medallion from the

People to People International People to People International (PTPI) is a program established on September 11, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of the United States Information Agency. After President Eisenhower left the office of President in 1961, he arranged t ...

.(PTPI Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower) *1995: Executive Yuan (Cabinet) Cultural Award, Taiwan *1995: 20 Outstanding Women in Asia from Asia Weekly magazine, Hong Kong *1996: Interior Ministry's First Class Honorary Award, Taiwan *1996: Foreign Affairs Medal of the First Order, Taiwan *1996: Huaguang Award of the First Order, Taiwan *1998: International Human Rights Award from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) *1998: Taiwan's 200 most influential people in 400 years, Common Wealth Magazine, Taiwan *1998: Outstanding Alumni Award on 100th anniversary of Chingshuei Elementary School, Taiwan *2000: Noel Foundation Life Award, United States *2000: Heros from Around the World, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, United States *2000: 50 Stars of Asia, Business Week magazine, United States *2001: Presidential Culture Award, Taiwan *2001: Selected as one of 26 " Heroes from Around the World" and featured on the " Wall of Honor" in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

National Liberty Museum The National Liberty Museum is located at 321 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It opened to the public in January 2000. The museum states that it is an independent learning and exhibit center supported by visitors, community ...

*2001: National Medal of the Second Order from the President of

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*2001: Honorary Doctorate in Social Science from

Hong Kong University The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fir ...

*2002: Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award from World Buddhist University in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

*2002: Honorary Doctorate Degree in Socio-Cultural Studies from National Chiao Tung University in

*2003: Presidential Second Order of the Brilliant Star Award, Taiwan *2003: 3rd annual Top Ten Outstanding Educators Award from the Private School Culture and Education Association, Taiwan *2004: 2004 Asian American Heritage Award for Humanitarian Service by the Asian American Federation of California.(AAFC) *2004: First annual special Lifetime Achievement Award in Volunteerism from the Daily Volunteer Association, Taiwan *2007: 24th Niwano Peace Prize for Humanitarian Service by The Niwano Peace Foundation in Japan
Recipient Page
*2007: World Peace Prize from the American Los Angeles Chinese-American Elected Officials Organization, United States *2008: WFB Merit Medal from World Fellowship of Buddhists *2011: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities from the

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*2011: TIME 100 from TIME magazine, United States *2011: Franklin D. Roosevelt Distinguished Public Service Award from the Roosevelt Institute, United States *2011: “Master Cheng Yen Day” on October 11, 2011, City of Vancouver, Canada *2012: DGPN Datuk Seri, highest state title, Malaysia *2012: Honorary doctorate in social welfare from Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand *2014: Award of Honor from Rotary International *2014: A certificate of honor and appreciation presented by Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, Haiti *2015: Honorary Doctorate in Social Development from Naresuan University, Thailand *2015: Honorary citizenship of Finale Emilia, Italy *2015: Contribution to Public Affairs award, You Bring Charm to the World Award Ceremony, China *2015: Personality of the Year Award, The Better Malaysia Foundation, Malaysia *2016: Invention Educational Medal, the 44th Geneva International Invention Exhibition, Switzerland *2016: Global Bhikkhuni Award from the Chinese Buddhist Bhikkhuni Association (CBBA) of Taiwan *2016: Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence in the category of Health from the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust, India *2016: Honorary Member, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Ukraine *2016: Hall of Fame from Chinese Innovation and Invention Society, Taiwan *2018: Manhae Prize for Peace from the Society for the Promotion and Practice of Manhae's Thoughts, South Korea *2019: Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan *2020: Certificate of appreciation and medal from Commissariat for Refugee and Migration, Serbia *2021:

Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize The Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize, formally the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace, is awarded annually "in recognition of an individual’s or an organisation’s contribution for the advancement of the cause of peace". The prize w ...

, United Kingdom *2021: Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, United States *2022: BBC 100 Women

Notes

References

External links

Tzu Chi Foundation

Tzu Chi Foundation, USATzu Chi Continuing Education CentreTIMA - Tzu Chi International Medical Association

Da Ai (Great Love): A television station owned by Tzu Chi

UN ReliefWeb Tzu Chi humanitarian missions around the world
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Yen 1937 births Living people 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns People from Taichung Taiwanese Buddhist nuns Taiwanese educators Taiwanese religious leaders Taiwanese philanthropists Tzu Chi Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors BBC 100 Women