With her concept of “Even fifty cents can save a life,” Dharma Master Cheng Yen began to challenge people’s conceptions of the impossible. A group of ordinary housewives were the first to believe in and follow her. The major organization that Tzu Chi is today began with this group of housewives. While lodging at Puming Temple, despite having nothing to her name, she was driven by one simple but resolute belief: “If I eat until I am eighty percent full, I can save the remaining twenty percent to help those in need.” With this hardworking and frugal mindset, Master Cheng Yen and her disciples overcame countless hardships to expand their charity work. She explained, “I have faith in my own selflessness and faith in the love of others. I established the Tzu Chi Merit Association not for my own sake, but ‘for Buddha’s teachings and for sentient beings.’ I believe that everyone has an abundance of love in their hearts. As long as there is someone to guide them, they can exercise their power of kindness.” Volume 2 (1966-1977): The beginnings of Tzu Chi’s charity mission.

《靜思語第一集》編彙證嚴上人的智慧法語，書中第一部之靜思語，字字珠璣，蘊含證嚴上人的智慧法語，引導讀者反思，並藉以在生活中實踐佛法，不論是第一次接觸上人法語或是已然熟悉的讀者，都能將其應用在日常生活中，點亮人生的道路。第二部，則集結證嚴上人隨緣開示的問答，生活中的煩惱與疑慮，都可以善用上人的智慧妙解。 世界各地之慈濟志工不但將靜思語用在學校的品格教育、用來鼓勵啟發有需要的人、進而接引人人走向佛法的康莊大道。 《靜思語第一集》英文版最初出版於1996年，於2014年再版。此第三版為翻譯團隊重新潤飾，使英文更貼近英文為母語讀者的閱讀習慣。誠心期盼讀者在閱讀此書時心靈獲得滋潤與啟發。 Still Thoughts, Volume One comprises the distilled wisdom of Dharma Master Cheng Yen, presented in concise passages. These succinct aphorisms, found in the initial section of the book, are imbued with profound insights, inviting readers to introspect. Perfect for daily contemplation and practice, they offer brief yet impactful teachings to illuminate one's spiritual journey, whether one is new to or already familiar with Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s teachings. The second segment features inquiries from volunteers or visitors concerning common life situations. Dharma Master Cheng Yen addresses these queries with profound insight, drawing upon the wisdom of the Buddha Dharma. Worldwide, Tzu Chi volunteers utilize these aphorisms as the basis for character education classes in schools, to offer solace and encouragement to those in distress, and to help themselves navigate toward a more profound understanding of the Dharma. Originally published in 1996 and revised in 2014, Still Thoughts, Volume One now appears in its third edition, updated to meet contemporary translation standards. It is our sincere aspiration that within these pages, you will discover wisdom and inspiration that enriches your life and the lives of those around you.

這本書是在教我們怎麼當一位菩薩。內容取材自證嚴法師二○○五年九至十一月間晨語開示，起於《慈悲三昧水懺》中「或因六行造一切罪」一句懺文。懺文中的「六行」意指偏差修行的「外道六行」，而法師為了撥亂反正，釋文當中同時仔細介紹了「佛之六行」，作為外道六行的對照，並為我們指出了正確的修行方向。 「佛之六行」展開來即「菩薩五十二位階」，是修行者學習當菩薩最重要的指引。因此，特別將這段內容由《水懺》講記中獨立出來，讓大家一書在手，學習不愁。看了這本書，讀者會知道要當一位菩薩可能遇到的困難，也知道如何堅定自己的心志，等到具足了信心願力，您也可以是一位菩薩。 This book teaches us how to be a bodhisattva. Its content is drawn from Master Cheng Yen’s morning lecture from September to November, 2005, in which she taught about a passage from the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance. The passage reads, “We have engaged in all wrongdoing because of the six heretical practices.” For the sake of clarity, Master gave a detailed explanation of the Buddha’s Six Sets of Practices to stand in contrast with the six heretical practices and show us the correct direction for our spiritual practice. The Buddha’s Six Sets of Practices are the fifty-two stages of bodhisattvas. They form the most important guide for spiritual practitioners learning to become bodhisattvas. Therefore, we singled out this passage from the Water Repentance text so that everyone could have it in hand and learn from it with ease. After reading this book, you will be aware of the hardships you might encounter as a bodhisattva, and you will learn how to stand firm in your resolve. Once you are replete in faith and the power of vows, you can also become a bodhisattva.

The Venerable Cheng-yen is an unassuming Taiwanese Buddhist nun who leads a worldwide social welfare movement with five million devotees in over thirty countries—with its largest branch in the United States. Tzu-Chi (Compassion Relief) began as a tiny, grassroots women's charitable group; today in Taiwan it runs three state-of-the-art hospitals, a television channel, and a university. Cheng-yen, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is a leader in Buddhist peace activism and has garnered recognition by Business Week as an entrepreneurial star. Based on extensive fieldwork in Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, and the United States, this book explores the transformation of Tzu-Chi. C. Julia Huang offers a vivid ethnography that examines the movement’s organization, its relationship with NGOs and humanitarian organizations, and the nature of its Buddhist transnationalism, which is global in scope and local in practice. Tzu-Chi's identity is intimately tied to its leader, and Huang illuminates Cheng-yen's successful blending of charisma and compassion and the personal relationship between leader and devotee that defines the movement. This important book sheds new light on religion and cultural identity and contributes to our understanding of the nature of charisma and the role of faith-based organizations.

Free renderings of selections from the works of Chuang-tzŭ, taken from various translations.

In this life-changing book, acclaimed Buddhist teacher Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shows how to free yourself from being a victim of your emotions by gaining the awareness and understanding that will help you harness their power. Emotions bring color and meaning to our lives, but they can also put us on an exhausting rollercoaster ride that takes us to blissful peak states, the depths of delusion and despair, and everything in between. It is only by learning to relate to our emotions skillfully that we benefit from their richness and glean wisdom, rather than letting them control us. Emotions get their power from a simple but deep-seated source: our lack of self-knowledge. When we bring awareness to our experience of emotions, something truly amazing happens—they lose their power to make us miserable. In this book, Rinpoche leads us through the three steps of his Emotional Rescue Plan. Mindful Gap is the practice of creating a safe distance between you and your emotions, which gives you the psychological space to work with their energy. Clear Seeing involves recognizing the bigger picture. Last, Letting Go is the practice of releasing stressful physical and emotional energy through exercise, relaxation, and awareness. With each step, we become increasingly familiar with the inner workings of our emotions, seeing straight to the heart of anger, fear, passion, jealousy, and pride. With time and practice, instead of leading us astray, our emotions become our guide towards living a more compassionate, creative, and fulfilling life.