According to a public opinion survey in Taiwan, Venerable Cheng Yen tops the list of "Taiwan's Most Trusted People".
Originally born into a wealthy family, she became a monk at the age of 24 at the Puming Monastery in Hualien County, Taiwan, and was given the name Zhen Yen by her master. The young Zhen-yen was devoted to Buddhism and practiced Zen meditation daily with a green lamp and yellow scrolls as her companion. The morning bell and the evening drum, no competition with the world, originally thought that the life will be so will live on, but then an incident occurred, completely changed her mind.
One day, witness Yen went to a private clinic near the temple and inadvertently saw a streak of blood on the ground. Upon inquiry, she learned that it was left by a pregnant woman in the neighborhood. This is the first time that I have ever seen a woman with a bloodstain on the floor of a private clinic near a temple, and I have never seen a woman with a bloodstain on the floor of a private clinic. But because they could not get 8,000 yuan deposit, and was kicked out. Zhen Yan didn't know what would happen to the mother and child, but that blinding blood-red color always lingered in front of her eyes. She thus made a wish to establish an organization where the poor help the poor, and to build a hospital in Hualien with full facilities and without any deposit.
In 1966, the Tzu Chi Merit Society was founded, advocated by Venerable Master Cheng Yen, with the mission of helping the poor. Building the hospital would require at least 800 million Taiwan dollars, which was an astronomical figure for her. In order to raise funds, she began to take on a worldly role and practiced a worldly way, lobbying for donations, so much so that some people avoided her when they saw her. When the Tzu Chi Benevolent Association was first established, only about 30 housewives participated because almost no one believed that she could build a hospital. Some said that she was pretentious and touted for fame, and even suspected her of using the opportunity to enrich herself. In the face of setbacks and rumors, she did not waver and continued to organize various fundraising activities from time to time. She lived a simple and poor life, but time and time again for those who do not know the people running, the weak voice gradually attracted attention, more and more people were impressed by her sincerity.
A Tao, who washes hair for a living, donated $10,000, which is equivalent to her income from washing hair for others 3,000 times. Not only that, she also solicited donations from her customers, urging each of them to donate a bed to the hospital. More and more ordinary people like Ah Tao joined in, and the impossible finally became a reality. 1986 saw the opening of the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital. People who are financially poor can visit the hospital here, not only are they exempted from all medical fees, but some of them also receive a living allowance.
When the initial ideal was realized, her charitable steps did not stop. Inspired by the spirit of Venerable Master Zhen Yan, today Tzu Chi volunteers have introduced the world, including many celebrities and dignitaries. They provide medical services to local people and actively participate in disaster relief. Wenchuan earthquake, Indonesia tsunami ...... where there is a disaster suffering, where there is her thin figure.
In the eyes of many believers, Venerable Master Zhen Yan is the real Buddha, the Guanyin Bodhisattva who saves suffering. A young mother once brought her sick child to Venerable Cheng Yen and asked her to "touch the top" of the child's head to help ward off illnesses and disasters. Venerable Cheng Yen lovingly touched the top of the child's head and looked at the devout mother and said, "If I were really that powerful, I wouldn't have to run around collecting donations to build hospitals.
The Venerable Master Cheng Yen is no more than the most ordinary of mortal women. She always taught her disciples and followers around her: "To learn about Buddha is not to ask for Buddha, but to learn about Buddha's personality - great compassion, great wisdom, and great courage. This perhaps explains why what began as a group of 30 or so followers has now grown to tens of millions around the world.
If one does not ask for Buddha in order to learn Buddhism, then everyone in the world can become a Buddha.