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Time flies. After a full year of systematic study of Tzu Chi’s Dharma lineage and school of practice, along with the Four Great Missions and Eight Dharma Footprints, June 20 and 21 marked the completion of volunteer training.
The theme for the two-day program was “Passing on Charity as a Family Legacy, Cultivating Both Blessings and Wisdom.” Through a series of lectures and sharing sessions, volunteers collectively experienced and gained a deeper understanding of Tzu Chi’s charitable mission. While new volunteers undergo training, senior volunteers also need to continue advancing diligently. Progressing together is the source of Tzu Chi’s continuing creativity.
Living Bodhi, Earthly Practice
Doing Tzu Chi’s work is not a fleeting whim but a lifelong commitment, which requires constantly returning to one’s initial aspiration. The completion program began with a session on “Life Wisdom,” featuring a Dharma talk from Master Cheng Yen: Transform consciousness into wisdom and nurture compassion; the Buddha’s teachings are inseparable from worldly awakening; always hold gratitude and understanding in one’s heart; and form good affinities widely and practice diligently.
Life brings birth, aging, sickness, and death, as well as joy, sorrow, fortune, and adversity. It is inevitable that people encounter grievances and difficulties. The Buddha’s teachings do not show us how to avoid life’s suffering, but rather how to transform our thoughts, understand situations with kindness, and grow in wisdom when facing challenging circumstances.
Therefore, we should be grateful for every person and every event. Whether it is something we see, hear, or even harsh words or unpleasant experiences, they can all serve as valuable reminders for self-reflection. Behind gratitude, there is an even greater need for kind understanding—using a more open heart to comprehend others and to know ourselves.
When we put more care into our interactions and assume a little more responsibility, we form more good affinities and gain more opportunities for growth. Thus, spiritual practice cannot be separated from daily life. Every moment is an opportunity to learn and to accumulate good causes and affinities for lifetimes to come.
Little Hosts and Little Angels: When people think of Tzu Chi, they often think of volunteers’ warm, helping hands. At the same time, we must also care for every volunteer around us so that they can truly feel the warmth of the Tzu Chi family. This gave rise to the “Little Hosts and Little Angels” activity.
Each volunteer held two roles: being another person’s “little angel” and another person’s “little host.” Volunteers first drew the name of another participant (their “little host”) and secretly kept it in mind. Throughout the two-day training, they would pass notes of care and encouragement to their “little host.”
Interestingly, while receiving this care, little hosts did not know who their “little angel” was until the second day, when the pairs were joyfully revealed. At the same time, the “little host” would present a thank-you card to their “little angel.”
At first, volunteers were somewhat puzzled by the activity. But when they saw notes that read, “Brother, your back is injured, please take good care of yourself,” or “Sister, I’ve known you for many years, we are such good friends,” the words revealed a deep familiarity. Some “little hosts” immediately guessed who their “little angel” was.
Others were still unsure. As everyone watched with anticipation, the “little angels” stepped forward to reveal themselves. When two gray-haired volunteers embraced tightly, applause erupted. Everyone present was moved by the affection that was not family by blood, yet felt even closer than family.
In truth, our lives are full of “little angels” -benefactors- who support and care for us across different times and places. May we all carry this warmth and inspiration into daily life and strive to become benefactors in the lives of others.
Mission Activated: What Will You Do?
Many volunteers were delighted to find this year’s training completion program especially lively and engaging, incorporating many games, including “Mission Activated,” led by Ms. Tzu-Hsuan Yang.
The session consisted of three games. Game 1: Two participants worked together, using each other’s clues to complete a 3×3 grid. Game 2: Several participants, each holding a rope connected to a central net, collaborated to transport a tennis ball. Game 3: All participants used various craft materials to brainstorm and create a model of their ideal Tzu Chi Home.
These seemingly lighthearted sixty minutes of gameplay held a deeper meaning. Master Cheng Yen has always taught that Tzu Chi’s path of Humanistic Buddhism means, “when doing good deeds, no one should be left out.” In serving people, harmony, cooperation, and coordination are essential to get things done well. However, where there are many people, there will inevitably be disagreements. This requires every volunteer to develop wisdom, thereby cultivating blessings and wisdom together. Through this game-based session, volunteers learned by doing and gained awakening through learning.
Witnessing Six Decades, Marching Toward a Century
From its humble beginnings to its charitable footprints now spanning the globe, Tzu Chi has traveled a long path of six decades. Every step has embodied the love and aspirations of countless people.
Since the first Tzu Chi seed was planted in Canada in 1992, Tzu Chi volunteers have pioneered their work in a foreign land for nearly thirty-four years. Every step has been arduous, yet every step has been taken with steadfast dedication.
Times have changed, however, and today’s living environment is very different from the past. Young people face immense pressure, juggling work and family, with little time or energy to devote to Tzu Chi. Meanwhile, many of the senior volunteers are beginning to find themselves less physically able. Thus, every Tzu Chi volunteer faces the same question: How do we continue on the Tzu Chi path?
In his session “Witnessing Six Decades, Marching Toward a Century,” the newly appointed Executive Director of Tzu Chi Canada Eastern Headquarter, Andersen Chu, proposed a development vision of “young and senior generations doing good together.” The current situation is both a bottleneck and an opportunity. Senior volunteers must solidify Tzu Chi’s foundation and serve as a strong support system, while younger volunteers must forge ahead, using modern technology to identify needs and pioneer innovations.
Volunteers of all ages should have meaningful work to do. The goal is to move “from being able to do, to wanting to do, and then to being willing to do.” This requires us to keep pace with the Master and, guided by our initial aspirations, turn the impossible into the possible.
Learning by Example, Building a Tower Grain by Grain
On the second day, the curriculum team arranged a unique virtual session, respectfully inviting Master De Chen from the Jing Si Abode in Hualien to offer a distinctive lesson: “Recognizing the seemingly insignificant termite in nature and using termite mounds built over many years as a metaphor for the Tzu Chi world.”
A termite colony can spend three to twenty years building a mound several meters high, along with a vast underground world. Under the Master’s guidance, Tzu Chi volunteers have spent six decades carrying out charitable relief in 139 countries and regions.
A termite colony has a queen, a king, reproductive members, workers, and soldiers. The Tzu Chi family has the Master, the Abode monastics and spiritual practitioners, as well as volunteers and staff. Termites focus wholeheartedly on building their home; Tzu Chi people work “for Buddha’s teachings and for all living beings,” believing that one day they will see a peaceful and harmonious society.
Master Cheng Yen reminds herself daily to race against time, to continue striving upward no matter how busy or tired she may be. Likewise, the Master hopes that everyone will do the same. Even if we feel insignificant, as long as collective aspirations gather and hearts unite in the same direction, we can serve humanity in this world. This is spiritual practice; this is the Bodhisattva path.
Like a small ant climbing upward with all their strength, we must advance step by step without slackening, earnestly and sincerely moving forward. As a Jing Si Aphorism says: “Where there is aspiration, there is strength. The greater the aspiration, the greater the strength.”
Prostrating to the Preface of the Lotus Sutra
Prostrating to the Preface of the Lotus Sutra is a required practice in every training program. By settling the mind into each word and phrase of the sutra and through repeated, sincere prostrations, we let go of ego-attachment. Prostration helps subdue inner arrogance and cultivate humility and gentleness. The Lotus Sutra teaches that all living beings can attain Buddhahood. True prostration is reverence to the inherent Buddha-nature within ourselves. With utmost sincerity and the merit of the sutra, we wash away eons of accumulated defilements.
During the walking meditation, participants move clockwise with their right shoulder facing the revered object, signifying following the Tathagata’s teachings without going against the nature of the Dharma. As they walk, they focus on reciting the Buddha’s name or contemplation, without letting wandering thoughts arise. This is a practice to develop single-pointed concentration in motion, allowing every action in our daily lives to become a continuation of spiritual practice. At the same time, participants contemplate themselves and all living beings circling this Dharma treasure together, wishing to dedicate this merit to all sentient beings in the Dharma realm so that all may enter the Buddha’s knowledge and insight.
“If a person with a scattered mind enters a stupa or temple and chant even once, ‘Namo Buddhaya’, they have already planted the seed of Buddhahood.” This sincere devotion invisibly plants a deep and wholesome root for attaining enlightenment.
Joy Comes from Doing Good
We often say, “Blessings comes from doing good, and joy comes with them.” This joy comes from giving with one’s palms facing downward. Qin Yu, a volunteer certified last year, is a diligent Bodhisattva who puts her beliefs into practice. In just twenty minutes, she shared how she overcame numerous difficulties to enter communities to inspire love and raise support, and turn her inspiration into action.
Many trainees and new volunteers have more or less anxiety about fundraising, hesitant to approach people for fear of rejection. But Qin Yu has her own effective approach. She introduces Tzu Chi to everyone she meets, not only inspiring her relatives and friends but also soliciting donations while traveling.
Although she had already developed a considerable network of donors in mainland China years ago, after moving to Toronto, she has continued to plant deep roots in her local community. She invites longtime friends to bring new friends to her home to promote vegetarian diets, with a special focus on building good connections with young people.
Master Cheng Yen once taught: “To speak up is a blessing; to have the will to speak is to have a kind heart, and with a kind heart comes blessings.” The Buddha’s vows are fulfilled by Bodhisattvas, and the Master’s vows are to be fulfilled by Jing Si disciples. Qin Yu said that although she is still just a tiny dewdrop on the tip of a pine needle, she will strive to become a clear and pure dewdrop that nourishes the earth and benefits humanity.
Elegant Gestures, Spreading the Dharma through Humanistic Culture
Tzu Chi sign language is a hallmark of its humanistic culture. Through songs accompanied by sign-language movements, participants can deepen their understanding of Buddhist teachings while also using an effective means to share and transmit the Dharma.
Master Cheng Yen often says that the men of the Faith Corps are embodiments of “kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity; sincerity, integrity, faith, and honesty.” They are the pillars that stabilize families and society. The “Faith Corps Team Song” expresses this firmness and commitment to inner cultivation and outward practice, with the male volunteers demonstrating the unwavering resolve of Dharma protectors. To walk the Bodhisattva path for the long haul, however, this fortitude must also be complemented by a gentle yet steadfast inner strength.
The song “The Garment of Gentleness and Patience” beautifully portrays the blend of feminine grace and resilience. Master Cheng Yen teaches that Commissioners should be like compassionate mothers. When they put on the Tzu Chi uniform, this “Garment of Gentleness and Patience,” it becomes an invisible Dharma robe that helps tame our habitual tendencies and enable us to embrace all things with the softest heart. Both of these songs are required sign-language songs for Tzu Chi volunteer trainees. They flawlessly merge the strength of the male volunteers with the gentleness of the female volunteers. This synergy of strength and softness allows them to complete each other, together composing Tzu Chi’s most moving chapter.
“The Master gave me two red beans, and a feeling of gratitude arose. Though small, the red beans carry great meaning, encouraging me on the Bodhisattva path.” Every lyric and every gesture in the song “Thinking of Master’s Red Beans” expresses volunteers’ endless gratitude and longing for the Master. As the lyrics say: “Let the feeling of longing for the Master dissolve, drop by drop, into Tzu Chi.” May we transform this heartfelt gratitude for the Master into the aspiration to give selflessly in the world, and may we infuse this profound feeling, little by little, into our journey on the Tzu Chi Bodhisattva path.
A Sip of Wisdom Water: The Dharma becomes broader through sharing; hearts draw closer through exchange. During the interactive session “A Sip of Wisdom Water,” volunteer Ling-Yu Chou concluded: “Do not be afraid of making mistakes, as long as you’re willing to do it.”
Master Cheng Yen often compares wisdom to water. Water is soft and does not clash head-on, yet it possesses great power. We should learn from water’s wisdom—to be gentle, patient, understanding, and inclusive. By doing so, we can find more harmonious ways to handle many situations. For example, when balancing family responsibilities, careers, and volunteer work, one may inevitably encounter difficulties. Yet by holding to the belief that we should be willing to act and not fear mistakes, while maintaining a gentle but steadfast heart, we can move through challenges step by step.
Making Vows and Putting Them Into Practice
“Take the Buddha’s heart as our own heart; take the Master’s aspirations as our own aspirations.” This is not merely a slogan, but the direction of our lives, life after life. “Inherit the Dharma lineage with hearts connected; promote the school of practice with unwavering will.” This pact with the Master is our shared understanding in “inheritance” and our commitment to “promoting the school of practice.” The Master constantly cares for all living beings in the world and also for the spiritual wisdom of her disciples.
Today’s vow-making reminds us to turn inspiration into action and respond to the Master’s hope of working”for Buddha’s teachings and for all living beings” with our personal practice. May everyone never retreat from the Bodhisattva path, as a way to repay the Master’s grace. We are grateful that each of us has made aspirations and found our direction for life after life. We are even more grateful for the good spiritual friends by our side, who share the same teacher, path, and aspirations.
We are grateful to every Tzu Chi family member for their focused participation throughout the program, allowing the Dharma to truly enter our hearts. We are grateful to every speaker who, by sharing their own journey, illuminated the path forward for us.
Harmony and Mutual Support
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the event emcee was Elaine Lu, a Tzu Chi volunteer from Montreal, located more than a six-hour drive from Toronto. To ensure the two-day program ran smoothly, she tirelessly traveled back and forth, and rehearsed the flow with audio-visual volunteer Jian-Hao Huang both online and in person. Listening to Elaine Lu’s gentle and warm words, the participants felt the teachings resonate deeply in their ears and hearts.
For every training at the Jing Si Hall, Tzu Chi volunteers from three districts in Toronto work together, undeterred by long travel, simply to see every new and longtime member of the Tzu Chi family. Wherever there is a need, family members voluntarily step in to fill the gap. Even when there are minor shortcomings during the process, no complaints or blame are heard—only gratitude and encouragement. This is the Tzu Chi world filled with warmth.
The completion of the two-day program is not an end point, but the starting point of our commitment to our mission. Here, we sincerely wish every family member will transform this Dharma joy and inspiration into daily understanding and tolerance, form good affinities widely among people, and cultivate both blessings and wisdom through giving.