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February 8, 2026, marked the annual Year-End Blessing ceremony organized by the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Canada, Eastern Headquarters. Despite severe cold weather with wind chill approaching minus 30°C and snowfall the previous day, the harsh conditions did not diminish the enthusiasm of volunteers and attendees.
Moving in the Deep Freeze: Volunteers Warm Hearts by Shoveling Snow
To ensure the smooth running of the event, volunteers spontaneously formed a snow-clearing team, using breaks during rehearsals to remove accumulated snow around the Jing Si Hall. Executive Director Andersen Chu thoughtfully reminded volunteers participating in snow removal to dress warmly and carry heat packs to avoid frostbite. This caring reminder warmed everyone’s hearts.
The Year-End Blessing ceremony officially began at 2:00 PM. Meanwhile, early that morning, the Kitchen (Xiang Ji) volunteers had already arrived at Jing Si Hall to prepare lunch for volunteers, the faculty, students, and parents of the Tzu Chi Academy. After the meal, to ensure a flawless presentation, event coordinator Huang Ya-Min arranged a final rehearsal for all participants, striving for perfection in every detail.
Upon entering the Jing Si Hall, visitors were greeted by an exhibition space meticulously planned by display coordinator Kao Pei-fen. Centered on Tzu Chi’s 60th anniversary and its “Four Missions,” it comprehensively showcased Tzu Chi’s journey and footprints over the years. Just as the executive director said, “Every corner is a photo opportunity.” Solemn yet warm, the space was rich with humanistic atmosphere.
Venerable Elders in Attendance: Gathering for Blessings and Wholesome Affinities
Before the ceremony began, traffic and mobile team volunteers braved the severe cold to welcome guests and direct traffic in the parking lot, allowing visitors to feel the warmth and orderly coordination of Tzu Chi members even before stepping into Jing Si Hall.
This year’s distinguished guests were particularly auspicious. In addition to Venerable Master Da Yi and Dharma protector Venerable Sheng Rong from Cham Shan Temple, Venerable Master Zhao Xu from Chung Wah Temple also led six monastics to attend, bestowing blessings upon members and the wider community.
Director General Liang Yi-Peng of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, along with Cultural Center Director Lan Bo-Qing and Deputy Director Hsu Tsai-Feng, continued their long-standing support of Tzu Chi by making time to attend the Year-End Blessing Ceremony, adding luster to the occasion.
The day before the event, the scheduled emcee suddenly developed a fever and lost their voice, making it impossible to take the stage. Fortunately, volunteer Hung Kuei-Ying and the audiovisual team stepped up to the challenge, coordinating seamlessly with perfect teamwork to ensure the entire program ran smoothly.
Unwavering Mission Bringing Hope to the World
At the program’s opening, Eastern Headquarters’ Executive Director Andersen Chu greeted all guests and volunteers on behalf of Master Cheng Yen and the foundation, expressing gratitude to everyone for attending the Year-End Blessing ceremony in weather approaching minus 30°C cold. He expressed that the Tzu Chi family always welcomes everyone home, hoping that all can manifest this warmth when doing good deeds.
As Tzu Chi approaches its 60th anniversary in 2026, Master Cheng Yen’s thoughts remain constantly with suffering sentient beings, hoping everyone will continue walking this path together. Andersen Chu also shared that this year’s decorations featured many humanistic highlights, with photo opportunity spots around the stage displaying the Four Missions, welcoming everyone to step forward and create beautiful memories. He concluded by wishing everyone good health, peace, and happiness in the coming Lunar New Year.
Through videos about Toronto and the “Tzu Chi’s Global Year-in-Review,” attendees gained deeper insight into how Tzu Chi volunteers, across different times and spaces, maintain their unwavering common mission—relieving suffering and distress, showing unconditional great compassion, and universal great loving-kindness. Whenever disasters strike, the “blue sky and white clouds” presence can always be seen, bringing hope and stability to the world.
Red Envelopes of Blessings and Wisdom Transmitting the Dharma Lineage: Six Decades of Spiritual Inheritance
When attendees heard Master Cheng Yen in the video gently explaining the origin of the Red Envelopes of Blessings and Wisdom and her heartfelt blessings for disciples, everyone felt deeply grateful. The Master encouraged everyone to receive them for one hundred or even one hundred twenty years, treating the Red Envelopes of Blessings and Wisdom as family heirlooms to be passed down through generations.
When members and supporters received the Red Envelopes of Blessings and Wisdom and gifts from the executive director on behalf of Master Cheng Yen, a natural sense of reverence for the Master’s conduct arose naturally. Following Master Yin Shun’s teaching of “For Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings,” Master Cheng Yen has remained unwavering for sixty years, profoundly moving to all.
During the prayer segment, Tzu Chi volunteers proceeded in orderly formation, symbolizing their shared vision and direction, allowing guests to deeply experience the beauty of Tzu Chi’s humanistic spirit of “harmony and cooperation.”
The prayer procession spanned three generations—from senior volunteers in their 80s to young volunteers in their 20s—demonstrating six decades of inheritance and continuity. It is hoped that in the future, more members and supporters will join the Tzu Chi family so that this force for goodness will grow ever more vast and enduring.
Pulling the Cart Forward: Drawing the Year-End Blessing to a Close
After the ceremony concluded, the Four Missions exhibition and interactive booths in the Hall of Gratitude were equally lively. Guests enjoyed refreshments while visiting displays about each mission.
The Tzu Chi Academy exhibited student materials and works, played videos of campus activities, and arranged hands-on New Year decoration crafts, attracting enthusiastic participation from many guests.
The medical mission, led by Dr. Chen Chung-Yen with eight students from the Traditional Chinese Medicine school, provided auricular acupressure services, becoming one of the most popular booths. There were also live calligraphy demonstrations for spring couplets and introductions to volunteer recruitment (Bodhisattva recruitment), allowing guests to gain a deeper understanding of Tzu Chi’s missions and spiritual essence.
Whether it was the solemn proceedings of the Buddha Hall or the warm interactions in the Hall of Gratitude, every corner was busy yet orderly. The final “Pulling the Cart Forward” activity was the perfect finishing touch, bringing the overall atmosphere to its peak. TECO Director General Liang Yi-Peng, Director Lan Bo-Qing, and Deputy Director Hsu Tsai-Feng stayed until the very end, bringing the Year-End Blessing Ceremony to a warm and perfect conclusion.
Six Decades of Compassionate Action: Praise from All Sectors
The Year-End Blessing Ceremony was not only warm and solemn but also gathered wholesome affinities from all sectors, jointly witnessing Tzu Chi’s six decades of compassionate footsteps.
Venerable Master Da Yi always attends Tzu Chi activities with great joy. He praised Tzu Chi as an exemplary model of Buddhist compassion, deeply rooted and flourishing not only in Taiwan but also creating countless touching moments and miracles in countries worldwide, demonstrating Buddhism’s wisdom and compassion while continuously infusing society with positive energy.
He recalled the deep affinity between Cham Shan Temple and Tzu Chi: more than thirty years ago, he accompanied one of the founding elders of Cham Shan Temple to Hualien to visit Master Cheng Yen. When the Wutai Mountain temple in Canada was consecrated in 2019, Tzu Chi members also came to support the event. Over the years, they have supported each other with deep friendship.
Venerable Master Da Yi further quoted the Avatamsaka Sutra, “Seeking not personal comfort for oneself, but wishing only for all sentient beings to be free from suffering,” lauding Master Cheng Yen as embodying Guanyin Bodhisattva’s great compassionate vows to benefit all beings. He wished everyone peace, auspiciousness, and success in the New Year.
Venerable Master Zhao Xu shared that every year when attending Tzu Chi’s Year-End Blessing, he feels special warmth and Dharma joy. Although the outdoor cold was biting, the Jing Si Hall overflowed with warmth and happiness. He praised Master Cheng Yen for dedicating her entire life to actualizing Master Yin Shun’s teaching “For Buddha’s teachings, for sentient beings,” spreading Great Love to 136 countries worldwide—this grand vow and action serves as an exemplar for the fourfold assembly to learn from.
He also praised how Master Cheng Yen, approaching ninety years of age, still embodies the Dharma through personal practice, implementing compassionate teachings in the world to benefit sentient beings. Compassion knows no racial or personal boundaries, treating all beings of the six realms equally, eliminating worldly barriers—truly a model for all beings to rely upon and learn from. He also commended Tzu Chi members’ selfless dedication over sixty years and expressed joy at being invited annually to this gathering, wishing everyone good health of body and mind, growth in blessings and wisdom, and success in the Year of the Horse.
Director General Liang Yi-Peng of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto also expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the office. He affirmed the long-term dedication and contributions of Tzu Chi volunteers, particularly highlighting Tzu Chi’s importance to Taiwan. Tzu Chi is a precious treasure symbolizing Taiwan’s spiritual civilization and core values; it is precisely this philosophy and shared belief that has enabled Tzu Chi to earn respect and support from all sectors of Canadian society over the past thirty-plus years.
Reflecting on the past sixty years, Tzu Chi has made numerous contributions to Taiwanese society and has demonstrated Taiwan’s humanistic power internationally. Director General Liang sincerely invited everyone to continue supporting Tzu Chi’s efforts in Canada. With the Year of the Horse approaching, he wished the Tzu Chi Foundation flourishing development in its missions and wished all volunteers and their families health, peace, and happiness.
Amidst the blessings of venerable masters and distinguished guests, Tzu Chi’s sixty years of compassionate vow-practice appears even more profound and far-reaching; as the spirit of six decades continues to be transmitted like fire passed from torch to torch, a new chapter is written amid the chorus of praise.