218 CHAPTER EIGHTpractice of Chinese Buddhism, with its appeals to Buddhas and bodhisattvas
for divine help, that struck her as superstitious. In the dichotomy of Paths
offered by Mahayana doctrine-to either beseech a bodhisattva for help or to
become a bodhisattva oneself-she resolved to follow the latter course. In
1962 she ran away from home in hopes of ordaining, yet resolved that she
would not become a nun until she found a Dharma-master who shared her
views. Traveling throughout the island, she did not meet a master who met
her standards until, shortly before a mass ordination in Taipei the following
year, a famous scholar agreed to sponsor her.
Shortly thereafter, she retreated to a small temple, isolated in the moun-
tains, near the east coast city of Hwalien. Her style of teaching, using simple,
modern language to explain abstract concepts, and her personal determination
to work for her own livelihood rather than live idly on the donations of oth-
ers, soon attracted a small but dedicated following. In 1966, struck by the suf-
ferings of the poor aborigines in her area-and in particular by their inability
to gain admission to the local hospital for medical care-she resolved to estab-
lish a charitable fund to help them. Asking advice from a group of Catholic
nuns, she was told that Buddhism was a poor basis for charitable work, as it
was a passive religion that ignored the needs of others. Stung by this remark,
she gathered her five disciples and thirty supporters and had them join in a
resolution that they would become "Kuan-yin's watchful eyes and useful
hands," so that the world would never call Buddhists a passive group again.
From these small beginnings, the foundation has overcome many obstacles
to become an organization numbering three million followers in Taiwan alone,
plus many thousands of Chinese around the world. Coinciding with the phe-
nomenal economic growth of the worldwide Chinese community, the foun-
dation has 'provided many Chinese with a philanthropic outlet for their
newfound wealth. In Taiwan, the active work of the foundation is carried out
by three thousand "commissioners," volunteers who collect donations, pro-
pose and personally carry out specific projects, and conduct follow-up studies
on the results of their efforts. Their projects include modern hospitals that
charge no admission fees (a novelty in Taiwan) and offer free care for those
who cannot afford to pay, a nursing college, and a medical school and research
center. They also offer food and housing assistance to Taiwan's poor and needy
as well as disaster relief throughout the world. Their activities have recently
spread to America, where they have provided aid for the inner-city poor and
relief to Californians made homeless by the fires of 1993. In addition-in re-
sponse to what many Asians view as the greatest crime in American society-
they have provided companionship for neglected patients in old-age homes.
The stated aims of the foundation are Platonic-Truth, Beauty, and Good-
ness-but in more practical terms it hopes to benefit both the recipients and
the donors of the aid. For the recipients, the aim is to make them self-reliant,
if possible, and in a position to become charitable themselves. For the donors,
the aims are more complex and are related to Master Cheng Yen's view of the
function of the "Love and Mercy" in the foundation's title. Using the classical
symbol of the dusty mirror, she says that the purity of Buddha-nature within