Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun, and was instructed by her mentor, Venerable Master Yin Shun, to work “for Buddhism and for all living beings.”

 

In 1966, she founded a charity, which later turned into the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, to “help the poor and educate the rich”—to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanity in both givers and recipients.

 

In recent years, Master Cheng Yen’s contributions have been increasingly recognized by the global community. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute’s FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. In 2014, she was presented with Rotary International’s Award of Honor in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to world peace.

 

Lim Chor Yeow was born in 1966, in Penang, Malaysia. His other works including The Master Tells Stories series –Buy Wisdom, Jar in Water, Fragrance of a Filial Heart, which can all be found in Jing Si Books & Café all around the globe.

This book is a collection of 13 stories told by Dharma Master Cheng Yen which come alive with vivid illustrations, allowing readers to easily capture the wisdom of Buddhist teachings as they follow the twists and turns of each story. Through the stories, readers will learn about the karmic law of cause and effect, as well as to cultivate right views and correct thinking, and to comprehend the meaning of life.

 

In the first story, there is an ox named Grandma’s Mole, who wanted to show his gratitude toward the old lady, so he tried his best to finish extra work diligently in order to repay her kindness. Even animals have a filial heart; Master Cheng Yen uses this story to teach us to keep gratitude in our hearts. “Fragrance of a Filial Heart” is a story of a filial girl, whose reverent prayers are like fragrance of incense rising up and reaching all Buddhas, and her faithfulness generated incredible power.

證嚴上人於一九三七年，出生於臺灣省臺中縣清水鎮。在一九六三年，證嚴上人依印順導師為親教師出家，師訓「為佛教，為眾生」，證嚴上人奉持不懈。

 

一九六六年，證嚴上人創辦佛教克難慈濟功德會。慈濟世界在法師慈悲呵護下，數十年來，一步一步地堅實茁壯；發展為慈善、醫療、教育、人文四大志業，以及國際賑災、環保、社區志工、骨髓捐贈八大腳印，透過親手拔除眾生的苦痛，以善與大愛膚慰人間。

 

近年來，證嚴上人的貢獻獲得國際間一致推崇；於2011年獲美國羅斯福基金會頒贈「傑出公共服務獎」，並被時代雜誌列為2011年全球百大最具影響力人物。2014年獲頒國際扶輪社「最高榮譽獎」，肯定證嚴上人對於人道主義精神與世界和平的貢獻。