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.

The state of the earth’s ecology is truly very worrisome. If we wish to mitigate this ecological crisis, we must first purify our minds. We must all unite and work together to help those who suffer. We must seize the opportunity to make good use of time and space, and inspire others to do good. These years, Dharma Master Cheng Yen is deeply worried about the raising ecological crisis, climate changing and human strife. In order to reduce these problems, Master Cheng Yen carries out the idea of making good use of our time to benefit others, and broaden our minds and step out from our personal spaces to help and care for one another.

 

This book contains three chapters: Time, Space, and Interpersonal Relationships. Each chapter discussed general introduction and followed with the stories from Buddhist text and today’s true stories. These are the life wisdom we could apply to our daily life and positively influence one another.

 

Time─Time through a Microscope, Time Flies; Time Crawls, Making Each Moment Count

This chapter we will find out how Master Cheng Yen distinctively sees time, cherish time, and how to make good use of our time.

Space─Penetrating Space, The Measure of Happiness.

 

From the space of our mind to the space of universe, in this chapter, we will know more about Master Cheng Yen’s expanded vision and aspiration, this is also a compass of today’s environment and ecology.

 

Interpersonal Relationships─Initiate the Cycle of Love, Achieving Harmony among People, Matters, and Principles, Building a Vision of Beauty and Benevolence.

 

How do we start to create the good affinities with others in our family, schools and society. When good people accumulate the great cycle of love, soon our society and environment will full of harmony.

 

《Life Economics》

 

Contents

Part One – Time

Chapter One – Time through a Microscope

Section One – The Clock that Cannot Be Turned Back

Section Two – Will Tomorrow Come for Sure?

Section Three – Life’s Treasure Trove

Chapter Two – Time Flies; Time Crawls

Section One – Diamond or Dirt?

Section Two – Crossing the Barrier of Each Second

Section Three – A Moment Becomes a Lifetime

Chapter Three – Making Each Moment Count

Section One – Calculating the Time of Life

Section Two – Racing Against Time

Section Three – The Length, Width, and Depth of Life

 

Part Two – Space

Chapter Four – Penetrating Space

Section One – The Myth of Big and Small

Section Two – Between Near and Far

Section Three – The Pull of the Heart

Chapter Five – The Measure of Happiness

Section One – A Drop of Water and the Ocean

Section Two – From Dots to Lines to Planes

Section Three – Love Transcends Distance

 

Part Three – Interpersonal Relationships

Chapter Six – Initiate the Cycle of Love

Section One – Begin with the Mind

Section Two – We All Have Unlimited Potential

Section Three – Be a Benefactor to Others

Chapter Seven – Achieving Harmony among People, Matters, and Principles

Section One – Getting Along Under the Same Roof

Section Two – Networking on Campus

Section Three – Spiritual Practice at the Workplace

Section Foue – Quality Interactions in the Community

Chapter Eight – Building a Vision of Beauty and Benevolence

Section One – Coexist with the Earth

Section Two – A Stream that Purifies the World

 

Summary

 

In this era, natural disasters are becoming ever more frequent. As the greenhouse effect warms the earth, the situation is indeed worrisome. Only when we purify everyone’s mind can we alleviate the ecological crisis. Only when we are united in one heart can we work together to help those in suffering. We must make good use of time, space, and interpersonal relationships to actively create blessings in this world.

 

In recent years, Dha