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 Buddha’s teachings, for sentient 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.

The Path to Truth presents the principles of the Jing Si Dharma-lineage and the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism in an organized manner so that readers can gain a more comprehensive understanding. The book is divided into three parts.

Part One: Pointing directly to the Bodhisattva-Path, the origins of the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism are explored, along with the gradual development of Tzu Chi's four missions.

 

Part Two: Principles and Practices of the Modern-day Bodhisattva explains how the sutras are practiced and understood in this lineage and school of Buddhism.

 

Part Three: From One to Infinity, Master Cheng Yen recounts twenty real-life stories as physical manifestations of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings. From this we can see that it is not necessary to seek enlightenment somewhere far away. We can all carry out the Buddha’s teachings of respecting life by relieving suffering and giving joy, and fully utilizing our abilities to do good deeds every second of our lives.

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。

證嚴上人從接觸《法華經》到通徹其精髓的《無量義經》，並作為開展志業的佛典依歸，讓慈濟人在「行經」的過程中體會道理，所走的菩薩道是一條真實之路，也是經中所說的：「菩提大道直故」

 

《真實之路》英譯本將靜思法脈與慈濟宗門的義理，脈絡分明地作有系統的整理，讓讀者易於了解其內涵。全書共分為三部: 第一部---直指菩提道，闡述慈濟宗門的源起及慈濟四大志業的逐步發展成形。第二部---現代修行人的理念與實踐，陳述慈濟人如何依循法脈與宗門理念實踐經文。第三部---一生無量，證嚴上人以二十則真人真事為例，每一則都是對《無量義經》的如實體現，證實了「靈山」不須遠求。藉由尊重生命、拔苦予樂、貢獻量能，將個人生命的分分秒秒充分發揮，則人人皆能實踐佛陀教義。