Tzu-Chi

Tzu Chi Foundation

慈濟基金會
Tzu Chi's lotus Logo.
Monastery information
Full name	Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Republic of China
Order	Mahayana
Established	14 May 1966
People
Founder(s)	Cheng Yen
Abbot	Cheng Yen
Site
Location	Hualien, Taiwan
Website	tw.tzuchi.org/en

Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Republic of China (traditional Chinese: 財團法人中華民國佛教慈濟慈善事業基金會; simplified Chinese: 财团法人中华民国佛教慈济慈善事业基金会; pinyin: Fójiào cí jì císhàn shìyè jījīn huì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chû-chè ki-kim-hōe; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄘㄞˊㄊㄨㄢˊㄈㄚˇㄖㄣˊㄓㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄚˊㄇㄧㄣˊㄍㄨㄛˊㄈㄛˊㄐㄧㄠˋㄘˊㄐㄧˋㄘˊㄕㄢˋㄕˋㄧㄝˋㄐㄧ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄏㄨㄟˋ) or Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟), literally "Compassionate Relief", is a Taiwanese international humanitarian and non-governmental organization (NGO) with over 10 million members worldwide throughout 47 countries. It is operated by a worldwide network of volunteers and employees and has been awarded a special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The Tzu Chi Foundation was founded by Master Cheng Yen, a Taiwanese Buddhist nun, or Bhikkuni, in 1966 as a Buddhist humanitarian organization. The foundation has several sub-organizations such as the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) and also the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (Tzu Ching) (慈濟大專青年聯誼會 (慈青)), Tzu Chi volunteers and relief workers are mostly recognizable worldwide by their blue and white uniforms called, in Chinese: 藍天白雲, lántiān báiyún, ( lit. 'blue sky, white clouds'). The foundation's work includes medical aid, disaster relief, and environmental work such as recycling. While Tzu Chi has a policy of being secular in its humanitarian work, Dharma teachings are often integrated into its practices for volunteers. Cheng Yen is considered to be one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Taiwanese Buddhism, and Tzu Chi itself is considered to be one of the "Four Great Mountains", or four major Buddhist organizations of Taiwanese Buddhism along with Fo Guang Shan, Dharma Drum Mountain, and Chung Tai Shan.