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International Relief Work and Spirit Cultivation for Tzu Chi Members

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Buddhism, International Relief Work, and Civil Society

Part of the book series: Contemporary Anthropology of Religion ((CAR))

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Abstract

Tzu Chi (Ciji in Pinyin) was founded in 1966 in Hualien, a provincial town in eastern Taiwan, by a Buddhist nun Cheng Yen (Zhengyan in Pinyin) and a small group of women. Today, it has grown into one of the largest Buddhist relief organizations in the Chinese-speaking world, with 1 million volunteers in Taiwan who dedicate their time and efforts for no financial reward, and nearly 10 million members and donors operating in more than 55 countries.1 In addition, Tzu Chi has the largest bone marrow bank in Asia, runs seven hospitals, a hundred schools and a university, and delivers emergency relief to people affected by natural disaster and civil war around the world.

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Authors

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Hiroko Kawanami Geoffrey Samuel

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© 2013 Hiroko Kawanami and Geoffrey Samuel

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Wang, JC. (2013). International Relief Work and Spirit Cultivation for Tzu Chi Members. In: Kawanami, H., Samuel, G. (eds) Buddhism, International Relief Work, and Civil Society. Contemporary Anthropology of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137380234_6

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