Buddhist leader cited by UE, US group

After receiving an honorary doctorate degree from the University of the East (UE), Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen was also recognized on Oct. 9 by a US-based foundation, Roosevelt Institute, for her lifetime commitment to public service around the world.

Before that, on Oct. 5, Master Cheng Yen was conferred a Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, degree by the Philippines’ UE for her pioneering efforts in alleviating the plight of marginalized people in the country and abroad.

Roosevelt Institute chair Anna Eleanor-Roosevelt, granddaughter of the late US President Franklin Roosevelt, and the institute’s president and chief executive officer Andrew Rich presented the 2011 Franklin D. Roosevelt Distinguished Public Service Award to Master Cheng Yen, during ceremonies held at Tzu Chi headquarters in Hualien, Taiwan.

The Roosevelt Institute is a nonprofit organization devoted to carrying forward the legacy and values of President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor.

Embrace hope

According to Anna Roosevelt, it was the first time they had given an award to a recipient outside the United States.

Roosevelt, at the ceremony, said they valued Master Cheng Yen’s efforts that inspire millions of people around the world to embrace hope and the promise of a better life.

The FDR Distinguished Public Service Award is granted to leaders from all areas of civil society who demonstrate a lifetime commitment to outstanding public service.

Bring relief to people

Known for its ability to quickly overcome obstacles of distance, politics and culture, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has established a remarkable record of achievement under Master Cheng Yen’s leadership, including building hospitals for the sick and homes for the homeless around the world, Roosevelt said.

She praised Tzu Chi for bringing hope and relief to hundreds of thousands of suffering people. The Tzu Chi Foundation, she said, particularly helped the victims of the 2004 and 2011 tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Dedication to suffering

She said she admired Tzu Chi’s dedication to suffering people by helping them overcome their difficulties and inspiring those who have much in life to help the needy.

“Thanks to this simple and profound principle of the Tzu Chi Foundation, and to the compassionate vision of its founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, that bring hope to millions of people all over the world,” she said.

Virtue and goodness

Roosevelt Institute CEO Rich, for his part, said the award symbolized the integration of the two strengths of virtue and goodness— strengths strong enough to change the world.

In accepting the award, Master Cheng Yen expressed her gratitude to the thousands of Tzu Chi volunteers around the world for their selfless devotion to help strangers in need.

She also thanked the Roosevelt Institute for recognizing the power of Tzu Chi volunteers to change the world.