The Tzu Chi Scholarship

Because Master Cheng Yen wanted students from low-income families in Taiwan to receive quality education, in 1982 the Medical Low-Income Scholarship was officially established, and it was transferred to the management of the Wisdom Flame Trust Foundation. The scholarship was to be given once per semester, under the hope of helping society discover and nurture quality doctors who aspired to practice medicine and aid the world.

In 1986, the Tzu Chi Foundation set up the Tzu Chi Cultural Center, which began handling the scholarship. In the second semester of the same year, scholarships for Buddhist Studies and Art were added.

One virtuous judge of the scholarship interpreted it this way: "The Tzu Chi Scholarship is the most perfect survey and interpretation of human life as a whole. Medicine represents the pursuit of truth, Buddhist studies represents the anticipated fulfillment of goodness, and art emphasizes the expression of beauty."

To emphasize the honor and meaningfulness of the Tzu Chi scholarships, Master Cheng Yen herself hands them out personally every semester. The Master has stressed again and again that Tzu Chi does not expect anything in return from the students receiving the awards, but it is hoped that the students will one-day exercise their benevolent knowledge and skills to serve society. In this way, the compassion of virtuous donors everywhere will come back to every corner of society as an even greater compassion, which will circulate endlessly.

The qualifications for applying for the Tzu Chi scholarships are as follows. The Medical Group is open to anyone enrolled in any major within the medical school of any university. The Buddhist Studies Group covers the three ranks of Buddhist institutions, colleges and graduate schools of any level. The Art Group is open to students enrolled in related majors of any college or high school who have a passion for art or music. Since 1999, the scholarship has been awarded once per school year.