One Good Thought Every Day

In 1966, when Master Cheng Yen had just established the Tzu Chi Foundation, she cut thirty pieces of bamboo and gave one to each of her followers to use as "piggy banks." She encouraged them to put aside fifty cents every day when they picked up their grocery baskets to go shopping. The devotees were all perplexed. Why not make it simple and just pay fifteen dollars at the end of each month? The Master said: "There is nothing odd. Every day when you go out, I want you to think about helping others. By saving fifty cents each day, you nurture a sense of thriftiness, and at the same time you cultivate a heart for caring about others and helping others. With these two stored in this bank, the power within will be great."

Editor's Note: [As I've always understood this story, the point of saving fifty cents each day was that they would have a good thought of helping other people each day. If they put in fifteen dollars once a month, then they would only have that good thought once a month. The point was to continually cultivate them.]