An Inclusive Bodhisattva Path: The Taiwanese Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and their Global Trans-Faith Humanitarianism

Summary

With the Taiwanese Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation differences of belief do not undermine but enhance charity missions. This project unveils the reinvention of religion and Buddhism that frame the “Tzu Chi model” of humanitarian action, and reflects on its potential in informing charity work worldwide.

About the Project

The Taiwanese Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, established by the nun Cheng Yen in 1966, has proposed a new model of humanitarianism. Besides becoming the first faith-based organization that is present in 133 countries, and operating long-term in/with multi-cultural and multi-faith environments in all continents, Tzu Chi is especially unique for their inclusive membership and community building overseas. In fact, they have been able to attract hundreds of thousands of non-Buddhists and non-Asian volunteers and members, becoming a global trans-faith humanitarian foundation where differences of belief do not undermine but enhance charity missions; they have also invested in empowering the vulnerable, especially women. Based on fieldwork in Tzu Chi missions in Africa, Middle East, and South America, this project unveils the reinvention of religion and Buddhism that are the foundation of the “Tzu Chi model” of humanitarian action, analyzes Tzu Chi tactics of women’s empowerment in non-Asian and non-Buddhist communities, and reflects on the potential of Tzu Chi trans-faith humanitarianism in informing charity work worldwide.

Besides standard academic outputs, central to this project is also the organization of a series of three roundtables titled “Trans-faith Humanitarianism for Global Sustainability.” Speakers and invited audience will include Tzu Chi members, leading members of UK inter-faith councils and religious charities, local leaders of religious denominations. The scope of the roundtables is to initiate and nurture a collaborative and constructive dialogue among charity and religious actors for improving humanitarian practices and societal sustainability; and to offer the concluding remarks of such a dialogue in the form of briefing to be distributed to local and national policymakers that address diversity, intercultural mediation, and integration.

Dr. Stefania Travagnin, Reader in Chinese Buddhism, is conducting this research thanks to a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship. The BA Mid-Career Fellowships are designed both to support outstanding individual researchers with excellent research proposals, and to promote public understanding and engagement with humanities and social sciences.