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Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Republic of China () or Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟), literally "Compassionate Relief", is an international humanitarian organization and a non-governmental organization (NGO) with an international network of volunteers and employees that has been awarded a special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.〔O'Neill, Mark (2010), ''(Tzu Chi: Serving With Compassion )'', John Wiley & Sons〕 Tzu Chi Foundation has several sub-organizations such as the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) and also the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (慈濟大專青年), Tzu Chi volunteers and relief workers are mostly recognizable worldwide by their blue and white uniforms called , ''lántiān báiyún'',( lit. 'blue sky, white clouds'). Tzu Chi has had some negative coverage in the Taiwanese media and press in early 2015 with both lawmakers as well as community groups both Buddhists and non-Buddhists, including questionable allegations of monopolization and misuse of public kindness and compassion. ==History== The Tzu Chi Foundation was founded as a charity organization with roots in Buddhist origins and beliefs due to poverty and the lack of services by a Buddhist nun Cheng Yen on 14 May 1966 in Hualien, Taiwan. She was inspired by her master and mentor, the late Venerable Master Yin Shun (印順導師, Yìn Shùn dǎoshī) a proponent of Humanistic Buddhism, who exhorted her to "work for Buddhism and for all sentient beings". The organisation began with a motto of "instructing the rich and saving the poor" as a group of thirty housewives who donated a small amount of money each day to care for needy families. The group has grown to become a civil society actor, with approximately 10 million members, and chapters in 47 countries. Four notable causes of Tzu Chi are ''Charity'', ''Medicine'', ''Education'', and ''Humanity'', as highlighted by the official motto, or concept of "Four endeavors, eight footprints" (). The eight footprints are charity causes, medical contributions, education development, humanities, international disaster assistance, bone-marrow donation, community volunteerism, and environmental protection. The official website for the organization states that the organization started with Charity, and then extended its aims to include Medicine, Education and Culture. Its stated goal is to promote "sincerity, integrity, trust, and honesty".〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url = http://tw.tzuchi.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=293&Itemid=283&lang=en )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tzu Chi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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