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Dharma Roots
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

millennium and a half ago, the monk Xuanzang journeyed to
the west and gathered Buddhist sutras to translate into Chinese.
A A century later, the Venerable Jian Zhen traveled east to Japan
in order to spread the Dharma. To commemorate Xuanzang’s spirit of
dedication, Tzu Chi’s Rhythms Monthly magazine spent five years retracing
his steps and taking thousands of photographs to reflect changes from
ancient times to the present. Da Ai Television also spent five years to
produce an animated film, Ven. Jian Zhen, which tells the moving story of
how this Dharma master overcame hardship and danger, failing five times
to reach Japan by sea until finally succeeding on his sixth attempt to reach
the shores of Japan and share the Dharma with the local community.
The two monks, Xuanzang and Jian Zhen, both demonstrated
incredible perseverance in overcoming danger and setbacks to achieve
their goals without ever giving up. Tzu Chi volunteers, who often travel
very long distances to provide relief, deeply felt the significance of their
journeys and greatly admired these two historical figures. For this reason,
they wished to share their spirit with the modern world.
From December 2005 to March 2007, the Journey to the West
photographic exhibition toured the United States, from Northern
California down to Southern California, then through Texas and over to
New Jersey and New York. From December 11 to 15, 2006, the exhibition
was even displayed at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. On
its first day there, more than three hundred people from twenty countries
came to view the exhibition. Volunteers also selected ten representative
photographs from the exhibition to create a United Nations souvenir
stamp collection, so that the story of Xuanzang could be sent out to all
corners of the earth.
On January 8, 2011, Ven. Jian Zhen, an animated feature produced by
Da Ai Television, premiered in the United States. To celebrate the event,
Southern California Tzu Chi volunteers chose the song “From Vow to
Action” from the film’s soundtrack, for its melody reminiscent of crashing
waves, and choreographed a dance routine of roughly three dozen male
volunteers recreating a boat pushing forward through stormy seas. For
the song “Fulfill My Wish,” accompanying sign language was presented
by a group of female volunteers. Between singers and performers, a total
of 108 volunteers helped the audience gain a greater understanding
of Venerable Jian Zhen’s unbreakable spirit as he overcame countless
difficulties and dangers to carry the Dharma across the sea to Japan.

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