Page 149 - 42-Winter 2014_Final

Dharma Roots
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

n 2002, Tzu Chi Global Headquarters in Hualien created a musical
adaptation of the Sutra of Profound Gratitude toward Parents, which
Iemploys music, sign language, and dramatic performance to bring
people closer to the Buddha’s teachings, so that they may realize the
depth of their parents’ grace and understand why Master Cheng Yen
says that “doing good deeds and being filial cannot wait.”
In September of the same year, Tzu Chi volunteers in both Los
Angeles and Texas performed the adaptation. In Texas, volunteers from
six cities came together to put on performances in Houston, Dallas, and
Arlington. In the year that followed, further adaptations were presented
in Northern California, Chicago, and along the East Coast. The Chicago
performances not only brought together volunteers from all across the
Midwest, but also attracted many community members, as well as Tzu
Chi Academy students, teachers, and parents. Participants ranged in age
from five to eighty and represented all different sectors of society.
In New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island, volunteers overcame
the difficulties of freezing winter temperatures to hold two sign-
language musical events. In Northern and Central California, volunteers
held five performances between January and April 2003. That same
March, two performances were held in Southern California’s Orange
County. Feeling that this was a wonderful opportunity for humanistic
education, students of Irvine Tzu Chi Academy were encouraged to
attend with their parents. In Northern California, Cupertino Tzu Chi
Academy waited until 2012 for the students to present highlights of
the performance in conjunction with the current theme of “gratitude
and filial piety.” All told, 120 students, teachers, and family members
performed together during the graduation ceremony.

The Sutra of Infinite
Meanings (left) and
the Sutra of Profound
Gratitude toward
Parents (right) are
presented in Southern
California.

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