About Author

Dharma Master Cheng Yen was born in 1937 in a small town in Taichung County, Taiwan. When she was twenty-three years old, she left home to become a Buddhist nun, and was instructed by her mentor, Venerable Master Yin Shun, to work “for Buddhism and for all living beings.”

In 1966, she founded a charity, which later turned into the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, to “help the poor and educate the rich”—to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanity in both givers and recipients.

In recent years, Master Cheng Yen’s contributions have been increasingly recognized by the global community. In 2011, she was recognized with the Roosevelt Institute’s FDR Distinguished Public Service Award and was named to the 2011 TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people.

Introduction

Jing Si Aphorisms, Volume One (then called Still Thoughts) was first published in 1996. The Jing Si series volumes succinctly and directly penetrate the heart of the Dharma to offer guidance for life in these modern times. Each short saying carries deep wisdom that leads readers to reflect and engage the Buddha’s teachings in their daily lives. The second part collects the common doubts and worries the general public holds; Dharma Master Cheng Yen answers these life questions with Dharma’s wisdom.

Jing Si Aphorisms, Volume I is followed by two additional volumes, as well as several aphorism collections in books and other formats. The Aphorisms have been translated into as many as eighteen languages, making their concise wisdom accessible to people the world over. In recent years, Tzu Chi volunteers in several countries have even gone out to share these sayings with their communities by hanging Jing Si Aphorism posters in shops and donating copies of books to libraries, hotels, and prisons.

As Tzu Chi’s fiftieth anniversary approaches (as well as the twentieth anniversary of this volume), we have revised several of the aphorism translations to ensure that the English aphorisms meet the clarity and quality standards that Master Cheng Yen has always intended. We hope that you will find wisdom and inspiration in these pages that will benefit your life and the lives of those around you.

作者簡介

證嚴上人於一九三七年，出生於臺灣省臺中縣清水鎮。在一九六三年，證嚴上人依印順導師為親教師出家，師訓「為佛教，為眾生」，證嚴上人奉持不懈。

一九六六年，證嚴上人創辦佛教克難慈濟功德會。慈濟世界在法師慈悲呵護下，數十年來，一步一步地堅實茁壯；發展為慈善、醫療、教育、人文四大志業，以及國際賑災、環保、社區志 工、骨髓捐贈八大腳印，透過親手拔除眾生的苦痛，以善與大愛膚慰人間。

近年來，證嚴上人的貢獻獲得國際間一致推崇；於2011年獲美國羅斯福基金會頒贈「傑出公共服務獎」， 並被時代雜誌列為2011年全球百大最具影響力人物。

內容簡介

靜思語第一集英文版修訂版，修訂1996年再版的證嚴上人靜思語第一集，書中編彙上人的智慧法語，足以作為現代人生活的指引。書中的第一部–靜思語，字字珠璣，蘊含證嚴上人的智慧法語，引導讀者反思，並藉以在生活中實踐佛法。第二部，則集結證嚴上人隨緣開示的問答，生活中的煩惱與疑慮，都可以善用上人的智慧妙解。

靜思語第一集單行本出版後，陸續出版了第二集第三集，及其他靜思語多國語對照等版本。簡短又充滿智慧的靜思語已被翻譯成18種語言，讓智慧法語跨越語言國界，傳到世界各地。近幾年各國的慈濟志工在各社區分享靜思語，在商店張貼靜思語海報，將靜思語書籍分送到各地圖書館、飯店、監獄等地方。

慈濟即將要邁入五十週年 (也是靜思語第一集再版的第二十個年頭)，編輯出版團隊重新校對，讓英文版更貼近證嚴上人的法，更準確傳遞靜思法脈精神。誠心期盼讀者在閱讀此書時心靈獲得滋潤與啟發。