About the 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 Buddha’s teachings, for sentient 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. In 2014, she was presented with Rotary International’s Award of Honor in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and contributions to world peace.

• Foreword
  • The Thirty-Seven Practices to Enlightenment
• Adapted Verses of the Thirty-Seven Practices to Enlightenment
• Preface
• The Fourfold Mindfulness
• Contemplate the Body as Impure
Contemplate All Feelings as Suffering
Contemplate the Mind as Impermanent
Contemplate All Things as Having No Self
The Four Right Efforts
The Four Bases of Fulfilling Power
The Five Spiritual Roots and Five Powers
The Seven Branches of Enlightenment
The Eightfold Noble Path
Epilogue