Several years ago, Tzu Chi held a winter relief distribution for poor families. One old lady received her bag of rice but was too weak to start a fire to cook it. Master Cheng Yen was deeply moved by the woman’s sad story and thought that if only Tzu Chi had instant rice to offer the woman, then she would have something  to eat. Acting on this simple thought, one of her disciples at the Jing Si Abode in Hualien developed vegetarian instant rice meals, which can be prepared by adding either hot or cold water. These meals have since become a staple of Tzu Chi’s international relief work.Read more...