For many, retirement means slowing down, but for former Malaysian principal Teh Soo-Lee (鄭素麗), it marked a new start. After over thirty years in education and long involvement in Tzu Chi’s education work, Teh chose to move to Lumbini, Nepal, the Buddha’s birthplace. There, she sees every day of teaching and mentoring as cultivation on the Bodhisattva path.  

Her wish to return to Lumbini began in 1991, when she joined a month-long short-term monastic retreat in Bodh Gaya and Lumbini.

Leaving that retreat, she silently vowed to come back one day. Hearing  Master Cheng Yen’s call to “transform the Buddha’s homeland through education” finally drew her to stay and serve in Nepal.    

Teh shifted from a visible leadership role to supporting teachers behind the scenes. She describes it as “moving from the front of the stage to the back,” learning to let go of her attachments to status and focus on helping others grow.   

Bringing 21st century teaching to Nepal 

Teh retired in September 2024 and arrived in Nepal that November. Local schools reminded her of her early teaching years: few resources, no computers, and limited teaching methods.    

She believes Nepalese children need more than “catching up” in content; they need skills for a globalized world. To her, this begins with teachers—their methods, their character, and their sense of mission.    

She summarizes modern teaching into two frameworks: 

“5I” for Teachers: Interesting, Interactive, Inspiring, Innovative, and Integrated into Daily Life—so lessons engage students, invite participation, spark aspiration, and connect directly with real life. 

“5C” for Students: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Curiosity—helping children work with others, think independently, and care about society. 

The team also weaves the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into classes, ensuring that children gain both knowledge and emotional skills.

Teh is most moved by local teachers’ sincerity. They work hard to absorb Tzu Chi’s humanistic education and bring it back to their own classrooms. Over three years, she has seen students become neater, more courteous, and more willing to learn—changes that arose through steady nurturing, not strict orders.    

The team has helped build three model schools and supports several smaller schools. Using Jing Si Aphorisms and character education, teachers guide children to better habits and growing motivation.   

Lumbini Tzu Chi School: a small school with big hopes 

Now, Teh helps prepare the soon-to-open Lumbini Tzu Chi School, which will start from kindergarten and grade one. Part of Tzu Chi's Project Hope, she hopes this new school will serve as a model school for Nepal.    

For her, early education should be relevant to everyday life and focus on daily-life skills, character, and respect for life. Classrooms, campus spaces, and even teaching materials are all carefully considered, so the environment itself becomes a “silent teacher,” as in other Tzu Chi schools worldwide.

Teh hopes the school will not only improve children’s study conditions, but also give them a solid foundation of values, helping them face future challenges with strength and conscience.   

Walking the path together 

Teh’s husband, Koh Siang-Seng, supports her by taking on the kitchen team at the Lumbini Tzu Chi campus. He first entered the kitchen years ago to cook for Tzu Chi parent-child classes in Malaysia. With time, he learned vegetarian cooking and gradually helped his family shift from meat to plant-based meals.    

In Lumbini, Koh saw how simple local conditions were and began thinking about how to cook balanced vegetarian meals with limited ingredients. More importantly, he focused on training local kitchen volunteers, demonstrating each step—from washing and cutting to seasoning—and then slowly stepping back so they could take the lead.

For large events, the kitchen must serve over a hundred people with cramped space and few pots, yet Koh and the team persist, one meal at a time. Seeing volunteers and students eat with ease and joy is his greatest reward.

His days used to start before dawn to prepare breakfast, but now he balances work with morning practice, reciting the Sutra of Infinite Meanings and the Lotus Sutra with his wife. She patiently explains the scriptures, and he slowly lets the teachings sink in.

Over time, the couple’s bond has grown deeper. He sees Teh as his “good spiritual friend,” and he responds by listening more and reflecting more, using life in Lumbini to refine himself.

On the Tzu Chi Bodhisattva path, they transform their marriage into a shared vow—one focusing on education, the other on cooking. Their roles differ, but their direction is the same: walking among people, practicing Humanistic Buddhism in daily life, and quietly accompanying those they serve, while also helping each other grow.

Written by Hsu Li-Chu (許麗珠)

Translated by Mindy Chen (陳敏理)