At Tzu Chi University, medical education is not only about clinical precision—it is about humanity.
Through the Silent Mentor Program, individuals donate their bodies not merely for anatomical study, but to teach the living about compassion, humility, and respect. These “Silent Mentors” become the first patients for medical students—not with words, but through a silent, selfless offering.
The Silent Mentor Program began in 1995 with the profound wish to bring humanistic culture into the dissection room. Its foundation was inspired by the teachings of Dharma Master Cheng Yen, who emphasized that life should serve others—even after death.
That same year, Mrs. Hui-Min Lin, a devout Tzu Chi volunteer, became the program’s first donor. Her daughter shared, “My mother wanted her useless body turned into something useful.” This quiet yet powerful act of love laid the foundation for a movement that continues to inspire thousands.
“Turning the useless corpse into teaching material is a liberating experience from life and death as well as the wisdom of knowing how to teach selflessly.”
— Dharma Master Cheng Yen
A key figure in shaping the program’s structure is Professor Guo-Fang Tseng, a respected anatomy teacher at Tzu Chi University. Seeing a gap between clinical training and compassionate care, Professor Tseng envisioned a curriculum where students wouldn't just acquire surgical skills but also learn to cherish life and honor those who gave it.
LEFT: Professor Guo-Fang Tseng guides students in treating Silent Mentors with the utmost care and respect. | RIGHT: Prof. Tseng explains how donated bodies are respectfully stored and preserved at Tzu Chi University.
He advocated replacing traditional, impersonal dissection with a ritual-based approach rooted in empathy—students visit the mentors’ families, read their life stories, write reflections, and participate in solemn farewell ceremonies. With support from the university, the Tzu Chi Foundation, and a growing volunteer network, the program blossomed—not merely as coursework, but as a living philosophy of gratitude and reverence.
Transparency has also become a core value. Families are invited to witness the entire process—from donation, to storage, to the final farewell—building trust through openness. Professor Tseng often explains to families how their loved one will be respectfully used in training, much like a surgeon preparing a patient for a procedure.
Hands-On Training Meets Humanism
At the heart of the Silent Mentor Program is a delicate balance between technical learning and humanistic care. Students don't just gain surgical skills—they walk through a deeply personal journey with their mentors, from listening to life stories to offering final farewells.
LEFT: Families, students, volunteers, and Dharma Masters gather for the Silent Mentor inauguration ceremony—honoring lives before learning begins. | RIGHT: After the final procedure, students bow in gratitude and respect before their Silent Mentor’s cremation.
The program includes two forms of medical education; both centered around the generous offering of Silent Mentors.
Anatomy Class
For third-year medical students, “Gross Anatomy” is a foundational course to understand the human body’s internal structure. Body donors are transported to the university within 24 hours of passing and preserved using formaldehyde. On average, these silent mentors are used four years after donation, with cremation taking place the following year.
Before the course begins, students visit the mentor’s family to hear their story. This connection helps them see the person behind the body and cultivates a deep sense of respect and empathy from the start.
After the dissection, all organs are carefully returned to their original place. Students mindfully suture the body, wrap it in a white cloth, and dress the mentor in a ceremonial robe lovingly sewn by the monastics at the Jing Si Abode.
Surgical Simulation Workshop
Pioneered by Tzu Chi University, this training gives sixth-year medical students and young doctors their first experience in performing surgery—not on living patients, but on those who have lovingly donated their bodies to teaching. These mentors must be delivered to the university within eight hours of passing and are preserved through rapid freezing to retain the natural softness and elasticity of tissue.
Professor Tseng developed this technique after extensive research. Unlike traditional freezing, which causes large ice crystals that damage tissues, rapid freezing creates tiny ice particles that preserve tissue integrity. This allows students to practice surgical techniques on bodies that feel life-like.
The frozen bodies are stored at -30°C and monitored with temperature probes. Any temperature changes trigger alerts sent directly to guards and handlers—because even one failure would dishonor the trust of a donor family.
“Behind every donated body is the concern and care of many loved ones. We mustn’t allow anything to go wrong or else we’ll let many people down,” said Guo-Fang Tseng, director of the Tzu Chi University Medical Simulation Center.
Each simulation course lasts four days, followed by a farewell ceremony and cremation on the fifth day. After each procedure, the body is carefully sutured, treated with respect and gratitude.
A Final Farewell, A Lasting Bond
When the learning ends, the goodbye begins.
LEFT: After the final lesson, Silent Mentors are respectfully cremated and honored at the Great Giving Hall within Tzu Chi University. | RIGHT: Some families choose to bury the ashes at Hualien Ci Yun Mountain (慈雲山), accompanied by farewell rituals led by Dharma Masters.
Students, families, faculty, and Jing Si Abode monastics come together for a series of closing rituals: preparing the coffin, dressing the body, and accompanying the mentor to cremation. These moments are filled with emotion, silence, and gratitude.
If the mentor's family chooses not to retrieve the ashes, a small portion is respectfully placed in the Great Giving Hall at Tzu Chi University. The rest are buried in a memorial garden at Ci Yun Mountain in Hualien—returning to the earth with dignity and love.
A Mentor’s Final Lesson
One such mentor was Dr. Yung-Hsiang Hsu, a beloved pathologist and teacher at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital. Even after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he chose to keep teaching—by becoming a Silent Mentor.
LEFT: Dr. Yung-Hsiang Hsu continues teaching with dedication in the pathology lab. | RIGHT: In his final lesson, Dr. Hsu leads his students on one last journey—this time, as a Silent Mentor.
“I’ve devoted my life to pathology,” he wrote. “This is my greatest honor. When the Silent Mentor program begins, it will be my final and most meaningful diagnosis.”
Even in his final moments, Dr. Hsu hoped his condition could aid future cancer research. His selfless act became a lesson not only in medicine, but in love, humility, and purpose. It was a final offering to a profession he so dearly cherished.
As of 2024, 42,972 people have registered for body donation, and 1,306 have become Silent Mentors—a testament to the program’s growing impact.
Graduates don’t just leave with sharper clinical skills—they carry their mentors' spirits into every hospital room and operating theater. Some even keep a photo of their Silent Mentor by their side, a reminder to treat each patient with compassion and dignity.
One mentor, Ho-Chen Lee, once expressed a wish that speaks to the heart of the program’s purpose:
“I’d rather have hundreds or thousands of incorrect incisions on my body than a single mistake on a patient’s body.”
— Ho-Chen Lee, Silent Mentor
Through this offering, Silent Mentors spare future patients from harm—and give students the chance to learn with both hands and heart.
The program has inspired similar models in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, and has been recognized internationally. The Wall Street Journal once called it “a powerful fusion of surgical realism and heartfelt reflection.”
At its core, the Silent Mentor Program is a quiet revolution in medical education—where healing begins not just with hands, but with the heart.
