Jing Si Books & Café is far more than a chain of tranquil bookstores and coffee shops — it is a carefully stewarded humanitarian engine within the Tzu Chi Foundation, turning everyday purchases into support for disaster relief, medical missions, and community programs worldwide.

At the helm of this mission is Maureen Siao, a veteran Filipino-Chinese volunteer for Tzu Chi serving as the shop’s chief operating officer and ensuring that each outlet remains true to the Buddhist organization’s spirit of compassion-in-action.

A life-changing visit

Siao’s Tzu Chi journey began in 1995, when her parents brought her, her siblings and other young people from the Philippines to Hualien, Taiwan to experience volunteer work. There, she met a young leukemia patient whose gratitude toward his mother and caregivers left an indelible mark, crystallizing Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen’s teaching that “there are two things in life that cannot wait — showing filial piety and doing good for others.”

Inspired by Master Cheng Yen’s compassion and the simple yet profound wisdom in Jing Si Aphorisms, a compilation of her sayings, Siao and her siblings returned home to become the first generation of Tzu Chi youth volunteers in the Philippines.

After graduating from De La Salle University with a degree in Marketing Management, she continued doing charity visits and rural medical missions across the Philippines. Master Cheng Yen later invited her to stay and learn in Taiwan. What began as a short immersion evolved into a decades-long commitment.

Sustaining teachings and charity

Jing Si Publications was established by Tzu Chi to disseminate Master Cheng Yen’s teachings and sustain its humanitarian work. Jing Si Books & Café was also established to extend this mission into public spaces. Globally, there are around 240 Jing Si locations in various forms, from full bookstore-cafés to smaller volunteer-run spaces.

In the Philippines, proceeds from Jing Si sales directly support Tzu Chi’s humanitarian missions, meaning that buying a book, a cup of tea, or an eco-product becomes an act of giving. The Manila branch — now at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa — embodies this model.

Steward of Jing Si spirit

Globally, there are around 240 Jing Si locations in different forms, including Jing Si Books & Café and smaller volunteer-operated Jing Si spaces.

As COO, Siao oversees operations and development for around 70 Jing Si Books & Café locations in Taiwan, as well as distribution channels and the newly-opened Hong Kong outlet.

“My most important responsibility is not simply whether a store is performing well commercially. It is making sure that the direction of our operations remains consistent with the original spirit and purpose of Jing Si,” says Siao.

The place is also more than a bookstore and coffee shop. She describes the Jing Si experience through “fragrances” of books, tea, coffee and, most importantly, humanity. The aim is to offer people a quiet corner to slow down, reflect, and reconnect — because inner reflection can lead to compassion, and compassion to action.

While design elements — simple, elegant, Eastern-inspired aesthetics; the symbolic lamp representing wisdom and light; consistent volunteer uniforms — create a recognizable ambience, Siao stresses that the true atmosphere comes from people — warmth, sincerity, and human connection.

The book selection centers on Jing Si Publications, many rooted in Master Cheng Yen’s teachings, alongside titles on life education, humanitarian values, environmental protection, health, and family — subjects that encourage reflection and positive living. As Siao puts it, the hope is that visitors find “a sentence or a story that helps illuminate the direction of their life.”