Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan became a monastic at a very young age. When he was 17 years old, he became gravely ill and was unable to have any food for two months. His teacher, Venerable Master Chi Kai specially arranged for a bowl of pickled vegetable to be delivered to him during a time of extreme commodity scarcity. This was a very rare and precious gift. With every mouthful of this gift Venerable Master Hsing Yun was acutely appreciative of his teacher’s love and concern and vowed his life to Buddhism to repay his teacher’s benevolence.

A small bowl of pickled vegetables has accomplished many causes and conditions. Just like a small droplet of water it has nurtured countless of lives. The Fo Guang Shan Water Drop Cafes around the world are set up to manifest Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s ideal of “compensating droplets of kindness with springs of gratitude”. They evoke a sense of spiritual generosity where people of this modern world can experience spiritual purity.