20200304慈悲喜捨為天平Nurturing Love for All Living Beings
The novel coronavirus outbreak truly is a significant global issue. As there has yet to be a specific medicine for the disease, we must heighten our vigilance and prevent any further spread of the virus. In the face of the outbreak, we don’t need to be afraid or worried. Although there is no specific medicine for the disease yet, there is a wondrous remedy for the outbreak.
To end the outbreak, I’ve been sincerely hoping and praying that we can all settle our minds, harbor goodness at all times, and reflect on how we’ve led our lives. Recently, at our morning volunteer assemblies, I’ve often mentioned that we need to reflect on ourselves and practice repentance.
The Buddha often said that we must all awaken from our wrong ways and practice repentance. We must awaken from our wrongdoings, for we’ve all been creating bad karma unknowingly. Exactly how much bad karma did we create in this world in our previous lives?
Due to the accumulation of bad karma, our once-peaceful world has become one where disasters may strike at any time, and people’s simple way of living has been corrupted by greed. People have been creating and accumulating bad karma for a very long time.
In particular, for the past few decades, society has been changing very quickly. Without being aware of how they are led by greed, many people simply indulge in enjoyments. They do everything as they please and eat whatever they want. Eating something rare has become a trend.
After people consumed rare animals, they’d brag about what kinds of meat they’d enjoyed and how rare and costly the dishes were. They do so to show how wealthy they are and how they can obtain as many enjoyments as their wealth allows. This is how humans consume meat without awakening to the fact that they’ve caused the cruel killings of many animals.
In the past, people were more pure-hearted. They believed that all living beings share the same Buddha nature and had faith in the law of karma. Yet, this is not the case these days. Less and less people follow the traditions of doing good to benefit others. This is very worrying.
When less people do good, bad karma will outweigh good karma. Just imagine that we are on a balance. When less people do good, the side good karma will become lighter and hence be outweighed by that of bad karma. As a result, bad karma will become dominant and constantly lead to bad consequences. This is why we should be aware of the balance between good karma and bad karma.
As the coronavirus disease spreads, everyone is afraid. Yet, can we end het outbreak if we simply feel afraid? It’s best if we can reflect on ourselves and give rise to a good thought--- going vegetarian and stopping killing animals for meat. We shouldn’t create bad karma of killing anymore. Many people eat meat and unknowingly create bad karma of killing.
In the past, when people were about to slaughter chickens or ducks by cutting their necks, they’d say, “May you not be a chicken or a duck in your next life. Although I’ve killed you, please take revenge on those who consume you.”
Everyone, this is why moer than one person will sow bad karma when an animal is killed for meat. I often say that animals are striking back against those who have killed or consumed them. As people kill and consume animals, they have created bad karma and aroused resentment and hatred in the animals they slaughter. Animal spirits are invisible and intangible.
Similarly, isn’t the coronavirus like invisible spirits? The virus may have been hosted by animals. So, if we don’t eat animals, we can better safeguard our health and protect ourselves. We need to harbor love and balance out bad karma with loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. We need to cultivate a loving heart, give of ourselves, care for one another with mutual love, and protect all animals. We should not only love one another, but also love all living beings.
I truly hope that we can all do that. I’ve been calling on everyone to cultivate a loving heart and nurture wisdom to safeguard our health. To safeguard our health during the outbreak, we need to cultivate wisdom, reflect on our wrongdoings, and head towards the right direction in life. We must believe in the right direction and take action to walk on it. Apart from having knowledge and understanding, we must also take action. I hope that the outbreak can quickly end.
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